Sovereignty and Control – Live discussion with the panellists
Those in control set the menu. Whether reflecting on deprivations, the loss of autonomy through monotony, or using food to celebrate treaties, this panel probes food as an effective…
Case Studies: Rules of the Group – Live discussion with the panellists
Cuisine is often a fundamental marker of identity, with shared expectations and the reassurance of belonging to a group. Yet cuisines (and individual foodstuffs) are constantly evolving within the…
Going Superseasonal and Ultralocal: Live discussion with Micha Schäfer
Micha Schäfer was studying theology at university when he realised that what he really wanted to do was cook. Finding his way into the kitchen through dish-washing, since 2015, he…
Moments of Abundance – Live discussion with the panellists
Folklore often features stories of abundance, taking the listener away from the fears of hunger to exalt in the fecund harvest, and modestly wasteful rituals reinforce the hope that…
The Recipe as Text – Live discussion with the panellists
We have all been frustrated by the recipe that "doesn't work," whether inartfully drafted or through our own mistakes. But what is the role of the text, given that…
Objects of Curiosity – Live discussion with the panellists
Challenging rule-driven food practices, redefining rules of etiquette and where trends, traditions, and rules for food come from, this panel investigates unconventional dining, cultural symbolism, and the playful nature…
Disruption of Rules and Rituals: Live discussion with Martin Kullik and Jouw Wijnsma
We talk a lot about what we eat, but quite a bit less about how we eat it. The earliest manuals about Table manners, that is compendiums of rules, date…
Wikipedia “surgery”: an informal opportunity to troubleshoot issues in Wikipedia editing
Wiki-editing session with Roberta Wedge have become an OFS tradition and ritual by now. Watch her basic video and then work directly under her tutelage to up your skills in…
The Sifter: an informal workshop for the new and more experienced
The Sifter, brainchild and labour of love of longstanding Symposiast Barbara Ketcham Wheaton, is a free website for searching and comparing historical authors, their works and the details of their…
Mixed Emotions: An Installation: Live discussion with Carolyn Tillie
Moderated by David Matchett, this session offers the opportunity to probe more deeply into the role that objects play in rituals of remembrance, as well as to explore the artistic…
Finding Home – Live discussion with the panellists
Finding familiar foods when one is away from home, especially when part of a diaspora community, can challenge the outsider to find new ways of enacting innate rituals to…
Paradigm Shifts in Communicating Information – Live discussion with the panellists
The "discovery" of food as an academic subject and well as increasing prominence in popular culture and discourse has created new technologies, organizational structures, and venues for talking about…
