The Art of Eating in France

Winter 2017/2018

Course Title (English) The Art of Eating in France

Course Title (French) Les arts de la table en France

Class Code OSPPARIS 031

Course Type Seminar

Language of Instruction English

Units, Grading Option 2, letter grade

Departmental Approval Approved for general undergraduate credit

WAYS -

Weekly Instruction Time 1 meeting per week of 2 hours

Class Meeting Time Wednesday, 10:00-12:00

Office Hours Wednesday, 12:00-12:30

Class Meeting Place Room 23

Instructor Details Sarah Grandin

sgrandin88@gmail.com
07 84 12 22 32

Instructor Bio Sarah Grandin is a former cook, a Stanford alumna, and a doctoral candidate at Harvard in the
History of Art and Architecture. As a sophomore at Stanford, she attended the Paris program, which
fortified her interests in literature, art history, and French cuisine. After graduating from Stanford
with a BA in Comparative Literature and Art History, she studied the history of the French food
guide on a Fulbright in Paris. This project was inspired by her previous work as a line cook in Paris
and San Francisco, and by her passion for primary research. At Stanford, she assisted Rob Reich in
his Sophomore College course “Food and Politics” and Dan Edelstein in his Summer Humanities
Institute program “Revolutions.” Her academic research focuses on 17th- and 18th-century French
painting and decorative arts, and her dissertation addresses the importance of size and scale in
artistic and artisanal practices under Louis XIV.

Class Description To eat in France is to participate in ritual, encounter regional and national traditions, engage with
history, and consume art. In this class we will use visual, written and edible source materials to
better understand food culture in France. From the birth of cookbooks in the 17th century, to the
rise of the restaurant in the 18th century, and to the emergence of food writing in the 19th century,
we will chart the institutions and discourses of French gastronomy. You will be able to bring this
knowledge onto the streets and into the bistros of today's Paris to help you navigate the nuances of
dining in France. The class will build in outings and regular food samplings to help forge links
between history, place, and taste.

Desired Outcomes -An understanding of the evolution and invention of French cuisine (along with the shifting roles of its
actors and institutions) from the 14th-century to today.
-An understanding of how the mythology of French cuisine has been constructed and maintained
through written texts over time.
-An appreciation of the interdisciplinary approaches demanded by food studies given the ephemeral
nature of food itself.

SG, 27-12-2017
 -A gustatory and conceptual familiarity with some of the key dishes, recipes, and food products of
France.

Recommended Background No prior experience or knowledge is necessary.

Assessment Components Market Comparison (1.5-2 pages) 10%; Brillat-Savarin “tweets” 5%; Dish or Ingredient Presentation
10%; Final Presentation 10%; Final Paper (4-5 pages) 30%; Class Participation 35%.

Course Material
To Purchase:
Émile Zola, The Belly of Paris, trans. Brian Nelson, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. (Available on
Amazon.fr or at FNAC stores in Paris). 2 copies will be available in the library, though these cannot
ciruclate.

Kings of Pastry is available to rent on iTunes, and Somm: Into the Bottle, is available to rent on iTunes
or can be streamed on Netflix.

Available in the library:

2 copies of The Belly of Paris
Le Fooding, 2017 guide
Guide Michelin, Paris, 2017 guide

All other readings and materials will be available on the Canvas website

Key Dates No midterm

No final exam
Final paper due in hard copy on the last day of class (March 14)
Note that the following sessions will take place outside of normal class hours:
Friday, January 19, 10:00-12:00: Outing to Colorova, nearby Salon de Thé
Wednesday, February 7, 19:30-21:30: Visit to the Louvre by Night
Tuesday, February 27, 18:00-20:00: Wine Appreciation

Course Schedule

Session 1 Introduction
Wednesday, January 10
10:00-12:00

Session 2 French Cuisine’s Ingredients, from Terroir to Empire

Friday, January 19*
10:00-12:00
*Note different class time
Read
1) Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson, “Culinary Nationalism,” Gastronomica, vol. 10, no. 1 (Winter
2010), pp. 102-109.
Watch
Kings of Pastry, directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebraker, 1h24 minutes (Available to
rent on iTunes)

Outing to Colorova, a nearby salon de thé, to taste and discuss coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar,
spices, and other “colonial” ingredients.

