Breakfast is perhaps the most expressive meal of the day, revealing national, regional, and individual identities. O’Sullivan discusses breakfast in American culture, from the 1600s to the present. Her research considers the meanings and identities constructed and communicated through food. Examining meal preparation and consumption, she discusses the evolving role breakfast has played and continues to play in everyday life.
Highlighting the practical and symbolic functions of food in changing socio-economic environments, this talk illuminates the morning meal as a central consideration in discussing concerns about nutrition, health, ethics, taste, status, corporate control, marketing, and “authenticity.” O’Sullivan engages the audience in dialogue through thought-provoking questions, handouts, and archival photographs and advertisements. She will provide lesson plans ideas for teachers who might like to incorporate food studies in the classroom as well as of suggested readings for all those who would like to learn more.
Projection screen extension cord needed; microphone needed for large venues.
