[MES Forum] Our next Middle Eastern foodways conversation

[McClimans, Melinda]

MES Forum, do you know anyone who might be interested in joining us at our next Middle Eastern foodways conversation<https://mesc.osu.edu/events/foodways-working-session-2>? If you would connect me, I would be most grateful.

Please feel free to forward this:

What Are Foodways?


The term Foodways describes the deep connection between culture and food. It encapsulates the full story of food in our daily lives—the habits, and practices that shape what we eat, how we acquire it, how we prepare it, and how we share it with others. The Seeds of Middle Eastern Culture project (go.osu.edu/Mideast-food<https://go.osu.edu/Mideast-food>) looks at Middle Eastern foodways with a focus on everything that happens to plants from the soil to the dinner table. It includes:

  *   Acquiring Ingredients: Where you get your food (from a store, a garden, or a farmer's market).
  *   Preparing Food: The recipes, cooking methods, and tools you use.
  *   Mealtime Experiences: The customs around eating, like who you eat with and how the food is served.
  *   Transmitting Values: The special foods you eat for holidays, celebrations, or family gatherings are a way of passing on family values that are often rooted in religion but also culture.

Foodways are shaped by the society and culture around you, which means they are different for every community and family, although there are many parallels across cultures, and similarities due to cultural exchange.

Why They Matter
We use foodways as the starting point for conversations about food and how we think about food. Becoming conscious of why people eat the way they do, and how culture shapes the ways we eat creates more awareness of our own cultural background and how that might have shaped the way we eat. Our program teaches teenagers about Middle Eastern foodways through hands-on experiences such as gardening and cooking. We partner with the Center for African Studies to offer kids West African foodways activities, as well. When people understand their food choices, they can make decisions that support local farmers, healthy eating, and a more resilient, fair, and culturally relevant food system for everyone. Join us on February 28th<https://mesc.osu.edu/events/foodways-working-session-2> as we build on what we've been doing to reach more people of all ages through collaboration.
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