EASC finished the 23-24 school year strong after an academic year full of events and colloquium. We were delighted to welcome four Colloquium speakers over the Spring semester’s theme of Art and Performance, including Dr. Hippocrates Cheng, Dr. Judith Zeitlin, Dr. Meimei Zhang, and filmmaker Christine Choy. Choy’s Colloquium talk was followed by a screening… Read more »
Fermentation
The Promise of Fermentation
I will admit that it can seem a little odd that we in EASC have embarked on a long journey of food fermentation studies. Of all the things in the world we could have taken up, why fermentation? I’ll also admit that I have a tendency to . . .
A Good Walk Spoiled? Cultural Extrapolations on the Nakasendo
I stood in my narrow business hotel room, suitcase on the bed and heels against the wall, agonizing over the minutiae – three t-shirts or four, cotton socks or wool? You see, this packing job required a little more intentionality than usual, as I would be . . .
Nagoya Soul Food
After a few days in the crisp, cool sunshine of Matsumoto, I took the train down to Nagoya where I stepped out on to the bustling streets in a gloomy drizzle. It made for a jarring transition, going from . . .
Matsumoto: Mountains, Miso, and Microbes
I’ve just returned to Tokyo to settle in after what has felt like nonstop travel for the past few weeks. Now that I find myself free of the stimulating yet exhausting hustle that . . .
So What’s the Point, Anyhow?
For better or worse, I feel the need to explain myself… Whenever the topic of this trip came up in the preceding weeks, the response I received was always . . .
Hello from Japan!
I’m here. Japan, that is. However, between the jet lag and catching up with old friends in Tokyo, the first few days have been mostly uneventful, at least as concerns this project. But I have recently . . .
A Journey through a Multitude of Cultures
EASC has recently launched a new project that will combine Area Studies, the hard Sciences, and Humanities more generally: Cultures of Fermentation (link to youtube video: https://youtu.be/4Hl2ZR3wGyM). The project assumes a holistic approach to the study of food systems, from the social cultures that define how and what we eat, to the microbial cultures that… Read more »