My attempt at a definition:  The ability to type food related words out on a Macbook/PC of your choice while simultaneously grasping a cup of caffeine and staring down deadlines.  Pairs well with a lack of sleep, a sound diet and any semblance of a social life.  May also take the form of texts, videos and audio files with subjects ranging from schweddy balls to the weirdest definition of camp I’ve ever read in my life.  Extensive use of auto-correct and spelling suggestions via Google.

Though food is a biological necessity, writing about our interactions with food helps establish and reinforce social constructs.  As with anything we humans get our hands on, the rhetoric of food can be as simple as a recipe passed down within a family to discussing and describing topics such as “food deserts” and the very visceral impact they have on healthy life expectancy.   The rhetoric of food includes narratives that can be make you laugh at the same time questioning your next trip to Red Lobster.  It’s about division and inclusion.  This class helped us discuss the duality of food.  It’s about texts describing the lowly tortilla, while at the same time enlightening us to the amazing byproduct of the nixtamal process.   I highly recommend this class.

by Michelle Biancardi

Like many of my classmates, my understanding of the rhetoric of food coming into this course was fairly limited to recipes, food blogs, and the food memoir, as these were texts with which I interacted somewhat regularly and found more or less approachable. But our studies this semester opened the door for me to the great expanses of texts that make up the rhetoric of food. I think one of my first and most important realizations of what is meant by ‘the rhetoric of food’ is that this genre is not just constricted to written texts or food literature. Text creators can use the language of visual images or audio to share their work with the world, which I find so exciting as our world shifts in this technology-driven direction, to think of the great many food texts that will be created in a wide variety of media. I greatly enjoyed watching some of my classmates put together such works that I initially did not consider a part of ‘the rhetoric of food’ upon the start of the semester.

We began the course by defining ‘rhetoric’ as the where, when, why, and how of a text, and I learned throughout the semester how important each of these factors plays in the making, meaning, and after-life of a text. I learned quickly that neglecting to learn as much background information about a work as possible was a huge detriment to my efforts of trying to understand how a piece functions in the world. I learned to recognize my biases towards certain texts and the value of moving past texts that seem familiar and comfortable.

To me, ‘the rhetoric of food’ is a celebratory piece of the rhetorical pie. It is a rich genre that calls on contributions from creators of all backgrounds — backgrounds even more diverse than the wide range of backgrounds that my classmates and I brought to this course. ‘The rhetoric of food’ is something to be studied to gather a wider understanding of how others experience the world. I’m excited to continue my personal work in this genre and am looking forward to seeing the many many directions in which the genre will continue to grow.

The best thing I read during this class was probably the Pete Well’s review of Guy Fieri’s restaurant. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy his sarcasm and writing style, but it also inspired me to practice that type of my writing on my own. When we talked about the article in class, I spoke about my admiration for Pete Wells’ blunt honesty, and commitment to humor. I thought this article was set apart from other reviews we read because it was raw, and entertaining. This prompted me to chose to read another one of his reviews, “Don’t May be Bars, but Don’t Tell the Chefs”, another incredibly pleasuring review to read. I enjoyed this article because of the metaphors and direct contact to the audience he used. This also lead me to brainstorm my topic for my original composition, which was inspired by Pete Wells.

When I first began this class I had a general idea of what the rhetoric of food would end up meaning to me. Of course, I knew it had to have something to do with writing. I never thought I would think so differently at the end of the course. The rhetoric of food entails way more than I could have ever imagined. The rhetoric of food is a broad field that includes every and any type of food writing. What makes it more distinctive is that food writing can be done in multiple ways: diary entries about home, a recipe, a review, or simply a menu. I learned language is extremely important in conveying your message. I think the different food cultures that are important to us are those that remind us of other times. I believe that people are able to apart of any food culture, as they please. However, most people probably identify with a food culture that has to do with where they live, or religion/ethnicity. It is extremely easy to tie food into the conversation of anything. Food and food writing has a relationship with so many aspects of life. These food cultures serve as identity markers to individuals who identify with specific types of food, similar to how they identify with different religions. Overall, this class has showed me a new way to look at writing. I will definitely take all of the lessons I learned from multiple food writers (including my classmates!) and apply them to my future pieces.

