by Naomi Wagner The role of the feast in reinforcing social stratification achieves vivid expression in the opulent ornamentation and functional impracticality of this eighteenth-century spoon dish. The image on the dish appears to depict Neptune and Venus, Greco-Roman god of water and goddess of love, respectively. The nakedness of the two deities symbolizes life and fertility, while the frolicking horses in the sea below them represent the bounty of the earth. These characteristics correspond to the feast as a celebration of overabundance and wealth. But the imagery of the spoon dish also prescribes a rigid hierarchy of the natural order in which the divine human figure stands above nature (the land and sea) and animals (the horses within the sea). This symbolic and visual hierarchy of created beings justifies the hierarchy of human society, linking the spoon dish to the function of the feast as a display and perpetuation of social stratification. The small size and mythical imagery of the spoon dish point to its use not as an everyday household serving dish but rather as an indicator of status and cultural refinement. A spoon dish, especially one as small as this, does not have the same level of practicality as other eating implements such as utensils, glasses, and dinner plates. Traces of gold gild the scalloped sides of the delicate porcelain dish, showing the greater value placed on ornamentation than on function. Importation of Chinese porcelain during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries became especially popular among wealthy upper-class Europeans, who considered Chinese ceramics exotic. This focus on ornamentation and wealth calls to mind the extravagant dinner party at the Vaubyessard in Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, which valued cultural refinement and spectacle over inclusion and celebration. The spoon dish’s distinct Chinese style, mythological subject matter, and predominantly ornamental function mark it as an object used in the highly cultured feasting of the wealthy, which maintained social hierarchy by excluding the lower classes. Works Cited Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary. Translated by Lydia Davis, Penguin Books, 2015. Print.

by Rachel Murray "A Lord Mayor’s Day Night Mare" is a satirical work of art by Charles Motte, and is intended to portray a newly elected mayor after the celebratory feast. The glutinous act of the lord mayor can be seen in by the variety of animals that surround him as he sleeps, torturing him as though they are ghosts returning to haunt their consumer. Each of the animals depicted in the piece is representative of a food typically served at the Lord Mayor’s Day feast, and the abundance is representative of the abundance of wealth and power within the British political system. It is perhaps also representative of the corruption and excessive assertion of power as this piece was published during a time of extensive colonization. The amount of food that one consumes, mirrors their social ranking—a ranking that was often used to assert influence over those of a lower social status. Thus, Motte not only establishes a connection between feasting and gluttony, but a deeper connection between consumption and corruption.

by Emily Byrd In Honore Daumier’s 1857 lithograph, “Horsemeat For Dinner,” the caricaturist critiques the immoralities acted out by the societal elites in order to maintain their bourgeoise status. The forces in power in 19th century France influenced the consumption of horsemeat on a large scale during the Siege of Paris, symbolizing a loss of humanity through a loss of the ability to distinguish food that is fit for consumption. Though this consumptive anomaly began out of desperation among the lower rungs of French society, it was borne out of a situation contrived by the pride of the French aristocracy, and it was the people of the upperclass who sustained it out of a sense of loyalty to self-serving nationalistic pride. in fact, this particular piece is part of a series of lithographs by the caricaturist about how Parisian elites playes a role in normalizing this behavior by hosting a well-publicized dinner featuring horsemeat in every dish (Bertleson). Daumier used this event to show how bestial the upperclass was willing to become for the sake of maintaining the status quo. The ability of humans to limit their consumption and differentiate between appropriate and forbidden food sources is part of what the philosopher Leon Kass says is essential to the separation between man and animal—a distinction that Daumier is playing with in this depiction of inhuman hippophagy. Works Cited Bertelson, Cynthia. ”Eating Black Beauty,* Or, Horsemeat, a Taboo That Became a French Stereotype.” Gherkins Tomatoes. 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2015. Kass, Leon. The Hungry Soul. New York: Free, 1994. Print.

by Emma Moon To the average modern-day viewer, Jan Weenix’s Still Life with Hunting Trophies is a grotesque portrayal of the way that humans take animals’ lives without care. The deer has blood on his muzzle and is lying in an awkward position. On top of the deer, the crane’s neck is completely limp. However, a broader social point was not Weenix’s original intent. In fact, when the painting was created in the late 17th century, this type of art was for upper-class individuals to display in their homes. Rather than attempting to comment on killing without care, Weenix wanted to create something for rich people to display just that: their ability to kill without care. Today, if people kill animals without the intent to use them for food or clothes, they are judged ferociously. Further, the more exotic an animal is considered, the higher the severity of punishments. In the late 1600s, it was the opposite, especially among the higher classes. To hunt and to display game meant more social capital for the rich. The bigger the game, the better. More exotic animals only added to how impressive the feat was. Over the last few centuries, the way that humans treat hunting and the display of caught game has changed drastically. However, the amount of killing that takes place has not changed. Today, a higher sense of morality has been placed on hunting, separating many humans from animals’ deaths altogether. Many cringe while a truck full of chickens passes, but refuse to stop roasting and eating them. Others are aware of how animals are treated at farms to be prepared for slaughter but still eat meat. People’s reaction to Weenix’s painting resembles the mindset surrounding hunting today: to look away and critique the killing without making any real changes. In a modern context, the painting begs the question: are we really that different from our earlier counterparts?

