Third Essay Assignment: Defining the Good Life Through Food.

In her essay, “Food, Eating, and the Good Life,” Judith Farquhar argues that the crafting of a good life is “guided in part by an aesthetic even under conditions where real lives may fall far short of what might be desired” (p. 155). In Ten Thousands Things, the authors delve deeper into a discussion of what self care looks like in contemporary Beijing. In your explorations of the cultural dimensions of food in this course, have your visions of the good life changed with respect to how food can provide the means of care for the self as well as care for others? Can you give an example of how your own food practices navigate between practical constraints and “what might be desired?”--especially given the challenges faced by students on a budget.  Don’t forget to use examples from the readings to develop your thoughts, especially from the last three weeks of the class.

5 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font (1250-5000 words), Times Roman, standard margins.

Due Date: Monday, Mar 11 by midnight.

The paper assignment is constructed to give you some creative latitude in composing your essay. You are invited to incorporate personal experience in your discussion, but you are also expected to use material from the course materials and critical concepts presented in class in developing your ideas. The essay is an opportunity for you to demonstrate what you have learned and to integrate the course materials by making thoughtful connections.

Grading Rubric

• The essay makes connections to discussions in the readings of the links between self-care and ethical selfhood.
• It uses contrasting stories to compare self-care practices in contemporary Beijing with one's own as a student in Seattle.
• It cites readings and films with a special emphasis on the last three weeks to develop the argument. It uses well selected quotes that are well embedded in the flow of narrative.
• Grammar, organization, and style.