By Lexi Hill

At the start of the semester, in my mind the rhetoric of food consisted of two kinds of text: recipes and food blogs. Over the course of the semester, not only have I learned a great deal about those two kinds of text, but I have also learned that the rhetoric of food encompasses an incredible number of texts that I had never considered. Food reviews, magazine articles, instructional videos, and podcasts, among many others, all fall into the rhetoric of food.

To me, the rhetoric of food encompasses all forms of text that discuss food; this can include but is not limited to politics, culture, privilege, and power, all in relation to food. The rhetoric of food is not simply a list of ingredients and instructions as I previously thought; it can be used to describe the creation of food, but also the celebration of food, its connection to race and nationality, and as advocacy for change.

Over the course of the semester, my ideas about the rhetoric of food have changed a lot. At the beginning of the class, recipes and restaurant reviews were the only genres of food related texts that I could think of off the top of my head. Now that the semester is over, I understand that food writing can come in all different varieties. I was really inspired by my classmates when I saw their creativity in producing their own texts. The way authors choose to express their thoughts, opinions, and research in relation to food can be so different from person to person. Food is such a common and powerful experience that everyone on the planet can relate to. It has the ability to define cultures, time periods, geography, politics, religion, and so much more. Eating food makes us feel something that we often don’t think or care to describe. Authors who are able to capture this experience and put it into words that give us that same feeling, whether it be identity, unity, or simply the happiness of a full belly, are artists. The rhetoric of food is writing that describes something we can’t see or feel, but we still know what it is. We can taste it.

When signing up for this class, the rhetoric of food, I assumed that I would be reading and writing recipes or something similar for a semester. In my mind, that was the only form of food writing I could think of. At the end of this class, I can say that there is so much more that goes into this genre. Starting with recipes even, I had never really seen this kind of writing as a form of literary expression. Maybe because my oven hadn’t felt warmth in over a semester and my microwave is my best friend, I wasn’t familiar with the variety of recipe narratives that we analyzed at the beginning of this semester. However, I soon began to realize that food writing serves as an outlet for creative expression and can have many different purposes. It can be used to tell a personal narrative, to review a restaurant, to advocate for change, to investigate food and nutrition related issues or to write informative annotated bibliographies over food-related texts, to just name a few. Food writing makes a significant contribution to the literary world and it too often gets overlooked.

I’ve also learned that audience varies significantly between food texts and being conscious of who is reading your writing makes for a successful delivery. I have realized this through my own trial and error throughout this class and feel that I’ve grown in my ability to identify my audience and write accordingly. Lastly, I’ve learned that a lot of our identity comes from our relationship with food. The aroma of spicy homemade chili reminds me of memories spent with my grandma, the salty crunch of tostones reminds me of where I come from and the sight of sprinkles and frosting takes me to Christmas Eve with my family. My connection to food has always been present. Now, I know how to express it in words.

Upon registering for the course, I assumed the rhetoric of food was limited in categories and was solely based on different rhetorical strategies used when describing food that is eaten.

Now, I understand that the rhetoric of food stretches across a wide range of types, such as from recipes to annotated bibliographies, creating various relationships between the writer, text, and audience. The rhetoric of food chosen for the text is often determined by the author’s background and identity and the goal they wish to convey to the specific audience. Often there is strategic use of tone, images, and organization to suit the topic they cover and how they want the readers to react. A person’s experience and interest in food is often shaped by their cultural background, geographical locations visited, economic accessibility to certain foods, and even gender expectations that can unknowingly shape a person’s food choice (Western culture: females-salad; male-protein).

Therefore the rhetoric of food does apply strategies on the overarching subject of food, however, in a much larger context that considers the genre, goals, and identity of the author and the audience.