From Jute Harvests to Mall Food Courts: Fostering Discourse through Food Spaces

Links to Files

https://foodanthro.com/2019/03/25/from-jute-harvests-to-mall-food-courts-fostering-discourse-through-food-spaces/

Permanent Link

http://hdl.handle.net/11603/41237

Collections

UMBC Faculty Collection
UMBC American Studies Department

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8278-8545

Date

2019-03-25

Type of Work

articles
Text

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Fouts, Sarah. “From Jute Harvests to Mall Food Courts: Fostering Discourse through Food Spaces.” Food Anthropology, March 25, 2019. https://foodanthro.com/2019/03/25/from-jute-harvests-to-mall-food-courts-fostering-discourse-through-food-spaces/.

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Subjects

Abstract

An inevitable part of all field research is cooking and eating. Food activities—in both the raw and cooked stages—help ease potentially awkward encounters through interaction and conversation. Gathering ingredients to make the dish, asking about a dish, listening to the stories that emerge while cooking can be as illuminating as a semi-structured interview. It provides a space that is inductive, informal, and allows for intimate exchanges. For me, rich discussions with Honduran women deeply affected by the diaspora emerged while we work together on food.