This hands-on class encourages participants to explore personal identities through food stories, cookbooks, articles, and material culture. We will practice the techniques and philosophies of visual documentation through exploring recipe histories, and memories. We will engage in expressive writing, drawing, and cooking, if desired.
This is not a lecture-based class, but discussion, part personal blog, part family archival scrapbooking. The direction you decide to go is up to you; whether you decide to write about your mom’s cheesecake, peach cobbler, or collard greens, for example, or you like to make your own bread. Perhaps you’re vegan or gluten-free. You could blog about places locally where you find the foods you need or revise recipes and experiment on your own. Or even design a vegan/gluten-free guide to eating in Boone and Watauga County You might decide to review the newest restaurants in Boone. The choices are endless and entirely up to you.
Photographs are encouraged, either your phone or DSL. We will learn how to catalog and briefly edit your photos for inclusion in your Food Story. We will talk about food and memories, free write, and then list next steps to be prepared for the next class. Show-N-Tell is encouraged and makes for very interesting and delicious discussions.
A website that helped me the most is listed here. And the book is here. There is no need to purchase the book. I will provide hard copy cookbooks at each session to help spark ideas and interest.
I was once told that if a picture of food makes you hungry, it’s a good food picture. Here’s a random selection of homemade prepared foods from my monthly Dinner Club. We called ourselves “Cooking with Wild Abandon,” as well as pictures I‘ve taken in my kitchen and on the road.
Course Format
Face to face, once a week for 2 hours for the duration of the semester. The first hour will be a review of materials while the second hour will be devoted to tasting samples made at home and exploring new avenues for finding family cookbooks and recipes, and finally, the last 15 minutes will be devoted to personal reflection of what went well the past week so that these successes can be duplicated and improved upon if needed.
Supplies
- Hard copy Journal if desired, or personal laptop.
- Endless amounts of creativity.
- Stir until desired consistency. Allow to cool, and enjoy!
Location
The university recently changed their parking restrictions. Therefore if you do not have a current parking permit with App State, you will need to add the parking pass ($10/month) upon checkout and registration. Failure to add the parking permit can result in university tickets and fines.
Notes
This class is relevant to all interested University members as well as educators of all areas and backgrounds, particularly K-12 teachers seeking to integrate differentiated 2 and 3D mediums to encourage engagement in their curriculum.
Course schedule subject to change for in-person offerings.
