Events
Spring 2025
January
Friday January 24-Sunday January 26, 2025
2nd Annual Food Studies Writing Retreat
Apply to join us for a weekend writing retreat, with scheduled writing sessions, creative activities, and shared meals. This opportunity is open to VT faculty and graduate students. [Application has passed; stay tuned for our next retreat in January or February 2026].
February
Friday, February 28 8:30-10am, Newman Library 207A
Fermentation Around the World Breakfast Series – African Countries
Join us to learn about fermented foods from African nations in this breakfast series hosted by the Department of Food Science and the Food Studies Program with support from CALS Office of Strategic Engagement and Opportunity and Virginia Tech Phi Tau Sigma Chapter. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Folarin Oguntoyinbo from Appalachian State University. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste samples of African fermented foods (8:30-9:00am) while supplies last before the seminar starts at 9:00 am. Registration is not needed, first come, first served. If you have any questions, please email Dr. Renata Carneiro at rcvc@vt.edu or Jiakun Yi at phitausigma@vt.edu.
March
Tuesday, March 4, 2-3:15pm, Newman Library 101s
"Malthus Got It Backwards: Modern Agriculture and the Ungreen Revolution"
Glenn Davis Stone, Scholar in Residence at Washington & Lee University, will present his lecture, "Malthus Got It Backwards: Modern Agriculture and the Ungreen Revolution." Few ideas are as entrenched in the West as Robert Malthus's vision of agriculture's failing scramble to feed us, or its modern version in which technological innovation is our only hope. A new synthesis of research recasts modern agriculture as the maladaptive result of shared interests of agri-capital and the state. The system's technologies turn out to be "efficient" mainly at garnering public subsidy. This is surprisingly true even on the Green Revolution, which – rather than saving a billion lives – only made agriculture more chemical-intensive. / Glenn Davis Stone is an anthropologist and environmental scientist who specializes in food production and agriculture (both industrial and sustainable), biotechnology in food and agriculture, politics of technology, indigenous knowledge, food studies and science studies. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in the Global South and the US. He has been named a Guggenheim Fellow, a Weatherhead Fellow at the School of Advanced Research, and president of the Anthropology & Environment Society.
April
Wednesday, April 2, 11:15am-12:15pm, Newman Library 207A; or join on Zoom
"From Phenol to PFAS: Managing Municipal Water's Industrial Terroir in the 20th and 21st centuries"
Have you ever wondered why your tap water came to taste the way it does? In this talk, Christy Spackman explores how applying the concept of terroir to municipal water production specifically (and industrial food production more generally) opens up new approaches for understanding how science and technology shape our everyday sensory experiences. Come join us to taste some local waters and learn about efforts to manage municipal water's tastes and smells in the face of changing water quality. / Christy Spackman is Associate Professor of Art/Science with a joint appointment between the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Arts, Media, and Engineering at Arizona State University. Her work draws together food chemistry, the culinary arts, and STS to examine the scientific ecosystems shaping experiences of taste and smell in everyday life
Friday, April 11, 9am-10:30am, HABB1 108
Fermentation Around the World - Latin American Countries
Join us on Friday, April 11, 2025 from 9:00-10:30 am in room 108 in the Human and Agricultural Biosciences Building (HABB1) to learn about fermented foods from Latin American nations in this breakfast series hosted by the Department of Food Science and Technology and the Food Studies Program with support from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Phi Tau Sigma Virginia Tech Chapter. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Renata Carneiro from the Food Science and Technology Department here at Virginia Tech. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste samples of Latin American fermented foods (9:00-9:30am) while supplies last before the seminar starts at 9:30 am. Registration is not needed, first come, first served. If you are interested in attending or have any questions, please email Dr. Renata Carneiro at rcvc@vt.edu or Phi Tau Sigma Leadership Team at phitausigma@vt.edu. HABB1 is located at 1230 Washington St. SW, Blacksburg, VA 24061
Fall 2024 Archive
September
Thursday, September 5, 2024, 12:30-2pm EDT
Food Studies Little Free Library Opening
Food Studies has established a small informal Little Free Library on the 4th floor of Major Williams Hall (220 Steger St.), just outside Rm. 429. Come celebrate its opening with us! We'll have snacks and the opportunity for you to browse the library and take a few books home with you. Feel free to bring food studies-related books to donate as well! Take a book, leave a book (return it when you're done if you want). The library will be open for browsing and donations anytime the building is open.
October
Wednesday, October 2, 2024, 5-6:30 PM EDT
Diane Flynt Apple Talk and Cider Pressing
Diane Flynt, Founder of Foggy Ridge Cider and author of Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising Story of Apples in the South will be in town on October 2 for a cider pressing and apple talk at the Hale Community Garden in Blacksburg from 5:00 to 6:30, 215 Maywood St, Blacksburg, VA 24060.
October 24, 2024, 5:15-6:45PM EDT
Special Collections and University Archives Open House
Please join Special Collections and University Archives and the Food Studies Program for an open house to learn more about our food history materials, hands-on! We'll have a selection of books, publications, and manuscript materials relating to a wide range of food and drink history topics on display in our reading room for you to explore. Plus, we will share information about our digital resources that you can access anytime. As is only appropriate, we will have some snacks, too! This is an open house and does not require advanced registration. Location: Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Campus (1st floor, Newman Library, near the study cafe). See more details here.
October 29, 2024, 12-3PM EDT
Sustainable Dining Fall Harvest Festival
Stop by the 2024 Sustainable Dining Fall Harvest Festival on Dietrick Lawn between noon and 3pm to learn about our new Food, Agriculture, & Society minor! There will also be booths showcasing local options available to our students on campus and in the community. The focus is entirely on campus-based and/or local offerings to our students to help promote the Climate Action Commitment Goals laid out by the university. Other vendors include CNRE, The Meat Lab, VT Engage, The Office of Sustainability etc.
November
Thursday, Thursday 15, 2024, 7PM ET
"The Apples of Appalachia: Culinary & Cultural Connections"
Diane Flynt & Anna Zeide in Conversation
Join the Food Studies Program and Blacksburg Books for this event. We'll discuss the importance of apples in the history of Appalachia. This event will include a cider tasting and apple treats. The event is free but registration is required--please email info@blacksburgbooks.com to secure your spot! Diane Flynt is the founder of Foggy Ridge Cider and author of Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising History of Apples in the South. Anna Zeide is the Director of the Food Studies Program at Virginia Tech and is the author of US History in 15 Foods. Blacksburg Books, 401 S. Main St. Suite 106, Blacksburg, VA 24060
December
Thursday, December 5, 2024, 11AM-12PM EDT
Food Studies End-of-Semester Showcase
Join the Food Studies class (HIST, PSCI, RLCL, SOC 1084) to see the students' final project showcase, featuring a range of foods or dishes in historical, social, ethical, and scientific contexts. We'll have a series of tastings and exhibits on display for anyone to browse and engage with. Come support our students! Newman Library Rm. 207A, 560 Drillfield Dr., Blacksburg, VA 24060.
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Stay tuned for more events!
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In addition to these one-off events, we are also working to build a durable community within the Food Studies program. The anchor of this is a biweekly Food Studies Breakfast Discussion Series, supported by a Faculty Writing Group Grant from the Provost’s office. Please contact Anna Zeide, zeide@vt.edu, for more details or if you would like to join.
We would love to have you join us.
Contact Anna Zeide with input or proposals for future events.