by Abby Kliensorge “Hot Dog Bridge,” a print by Russell T. Gordon is an abundantly colorful piece of art providing you with feelings of lightness and happiness when you view it. The artwork is in the style of pop art, which is a movement that began in the 1950s but was incredibly popular in the 1960s (Tate). Pop art can be defined as work that may include visuals of different every day, “normal” objects such as soup cans or even a hot dog as seen in this print (Tate). When imagining pop art, one may think of outrageously colorful pieces of work that stand out amongst other surrounding art, in which “Hot Dog Bridge” does wonderfully. The focus of the hot dog as a bridge within this piece of art exhibits its ability to form a bridge between this seemingly simple piece of food to the art world, bringing along those nostalgic feelings with it. Hot dogs are a well-known American food that is usually eaten within many households at least once or twice. Specifically, the average American eats around 70 hot dogs per year, adding up to around 20 billion hot dogs being consumed in the USA overall (OptiMonsterDM). The hot dog has come to represent the happiness found at picnics, ball games, and family get togethers. The “dog” has also come to exhibit not only food but also nostalgia and the many happy memories from the past at such gatherings, such as possibly from a Fourth of July barbecue where many loved ones are present, where there’s good food like a hot dog, music, and fireworks, and where everyone is celebrating and having a good time with one another. The painting seems to capture this association as well as the warmth and joy that accompany these events where you’re surrounded by friends and family. The paintings use of warm blue skies and white fluffy clouds, further enhance this association to happiness. The artwork itself is full of bright colors that could connect to lighthearted feelings or memories. With the bright colors and the use of the hot dog it bridges nostalgia of daily life and happy memories with the art world. Overall, the painting ‘bridges’ a chasm between how a hot dog is not just an average American food but rather how it can become art and provide you with a sense of nostalgia, happiness, or even playfulness. WORKS CITED OptiMonsterDM. “3 Must-Know Facts about Hot Dogs.” The Original George’s Gyros Spot, 2020, www.georgesgyrosspot.com/2020/08/20/3-must-know-facts-about-hot-dogs/#:~:text=The%20average%20American%20consumes%20about. Tate. “Pop Art.” Tate, Tate, www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/pop-art.