Session 3 Distinction: Forming Identity through the Performance of Taste

Wednesday, January 24 Read
10:00-12:00 1) Jean-Louis Flandrin, “Distinction through Taste,” A History of Private Life, ed. Philippe Ariès
and Georges Duby, p. 267-307.
2) Pierre Bourdieu, “Taste of Luxury, Taste of Necessity,” excerpted from Distinction: A Social
Critique of the Judgment of Taste, trans. Richard Nice (1984), as reprinted in The Taste Culture
Reader: Experiencing Food and Drink, ed. Carolyn Korsmeyer, pp. 72-78.

In class: Watch and discuss excerpts from Babette’s Feast (1988)

Session 4 Food and Metaphors: Émile Zola’s The Belly of Paris

Wednesday, January 31 Read
10:00-12:00 Émile Zola, The Belly of Paris, trans. Brian Nelson, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
Translated from Le Ventre de Paris (1873).

Assignment
Submit a 1½- to 2-page reflection comparing a market in Paris to those you’ve visited in the
U.S.

Charcuterie tasting

Session 5 Representing Food

Wednesday February 7* Read
19h30-21h30 1) Norman Bryson, “Chardin and the Text of Still Life,” Critical Inquiry, vol. 15, No. 2, (Winter,
1989), pp. 227-252.
*Note different class time
Visit to the Louvre

Session 6 Cooks, Their Kitchens, and Beyond

Wednesday, February 14 Read
10:00-12:00 1) Sean Takats, “Theorizing the Kitchen,” The Expert Cook in Englightenment France, Baltimore:
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011, pp. 95-116.
2) Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson, “Writing Out of the Kitchen: Carême and the Invention of
French Cuisine,” Gastronomica, vol. 3, No. 3 (Summer, 2003), pp. 40-51.
3) August Escoffier, Preface to A Guide to Modern Cookery (1907), translation of Le guide
culinaire.

In class: Watch clips from Ratatouille

Session 7 Health Regimes and the Science of Food

Wednesday, February 21 Read
10:00-12:00 1) Sean Takats, “The Servant of Medicine,” The Expert Cook in Englightenment France,
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011, pp. 116-140.
2) Rebecca Spang, Epigraph and “Introduction: To Make a Restaurant” in The Invention of the
Restaurant: Paris and Modern Gastronomic Culture, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,
2001, pp. 1-11.
3) Robert Kunzig, “The Biology of… Cheese: Safety vs. Flavor in the Land of Pasteur,” Discover,
November 2001.

Cheese Tasting

Session 8 Liquid Traditions

Tuesday, February 27* Watch

18h00-20h00 Somm: Into the Bottle (2016), 1h31 minutes, directed by Jason Wise (available to rent on
*Note different class time iTunes and to stream on Netflix)

Wine Appreciation
Please see alcohol policy below in preparation for this class.

Session 9 Gastronomy and the Theorization of Food

Wednesday, March 7 Read

10:00-12:00 1) Alain Drouard, “Chefs, Gourmets and Gourmands: French Cuisine in the 19 th and 20th
centuries,” Food: The History of Taste, ed. Paul Freedman, London: Thames & Hudson Ltd,
2007, pp. 262-299.

2) Excerpts from Brillat Savarin, The Physiology of Taste, translated from La Physiologie du
goût, (1825).

Assignment
Write three “tweets” in the spirit of Brillat-Savarin inspired by your gastronomic experience in
France.

Session 10 French Food under Fire?

Wednesday, March 14 Read

10:00-12:00 1) Adam Gopnick, “No Rules!” The New Yorker, April 2010.
2) Peruse websites of Le Fooding and the Guide Michelin and consult hard copies in Library to
read restaurant reviews. Compare the style and criteria of the different food guides, bringing
examples to share in class. Feel free to try out any of the recommended restaurants to come
to your own conclusions.

