Why We Eat What We Eat: Food Writing, Social Science and the Stories Behind the Plate

Food is so much more than just nutrition, calories, or personal choice. Food is shaped by culture, family, class, migration, memory, markets, health messages, gender, place and power. Every plate carries stories about where ingredients come from, who produced and prepared them, how knowledge travels, and what particular foods come to mean. ‘Why We Eat What We Eat’ is a public Social Sciences Week event bringing together food writing, storytelling, tasting and social science. Through short, accessible talks and creative activities, participants will explore food as a form of cultural expression, a community practice and a meeting point between people, environments and technologies. Singer-songwriter Luke Escombe, creator of The Vegetable Plot, will join us as our special guest, opening up playful ways of thinking about plant foods, nutrition education and public engagement. Photographer and food writer Lucy Leonardi will share some food for thought, literally, by creating a tasting experience that will become a prompt for reflection and writing. With guidance from Macquarie University social scientists working on the Fresh Produce Bioactives project, participants will be invited to write a short piece inspired by the food they encounter. What histories, relationships, labour, environments and social meanings might be found in a single plate? No previous writing experience is required. Registration is required. The event is open to community members, students, educators, food lovers, writers and anyone curious about the hidden social life of food.