by Caitlin Nettleton and Nina Bryce left: “Muscle Beach”, printed late 1981 or early 1982 . Max Yavno, American, 1911-1985. gelatin silver print. Ackland Fund. Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. right: “Meal Time, Tenement, New York City”, 1910. Lewis Wickes Hine, American, 1874-1940. gelatin silver print. Ackland Fund. Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Food is a key component of human identity. The photographs “Tenement Family, New York” (Lewis Hine) and “Muscle Beach” (Max Yavno) demonstrate that not only what is consumed but how it is consumed can define us on a personal level, a cultural level, a social level, and a national level. Each of a distinct American time period (pre-WWII and post WWII), these photos capture contrasting interactions between people and food, as the post WWII generation attempts, by means of consumerism, to distance themselves from the previous generation’s immigrant background. These contrasting interactions as seen in the photographs are re-created in the personages of Primo and Segundo in the 1996 film Big Night.Directed by Scott Campbell and Stanley Tucci and set in the 1950’s, Big Night is the story of these two Italian immigrant brothers who open a restaurant in New Jersey and struggle with the tension between food as a cultural and familial tradition and food as a means of achieving status in their new-found American home. The opposing forces of tradition and consumerism as seen in Big Night are representative of the differences between “Tenement Family New York” and “Muscle Beach.” When compared with the film Big Night, these two photos are seen to demonstrate the evolution of the American dream through the evolution of American food identity, as indulgence and consumerism replace family values and community. The motif of tables and chairs, or lack thereof, further underscores this evolution of the American dream. The historical context of Lewis Wickes Hine’s (1874-1940) photograph “Tenement Family, New York” must be understood in order to evaluate the connection between the American dream and American food identity. The photograph depicts an immigrant family eating a meal together in their tenement. Considering the photographer’s preferred subjects and the historical backdrop of turn of the century America, this family is most likely a lower-class immigrant family struggling to survive in a poor neighborhood. The turn of the century in America “was a time in which the exploitative practices of the great trusts appeared to pose a serious danger for the American dream” (Steinorth and Bannon 15). Waves of immigrants were coming from Southern Europe, Eastern Europe and elsewhere, and more and more people were moving to the cities as American transitioned from a primarily agricultural to an industrial society. This population influx and lack of regulations on child labor and other exploitative labor practices caused the conditions of the lowest class of the new industrial society, like the family in the photo, to be substandard. Lewis Wickes Hine was central to a reform movement designed to call the United States government’s attention to the plight of the working class and immigrant families (Steinorth and Bannon 15). Described as a “pioneering social photographer,” his work includes “more than 500 silver gelatin photographic prints depicting American social conditions and labor,” such as photos of families in their tenements, and their attempts to pursue the American dream despite disparaging conditions (NYPL Digital Gallery). Like the characters in the film Big Night, this tenement family’s pursuit of an American dream is centered around community and family, demonstrated by their communal meal. Like Primo and Segundo who come to America to pursue their dream of opening a restaurant, this family has immigrated to the United States to pursue their dreams. Primo’s definition of the American dream, though, retains his connections to Italy and to family through culinary tradition, unlike Segundo who is tempted to deny his family heritage and buy into a consumerist-American dream. The tenement family in this photo is similar to Primo and his attitude towards food. The entire family is seated around a table, and all of their plates encircle a single platter of meat. The matriarch and patriarch are sitting at opposite ends of the table – a traditional icon of a family dinner. Surrounding them are their children and one other adult member of the family, possibly an elder child, cousin or sibling of one of the parents. Their meal is thus a communal, family affair. In addition, they display their best in this photograph, in terms of dress and tableware. This demonstrates that family and family meals are not separate from an attempt to rise in social and socio-economic status. Their American dream includes family and good, nourishing food. Their food identity and also their American dream is centered on family values, but also on the emphasis on food as precious and food as nourishment. In “Tenement Family, New York” each member of this family is fully-clothed and connected to one another by table and plate – food is a necessity but also a source of physical and personal nourishment. In addition, there is no dilemma of what to eat – there is only one dish (perhaps two) and what is provided is what you get. “Tenement Family, New York” demonstrates that what we consume hasn’t become as much of a cornerstone of American identity yet – identity is still much more centered around whether or not you have food to eat at all, how food is consumed and how it reinforces familial and communal ties. As America developed, so too did the American dream and America’s food-based identity undergo a transformation. After WWII, Americans felt a great need for safety, comfort, and fun as a way to release the fear and struggle of the 1930s and 1940s. The 1950s American identity was just beginning to be visible and captured artistically in 1949, when Yavno captured “Muscle Beach.” In the photograph, the presence of consumerism is extremely visible. The background is lined with advertisements, and we see the backs of a sea of people being lured in by the magnetic pull of beautiful bodies, festive atmosphere, and tasty food. Iggers provides a very relevant insight on the notion of consumerism driving people’s values and identities, saying “in our consumer society, consumption is no longer centered on meeting basic needs for food, clothing and shelter. Rather it is the way we create and maintain a sense of identity” (Iggers 105). The people in this photograph are all white, attractive, seemingly wealthy Californians – all of which characterize the new American homogeneous ideal that many aspired to in the 1950s – thus shaping their identity. The photographer, Max Yavno, was fascinated by L.A. life in the 1950s. On the blog “L.A. Observed,” Yavno is described as “the photographer who produced some of the most iconic images of Los Angeles” and as “an oddball, a recluse and a perfectionist” (Graeme). According to the photo curator Jennifer Watts, “he has become an artist whose work is synonymous with Los Angeles.” Yavnos personal and artistic history may help explain some of his love of L.A. 1950s society: he began as a photographer in New York City – he was hired by the Works Progress Administration in the late 1930s to photograph urban New York scenes that could serve as models for theatrical stage sets .Then during WWII, Yavno was a photography instructor for the military. After his artistic focus had been during the Great Depression and WWII for the first decade of his career, it is understandable that he was drawn to focus on more hopeful subjects during the 1950s, when America as a whole was shifting towards a more optimistic perspective. This photograph mirrors the process being seen in Primo and Segundo’s story, showing how America’s food identity and the concept of the American dream transformed in the 1950s — from one based on family and community values to one based on status, leisure, and individual experience. Primo is more interested in preparing the risotto because it is part of his culture, yet Segundo is more concerned with whether it is a profitable item on the menu. Segundo is committed to the restaurant, but he easily gets distracted by the possibility of higher status (when he is lured in by the car salesman, he dreams of another life in which he owns the car). The cultural ethos conveyed in “Muscle Beach” is one in which food is a form of entertainment, not a grounding, centering, ritualized aspect of daily life. The absence of tables and chairs is significant, too. The people are all standing, milling around – there is no gathering place, no common ground, no suggestion of stillness and quietness. In comparison to the communal meal of the first photograph, which was centered at the table, the the concept of food in the second photograph is much more superficial and transient – food is advertised as novel (such as cotton candy, jumbo malts, and candy apples), portable, and cheap – not traditional, predictable, and nourishing. This scene is a true “feast of the flesh” – the indulgence of food is just one other type of indulgence that goes along with indulgent vacation/leisure time, indulgent sexuality or exhibitionism, indulgent athletic training and body-building, and indulgent clothing and accessories. Food is a status symbol, a form of entertainment or recreation, and even a sexual symbol. The bodies seen in the photo could be seen as another meaning of the term “meat market” – shopping for food options echoes shopping for sexual options. After food shortages and rations of the Depression and the war, the abundance of food the 1950s was a large part of the overall image of leisure and glamour. It should also be noted that there are many food options available in this photograph– having choices of what to eat and being competed for by different advertisers was a relatively new phenomenon at the beginning of the 1950s. This 1950s group momentum towards a stimulating, fun food experience can also be seen in Big Night in Pascal’s restaurant – the customers who go there are pulled in by exciting demonstrations, lots of tasty foods to choose from, and of course, the other wealthy, sexually alluring people that go there. With the film Big Night as a framework, the comparison of the photographs “Tenement Family, New York” (Hines) and “Muscle Beach” (Yavno) provide insight into the evolution of American food identity and the American dream throughout the 20th Century. Like the characters Primo and Segundo who highlight the transition from immigrant traditions to American consumerism through their understanding of their restaurant, so to do the photos illustrate the progression from a family and community focused, practical, nourishing relationship with food to a much more complex relationship with food — one based on status, sex appeal, consumerism, and fun. In the Hines photograph it is a family around a table, seated and preparing to share one communal dish, whereas in the Yavno photograph the lack of a central eating location results in a fairly anonymous, unconnected mass of people, brought together by the lure of many different types of food, fun and beauty, all of which are being advertised to them by businesses. Some might say that this form of gathering around food is less authentic or less meaningful, some might say it is progress towards a wealthier, more sophisticated society. Neither qualifying statement would be objectively correct — this contrast (between Hines’ and Yavno’s works) only provides us with evidence of the changing American food identity. It is up to the viewer to then decide for his/herself whether our national identity surrounding eating is shifting in a promising direction or in a destructive one. Works Cited Big Night. Dir. Stanley Tucci. Perf. Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub. Rysher Entertainment, 1996. Netflix Instant Watch. Graeme, Judy. “Max Yavno.” LA Observed. August 5th, 2008. Web. 11 Oct 2010. <http://www.laobserved.com/intell/2008/08/max_yavno.php>. Steinorth, Karl and Anthony Bannon. Lewis Hine : Passionate Journey, Photographs 1905-1937. Zurich: Edition Stemmle, c1996. Print. Iggers, Jeremy. The Garden of Eating: Food, Sex, and the Hunger for Meaning. New York: Basic, 1996. Print. “Lewis Hine Collection | UMBC.” UMBC | Digital Collections. Web. 09 Oct. 2010. <http://contentdm.ad.umbc.edu/hine.php>. “NYPL Digital Gallery | Lewis Wickes Hine: Documentary Photographs, 1905-1938.” NYPL Digital Gallery | Home. Web. 09 Oct. 2010. <http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?col_id=175>.

