For Tuesday's class, read this short essay from your Best American Travel Writing book. Then, answer any TWO of the following questions and bring them to class with you on Tuesday.
Remember, these aren't yes/no questions, and I want you to think about them rather than just say "yes, I think this." Try to think out loud on paper and consider some of the 'gray areas' of the questions--the things that don't have an obvious answer. We'll discuss your answers in class on Tuesday.
Answer TWO of the following:
Q1. In general, why does Galuten like to "discover a new city, stomach first" (84)? Why might food, for him, give a unique insight into the culture and personality of a town or city? In other words, what does food tell us (or him) that simply talking to people wouldn't?
Q2. He describes the experience of eating alone in his car like "being single and reconnecting with an ex only to both immediately discover that there's nothing there anymore--two empty vessels with no connection beyond a memory" (86). Why does taking the place and the people out of the equation seem to ruin the food? What was he 'tasting' before that's no longer there?
Q3. According to Galuten, "This disease has been a reflection and amplifier of all of our weak points" (89). How does this essay underscore one of the scariest and most tragic things about the pandemic? And how might it relate to other things we've lost without realizing it?
Q4. Beyond food, what is Galuten really saying in this essay about the importance of human contact and connection? In a world that is increasingly making everything from shopping to educating more isolated and anonymous, why should we be worried? What are we losing besides someone to talk to?
what year book do we buy
ReplyDeleteRemember, the book list is on the syllabus: it's Best American Travel Writing 2021 (the most recent one). It's also in the ECU bookstore. If you have questions, e-mail me instead if posting on here, since I don't always see comments, and I always check my e-mail.
Delete