Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (September 11 - November 16)：
Muldoon’s thesis examines the emergence of culinary and dining culture in the U.S., with New York City serving as a focal point in her exploration of the material and cultural study of food. She is interested in tracing the shifts in dining culture in the past three centuries, as the codified French school of haute cuisine that long dominated the occidental approach to food was supplanted by new approaches to food and dining, which emphasize cultural omnivorousness. Inherent in this switch from elite “gourmet” to democratic “foodie” culture is the emergence of tandem values of authenticity and exoticism – two characteristics frequently associated (at least from an occidental standpoint) with cuisine from Asia.