Event details: https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/ai/event/9562/

Exploring Korea Through Its Foods and Foodways interrogates these fascinating dynamics in the context of Korea. Over the past several years, the South Korean government has attempted to globalize Korean cuisine as a cultural commodity and as a model for nutrition and healthy food consumption. From the purported medicinal effects of kimchi during the SARS epidemic of 2003 to the multi-dish presentation and consumption of formal meals and the many Korean food festivals appearing in major cities around the world, Korean cuisine has indeed “gone global.” But what does this mean, and how has globalization in turn shaped Korean food? The first panel, Social Changes and Cultural Discourses on Food, features leading experts on the cultural evolution of Korean food and foodways, touching on the nation’s colonial past as well as its more contemporary encounters with other cultural imports. The second panel, Food, Health and Market Forces, provides a comparative view of nutrition and food consumption. Animated by observations from outside of Korea, along with a view from within, experts will discuss the intersection of food consumption and tastes, nutritional imperatives, socio-economic stratification and health outcomes. The third panel, Korean Food: Cooking and Eating Practices, centres squarely on food practices, and their social and economic underpinnings. Experts will engage a range of topics from the business of Korean cuisine to its representations in popular culture.