This reading group, in partnership with MISC, which strongly encourages participation from scholars and non-scholars alike, will investigate food tastes and their development over time. Central preoccupations will include how food tastes are shaped, as well as the internal and external pressures that determine their evolution. Through a multidisciplinary perspective and close reading of relevant texts, we will examine a series of wide-ranging case studies, mostly (but not exclusively) drawn from the Canadian context. Topics will include the problematic notion of “good food”, the role and importance of literary meals and discourses on food, the influence of food celebrities, food history and its place in our appreciation of contemporary meals, and emerging food practices. This group seeks to engage the English-language community and thereby extend the network already established by a lively discussion group for francophone scholars and food professionals led by Julia Csergo of UQAM. Time and Location: Thursdays 4-6pm. Download outline. For more information contact Laura Shine (Laura.r.shine@gmail.com), Nathalie Cooke (nathalie.cooke@mcgill.ca) or Alexia Moyer (alexia.moyer@mail.mcgill.ca)