East Asian Food Culture and Health

Catalog description

What does it mean to eat well? This course explores East Asian culinary traditions through the dual lenses of cultural history and medicine. Taught collaboratively by a medical doctor and a scholar of East Asian languages and cultures, the course looks at the rich food heritage of China, Korea, and Japan to uncover the holistic connection between food, culture, and health in a historical context. Students will gain access to a variety of primary sources from the East Asian tradition, including historical recipes and medical treatises, as well as to current research on the risks and benefits associated with different diets, such as on their impact on longevity, chronic disease, and overall health. In a hands-on approach, students will prepare historical and contemporary East Asian recipes which will be shared and eaten during class.