How can I resist an exhibit entitled "Je mange donc je suis"? Even more so when my teenage daughter asks me to accompany her because it's part of a TOK homework assignment.
Theory of knowledge will ring a bell IB (International Baccalaureate) parents!?!
Of course, the fact that it is held at the Musée d l'Homme is another plus not to mention that "Je mange donc je suis" must be one of the most quintessential phrases for the rhetoric, erudite, food-loving French.
I eat, therefore I am....
How does the act of feeding oneself, vital and daily, at the same time shape our identities through cultural practices, rituals and prohibitions? What role has food played in our evolution? Are there any "gendered" foods? What are the environmental impacts of producing resources to feed the world today and tomorrow?
Discussing all these questions with a teenager - ignoring the TOK complaining - was enlightening as we discussed the development of taste, table manners, gastro-diplomacy, agricultural models, culinary heritage and meat consumption. No, Expat Girl was not becoming a vegetarian under my roof.
A good mix between the research carried out by scientists from the National History Museum and works by modern and contemporary artists including Pablo Picasso, Gilles Barbier, Pilar Albarracin and Liu Bolin, as we discovered preconceived ideas on how we produce and consume food.
Albeit feeling slightly doomed as it seems we are heading towards ever increasing contemporary food-related challenges, it did satisfy our appetite… for knowledge!
A peek out of the Musée de l'Homme onto the Eiffel Tower
An unusual tourist strolling around Trocadero
Gilles Barbier's hommage to chocolate!
A simple, unpretentious museum with a nick for unconventional exhibits.