Assignment
Submit 4- to 5-page final paper

Final Presentations (7-10 minutes each) and celebratory macaroon tasting

Course Policies

Attendance Attendance to class and all course-related events, even outside of regularly scheduled course times, is
expected. Some class outings/make-up classes may take place on evenings and on Fridays.
The professor reserves the right to lower the final grade in case of regular absenteeism or late arrival
to class. Personal travel and/or travel delays are not considered justifiable reasons for missing class.
Students who miss classes for medical reasons must inform the program staff members before the
beginning of the class by telephone (01.49.54.65.73) or by email (stanfordinparis@stanford.edu).
Appropriate documentation will be expected for all medical-related absences.

Exams and Assignments If unforeseen circumstances prevent the student from sitting for the regularly scheduled examination,
or handing in written work by the fixed deadlines, the student should make a request to the professor
in advance for alternative arrangements on an individual basis. Unforeseen circumstances include
illness, personal emergency or the student’s required participation in special events.

Honor Code Students are required to abide by the Stanford’s Honor Code at all circumstances. Please refer to the
section devoted to Honor Code on the Stanford website:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/vpsa/judicialaffairs/guiding/honorcode.int.htm
Plagiarism Plagiarism is severely sanctioned at Stanford University. According to the Board on Judicial Affairs
(May 22, 2003): “For purposes of the Stanford University Honor Code, plagiarism is defined as the
use, without giving reasonable and appropriate credit to or acknowledging the author or source, of
another person's original work, whether such work is made up of code, formulas, ideas, language,
research, strategies, writing or other form(s)”. Please refer to the section devoted to plagiarism on
the Stanford website:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/vpsa/judicialaffairs/students/plagiarism.htm

Documented Disabilities Students who may need an academic accommodation based on the impact of a disability must initiate
the request with the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). Professional staff will evaluate the request
with required documentation, recommend reasonable accommodations, and prepare an
Accommodation Letter for faculty dated in the current quarter in which the request is made. Students
should contact the OAE as soon as possible since timely notice is needed to coordinate
accommodations with the Stanford-in-Paris Program Director. Please refer to the section devoted to
documented disabilities: http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/oae

Alcohol Policy The limited consumption of alcohol within the context of this course has been approved only on the
condition, and with the understanding, that this activity is an assignment for a bona fide exercise for
the course. The alcohol consumption will be monitored, and no more than one glass of wine per
student will be either offered or consumed within the designated session. 

Grading Policy Stanford University Program in Paris aims to have grading standards and results in all its courses
similar to those that prevail on campus.
Grades are awarded using the U.S. system of letter grades, or the French system of numbers, at the
instructor’s discretion, based on the grade equivalence chart below.
Incomplete work: the ‘I’ grade is restricted to cases in which the student has satisfactorily completed
a substantial part of the course work. No credit will be given until the course is completed and a
passing grade received. When a final grade is received, all reference to the initial ‘I’ is removed.
Students must request an incomplete grade by the last class meeting. Faculty may determine
whether to grant the request or not. Faculty are free to determine the conditions under which the
incomplete is made up, including setting a deadline of less than one year, or grading the student
down if an extension is granted. These conditions should be put in writing by way of an exchange of
emails, for example, with the Program Coordinator copied on the exchange. 

French grade French grade

Stanford grade
100/100 20/20

Less than 30 1-6 No credit

30 - 40 7 D+ Minimal Pass

41 - 45 8 C- Satisfactory -

46 - 50 9 C Satisfactory

51 - 55 10 C+ Satisfactory +

56 - 60 11 B- Good -

61 - 65 12 B Good

66 - 75 13 - 14 B+ Good +

76 - 85 15 - 16 A- Very Good

86 - 95 17 - 18 A Excellent
 Excellent + (director’s approval
96 - 100 19 - 20 A+
required)

For the sake of accuracy, the instructor may decide not to round off any grade above the decimal.
The grade “14.80”, for example, can therefore legitimately be considered a “B +”.

Classroom Etiquette  The use of cell phones, laptops, and tablets in seminar is not permitted.
 Please print all assigned reading materials.
 Please turn in all assignments in hard copy at the beginning of class.