ASIA 52: FYS: Food in Chinese Culture

“You are what you eat,” but equally important is how you eat it and how you write about food and eating. The rich tradition of Chinese food and the even richer tradition of writing about food offer great food for thought. This course explores the major themes and topics related to food and the food culture of China as well as Chinese food in North America. Readings include two non-fiction books by Chinese American authors, namely, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer Lee and Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China by Jen Lin-Liu, as well as select fictional and cinematic works by Wang Meng and Ang Lee . This course is reading-intensive and requires ten pages of academic writing in total. It is not a cooking class. LA, BN.