Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description
Food: Why We Eat What We Eat and Where it Came From
Instructor(s): Una Bray, Associate Professor of Math
Why do we eat what we eat ? Is it nature, nurture, or do we just eat what’s available?
In this course students will use tools from many different disciplines to examine
this question. Historical, sociological, economic, scientific, religious and aesthetic
approaches to the subject of culinary choices will inform our discussions throughout
the semester. We will proceed from the foraging of the ancient world, through early
human civilizations, Greek and Roman times, medieval eastern cultures, the Far East,
early European cultures, African cultures, to the contributions of the Americas, as
we study how we arrived at the food we eat today. Along the way, we will share meals
representative of the cultures and cuisines we study.
Course Offered