Photo courtesy of @healthy_eclair.
Surely I am not the only one who envied anyone that had home ec class in middle school. I mean, who wouldn’t want to learn how to make lasagna and brownies? Count me in. I also hope I am not the only person who sat through freshman orientation, overwhelmed as we listened to deans and professors explain the new Connections curriculum from the five Modes of Inquiry to the Eleven (and growing) Integrative Pathways.
I came to Conn knowing I wanted to apply to the Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts (CISLA), so I accepted ignorance when it came to Pathways. However, when I heard the news that a Food Pathway was in the works, I was fascinated and desired to learn more.
This is about to be a major plug, but I run a food Instagram dedicated to eating in college (@healthy_eclair). So, if you have seen me running around Harris like a crazy person, holding my own avocado and peanut butter, that’s why. That being said, food is extremely important to me, not only because I love to cook and bake, but also because I enjoy healthy eating. When it comes to eating in the dining halls, it can be hard to abide by a non-dairy, gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian diet. With the uproar of the closing of Freeman Dining Hall, it seems cruelly ironic that the college’s administration has begun to plan a Food Pathway.
Modeled after the four centers for interdisciplinary internships, the Integrative Pathways are a cornerstone of Connections. Each pathway consists of establishing a thematic inquiry, enrolling in three courses relevant to your pathway, engaging with the community at a global or local scale, and completing a senior reflection that will be presented at the All-College Symposium for pathway and center scholars in early November. According to Conn’s website, “the goal of the Pathways structure is to close the gap between practical preparation for a career and the development of critical thinking skills that impact virtually every area of the student experience.”
The question then becomes, how does a Food Pathway combine a student’s interests? Would students simply enroll in the class because they want to relive their study abroad experience in Florence while sipping wine and discussing the history of pasta shapes? Or would students breakdown barriers and common misconceptions about disciplines outside the typical liberal arts curriculum? Who is to say making a five-layered ricotta lasagna with your peers is not relevant for the real world?
After all, food goes beyond the sustenance we devour at Harris or JA. Ashley Drummey ‘21 is a biology and Hispanics double major and CISLA scholar who plans to look at how wine resonates in Spanish culture. Drummey believes this pathway would be pertinent to have in the curriculum because “food is multidisciplinary.” That being said, this pathway would exemplify the values of a liberal arts college and the Connections program.
I have to agree with Drummey here; I enrolled in Food: Reading and Writing with Professor Jessica Soffer last semester in which I learned not just how to narrate a recipe, but describe food in a relatable way. Professor Soffer explained in an email that “food is the great connector, the common denominator; and it’s important to say that no one gets left out of the equation.” She goes on to say that “no matter the topic (History, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Marine Biology, Psychology), food and all its themes and bearings are there, revealing critical information about who we are and how we live.”
This approach to food is exactly what Anthropology Professor Black, who is also the coordinator for the Food Pathway, hopes to achieve. Professor Black specializes in researching the anthropology of food, and has been working closely with the administration and faculty to have the Food Pathway approved by Spring 2020 and then launched the following Spring. She has also been in contact with the dining staff in order to investigate ways students can engage with Conn’s dining halls that would allow them to feel more at home as they dish baked ziti onto their plates.
Professor Black and I met over lunch in JA (I know, how appropriate?) to discuss the pathway in further detail. She explained how interdisciplinary the food field is, making it the perfect concept for a pathway. She hopes to not only recruit professors from the English, Italian, and Art History departments, but also engage with the local community. The pathway would be an opportunity for students to engage with food programs such as the Brigade Community Dinners, Fresh New London, and the Sprout Garden. The curriculum would not be confined to a classroom, an internship, or a semester abroad, but instead be a way for students to connect over food. Students would discuss food access and justice and analyze how we engage with food in a capitalist and consumer society.
Professor Black explains that there are so many concepts a student can learn in a kitchen that go beyond how to make the perfect cheese omelet. In previous courses, Black has brought her students to the kitchen in Lazrus House, and hopes to practice a similar routine with Pathway students so they may learn how to cook and eat in a communal living space. Food was once at the center of Cro renovation, which would have been an ideal teaching space for students. However, Professor Black is now looking into other on-campus kitchens students could use such as Unity, Earth, and Hillel House.
Viangely Asenico ‘20 is in the Global Capitalism pathway and believes the Food Pathway is “very promising, especially in the humanities or the environmental sciences.” She goes on to say that the pathway would ask students to question “how can we be sustainable with our food and eating habits?”
As college students, it can often feel like we live in a bubble. However, the Food Pathway would allow students to engage with the local community, as well as think critically — a crucial element of a liberal arts education. Whether this article entices you to apply for the Food Pathway, buy your avocados from Fiddleheads Food Co-op in New London rather than Shoprite, or simply experiment with your meals at Harris, I, along with Professor Black, encourage you to reflect on what food means to you and to others. •
