Stories for Good: Celebrating Cuisine and Culture

Breakout Session I — 10:00-10:45 a.m.

Hawthorne 201 and via Zoom: https://zoom.us/s/92321469858

Come listen to an autobiographical story about the struggles of developing a social identity in the rural south and my journey through disengagement and derealization. Sharing these experiences will hopefully help others better understand our unconscious biases and the ways in which these biases can make us feel emotionally detached from our own surroundings. 

Melville 102 and via Zoom: https://zoom.us/s/97115559454

We all have memories of food. Our stories are unique to us because they are our own experiences.  They may reflect the influence of a larger culture, place, and time, but they are our personal experiences.  These stories connect us – simply because we can understand that we all have them –  and, at the same time, they reflect the unique nature of the experience of an individual life. In this story circle – which will be set up as a circle – members will be invited to share memories of meals, tastes, events, particular foods,  and meanings that foods have had or have in their lives.  It will be a casual discussion, moderated to make sure we all get a chance to talk and listen.  

Hawthorne 204 and via Zoom: https://zoom.us/s/98686682911

Open your minds and hearts in this cooking demonstration and conversation showcasing the loving flow of Pathumma’s energy and insights as it permeates her cooking space. Pathumma’s history with the developing parts of northern Thailand and integrating in the United States will give people a diverse experience with someone who holds very strong spiritual beliefs and magic when it comes to life and food.  

Breakout Session II — 11:00-11:45 a.m.

Hawthorne 201 and via Zoom: https://zoom.us/s/98951205172

Berkshire Community College serves students from around the globe. As we work toward a more inclusive community, we find it more important than ever to connect with one another about our similarities and differences. In this presentation, we aim to demonstrate at least one way in which we can share some unique aspects of our own cultures, Brazil and Costa Rica, and how we seek to build a community that values multiculturalism here at BCC. Through a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, and English, we explore the importance of sharing our own identities with others and inviting them to share their identities with us. One of the ways we have felt supported in sharing our cultures is through the MADE Center/Multicultural Student Organization, and we hope more students will join us in celebrating what we all have in common: we are all different. 

Melville 102 and via Zoom: https://zoom.us/s/95876935571

In this nonfiction writing workshop, participants will craft original personal narratives, spun from food memories, family traditions, favorite recipes, and other moments of cooking, eating, or chopping garlic. We'll explore the use of first-person narrative, sensory description, and social context in telling brief but vivid stories. 

Melville 212 and via Zoom: https://zoom.us/s/93736890770

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be visually impaired or blind? While the visually impaired and blind may not have their own specific cuisine, they still need to eat too. Learn what it is like to eat and have conversations without utilizing your most dominant sense of sight. This session will provide participants with a hands-on, experiential learning opportunity to see (or not to SEE) what it would be like, to be at a conference, and eat as if they were visually impaired or blind.   

Melville 211 and via Zoom: https://zoom.us/s/98863437900

Join us for a conversation with BCC's new Food, Culture and Local Economy Program Manager, Aaron Oster (A-OK BBQ, Echo & Rig, Il Buco Alimentari) as we discuss the relationship between food, connection, and our personal and collective past, present, and future. 

Closing Session: Live Cooking Demonstration