Food and Drink Network [2011-2012]

About

Food and drink are the stuff of life. This is obviously true biologically, in that they provide the nutrients and energy which form and drive the human body. It is also true socially, culturally, economically, politically. We are not only what we consume but also how, where, why, how much and with whom we consume it. Just as food and drink define who we are in all sorts of ways, so our diet, tastes, and habits are the product of the societies in which we live.

As such, food and drink are an aspect of human existence which does not simply benefit from inter-disciplinary study, but demands it, offering unprecedented opportunities for meaningful collaborative work. This is the premise of the Cambridge Food and Drink Network. It enables local scholars and graduates interested in all aspects of the study of food and drink to engage regularly in inter-disciplinary dialogue. It also allows external scholars to come and speak in Cambridge on a regular basis
The programme for 2011-2012 divides into three sections. In Michaelmas 2011 sessions are dedicated to establishing the range of approaches to Food and Drink within Cambridge. After Christmas we invite a mixture of local and external speakers to address two themes in particular. In Lent we're concerned with 'The Politics of Food and Drink'. In Easter we consider 'Questions of Taste'.