Bedoya
Food For Thought
February 2017
Third Plate Test Review Guide
There are 10 thematic questions on this sheet. I will choose 5 questions, and you will be responsible for answering 4 of them for the test.
Names to Know and possibly reference in your answers:
Dan Barber
Eduardo Sousa
Jean-Louis Palladin
Frank Purdue
Klaas Marten
Thematic Questions:
1. Why does Barber believe the history of wheat in America symbolizes American culture? How does the story of wheat mirror the story of American ‘progress’?
2. Identify two ways technology has changed agriculture and/or the food we eat. How does our understanding of the role of technology in the world affect our understanding of food?
3. Discuss Wendell Berry’s concept of ‘displacement’ from his essay ‘The Unsettling of America.’ What is the alternative to displacement, and why hasn’t this alternative been the dominant trend in American history?
4. What role do celebrity chefs play in our food culture? Why does Barber believe the power of a chef can be detrimental for moving toward a sustainable, ecologically responsible agriculture?
5. Identify what Barber meant by 1rst, 2nd, and 3rd Plate. How does his understanding of what constitutes the “3rd plate” change both how we farm and eat?
6. What did Barber mean when he quoted Garrison Keiller as saying “You can taste the misery in every bite” in reference to eating meat?
7. In what ways was nouvelle cuisine different from the classic French cooking at the time? How did nouvelle cuisine set the foundations for the modern farm-to-table movement?
8. Why does Barber assert that companies like Purdue aren’t ‘farming’ at all? Do you agree with his assertion? Why or why not?
9. Assess Barber’s argument regarding the lack of American cuisine. What is meant by ‘cuisine’, and how does Barber connect our meat-centric eating habits with our history and culture?
10. Define the concept of ‘food-alienation’. What are the causes and symptoms of food-alienation, and how does it affect our understanding of agriculture?