Changing Our Food-Culture with Gastronomy and Architecture

Abstract

Food, a necessity of life, brings cultures together and boosts tourism and communities across the world. Gastronomy, in this essay, is understood as how we think about, and engage food. We have lost our way in how we see gastronomy and to bring back its significance we must regain an appreciation for food. We must become educated as to how we think about and fabricate food. Acquiring education, though, requires that one be passionate about learning, and it is passion that can provoke a change within ourselves, our food culture, and our communities. The food culture that we live in today focuses on convenient and cheaply made products that require little to no understanding of the food. The idea that cooking quality food is a timely and expensive chore is the mentality that embodies the current food culture within the United States. Morgantown, West Virginia, embodies the issues we have with our food culture based around the connections between culture, community, and food. This city is the home of West Virginia University and has a steady influx of students every year, as well as larger companies that help stimulate its economy. Could Morgantown be a model for connecting the power of gastronomy with architecture to create spaces that provides fresh and authentic food, educational experiences, and an atmosphere that would bring the community together as well as change the way we see food and its impact on our lives? By defining the connection between gastronomy and architecture to be one of making food, healthy eating, and the sensory experiences between the creation of food within specific environments that heighten the experience, this essay considers how in the American small urban context, connecting how we cultivate our food culture with architectural spaces for the enjoyment of cuisine, we can bring life back to a city, and promote Changes needed in our food culture.