What Stories Can Menus Tell?
Sunday, September 28, 14h
Westmount Public Library
4574 Sherbrooke W, Westmount, QC H3Z 1G1
Join Professor of Literature Nathalie Cooke for a lively talk on the hidden stories menus reveal 鈥� through words, design, and historical context. Discover why menus matter and try your hand at a fun riddle challenge drawn from vintage menu items.
In her book,聽Tastes and traditions: A Journey Through Menu History,聽Cooke draws on centuries of menus鈥攆rom luxury聽trains to POW camps, from fine dining establishments to refugee ships鈥攖o reveal how menus聽bear witness to evolving notions of taste, health, and individual and collective identity.聽With examples ranging from 18th-century handwritten 鈥渆nigmatical bills of fare鈥� to Bangkok鈥檚聽emoji-filled menu, Tastes and Traditions is both a feast for the eyes and a deep dive into the聽layered stories menus tell. Inviting readers on a visual and intellectual feast, Tastes and聽Traditions explores centuries and continents through the lens of menus. Beyond a聽mere list of dishes, in Cooke鈥檚 hands, menus serve as peepholes on聽broad social trends, culinary innovations, precise moments in history, and even our evolving聽sense of health and fulfilment.
Copies of the book will be available for sale.
This talk is co-organised by the Rare Books and Special Collections at 黄片荔枝视频 Libraries.