fandomhigh | The Philosophy of Food | Wednesday, 3rd Period

There was no food on the table today.

"First," Hannibal began, "let me say that as we are now halfway through this session, I encourage you to discuss your project with me now or during office hours, as we will need to schedule time." He eyed them all.

"Now, so far we have been mostly discussing how we conceive of and address food because of other influences such as culture." He settled in his chair. "Now, we turn that around. How is food itself an influence?" He raised an eyebrow at the students.

"The types and amounts of food available to a culture, the sorts of foods that are valued as delicacies and the sorts that are discarded - these all can help to dictate the development of society, not to mention arts and leisure activities. We still evaluate earlier cultures on the basis of whether they were hunter-gatherers or agricultural, yes?

"On a note closer to home for most of you, how much a part of your routine is food? When you go to the movies, what food do you expect? The picnic to welcome us here - what would you have thought if it didn't include food? What about the fact that I've set out no food today - have you come to expect it? How has that expectation altered your behavior and thinking?"

He sat back and waited.

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What aspects of your life and culture revolve around food?

"Well, my baby sister has a tendency to faint whenever she goes too long without eating something," Zhari said, poking at her soup while she replied. "So we've gotten used to carrying small, easy to carry bits of food around, to make sure she eats every few hours. Does that count?"

"Of course." Hannibal nodded. "You are adjusting part of the way in which you live, due to a need for food. What about traditions, rituals - do you always eat breakfast or dinner a certain way? Are there certain times or places you would be startled if there were no food, or if there were?"

"People in my culture like eating food, it keeps us from dying," Atton said.

Like you were ever getting a genuine straight answer out of him about anything.

Edited 2013-08-07 11:34 (UTC)

"That is a start," Hannibal acknowledged. "What if you didn't need to eat - if there were perhaps a pill that would fully sustain you. Would you still eat? Or drink?"

Atton shrugged. "Depends on what kind of drink," he said. "Juma juice has got more going for it than nutritional value."

In that it made you very drunk so you could forget about doing terrible things to people.

"Some inebriating or mind-altering properties, I presume?" Yes, he had mentioned drink for a reason. "So, what traditions persist around this juice - do you drink it any time, any place, with any people?"

Hannibal dealt with patients that were far more reluctant and hostile than Atton. He'd manage.

Edited 2013-08-07 18:29 (UTC)

"You drink it in a cantina," Atton said, sounding... well, not as grudging as his earlier behavior might have intimated he would be. "They serve the best kind on Nar Shaddaa, but I wouldn't really recommend it as a tourist destination."

"What makes it the best - the taste, or the effect?" Hannibal asked. "Do you think it has anything to do with the fact it's not recommended as a tourist destination?"

"Well, sometimes is not just the food, but the whole act of eating that carries some significance," Emily said, remembering her meals with Takeda. When Takeda was around, at least. "So it's not just what you eat, but how you eat it?"

She was so lost.

"Very good." Hannibal smiled. "There are many long-held and treasured traditions surrounding food. They may be as simple as insisting a family eat a daily meal together, or as complex as the sumptuary laws in Renaissance Italy. What are some of yours?"

"Well, back home it's usually just me and my tutor, so it's usually accepted as a rule that neither of us can start eating until everything is set on the table. There are also set positions on the table...and the guy's Japanese, so using anything but chopsticks is basically sacrilege," Emily said, as well as other usual Japanese customs while eating ~~that the mun is presently not well informed about~~.

Also aw yeah she made the teacher smile.

"There are many Japanese customs to observe when using chopsticks," Hannibal noted. "Of course, there are also many involving forks and knives, but these days they have become limited to more formal meals. If you're more comfortable with chopsticks, I will bring them in the future.

She was lucky to be making a good impression after missing class so much.

"That would be...interesting. I suppose I kind of miss using them," Emily said.

Her good girl act was pretty darn good after all.

"Chopsticks it is, then. They can serve as a practical example of cultural differences. As well as a bit of nostalgia."

Hannibal bowed slightly and gave her a little smile. He was very well acquainted with acting good.

The Philosophy of Food | Wednesday, 3rd Period

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