Course Spotlight- Culinary Tourism
MET ML 692, Culinary Tourism will be taught this Spring 2025 on Thursdays from 6:00-7:30 p.m. by José López Ganem, with a travel component to New México (United States) during the BU Spring Break ‘25.
Among the higher echelons of the Food Studies canon, Lucy Long’s Culinary Tourism provides a time-proofed definition of this activity “as the intentional, exploratory participation in the foodways of an other.” Our time is plagued by mediatic invitations to
discover (e.g. Anthony Bourdain), re-discover (e.g. Eva Longoria), and re-claimed (e,g.Karen Cantor), via the physical experience of immersing ourselves in foodways -mostly in their place of practice, although not always – that are not part of our daily
routine or were not staples of our upbringing. Based on this definition, a food studies scholar happens to be a conscious culinary tourist for life.
On this course’ second reiteration, Culinary Tourism will be a space to understand the thought and method that have gone into understanding the temporal presence of ourselves in the food customs of another. From the rich history of how we have engaged in the ludic pursuit of food beyond our comfort, to the industries and mechanisms that have made this quest possible. Like Long suggests, this course will engage how food is consumed, prepared, and served to a visitor; and even how foodways can be observed and understood by a stranger’s gaze.
Moreover, the class will undertake a practicum component during our University’s Spring Break (from Tuesday March 11 to Sunday March 16) to the State of New Mexico. The region’s multicultural makeup yet challenging weather makes this corner of the United States a testing ground for the theory we will learn in the classroom. Participation on this trip is mandatory.
Students will be responsible for arranging and paying for flights, lodging, and most meals. The program will be attempting to facilitate the lodging booking process so that all trip participants are staying at the same hotel. The program will cover in-ground
transportation to and from activities, plus any entry fees for those activities, such as museum tickets.
As the Michelin Guide invites the traveler, may this class be so exceptional in our roster of electives that it is “worth a special journey.”
Photo Credits
1. © Michelin Guide / France
2. © La Fonda Inn / University of New Mexico – United States
3. © Harry Kersh and Joe Avella / Food Tours – United States