by Ky Barefoot Paul René Azcuy Cárdenas created this movie poster for Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s 1976 film La Última Cena (The Last Supper). In the film, a Cuban slave owner sympathetically reenacts the Last Supper with his slaves. He then beheads them the following day. Echoing the slave owner’s terrifying perversion of Christ’s Last Supper, this poster portrays a version of the Last Supper that encompasses horror instead of sanctity. Upon first glance, the eye is attracted to the red blood gushing from the candelabra. The eerie resemblance of blood oozing out of nowhere and wax slowly dripping down candles disturbs viewers. Positioned against the blackness, the pixelated candelabra also disturbs. It appears like it was photographed at a crime scene and plastered on the cover of a newspaper. Thus, the candelabra exudes a foreboding, criminal presence. Enveloping the candelabra and adding to its foreboding presence, the black darkness elicits fears of the unknown and feelings of dread. Feelings of dread increase after viewers read the title and realize the gory connection to Christ’s Last Supper. Viewers are startled by how the poster countervails holy tradition and presents the Lord’s Supper as one of murderous bloodshed. They become curious about the film and its perverse connection to the Last Supper. They wonder whose blood drips down the candles, and whose hands are responsible for murder. Thus, by eliciting feelings of horror, the film poster engages viewer curiosity and does what it was meant to do—convince people to watch the film.

by Madison Whalen Published in 1830, Charles Motte’s political cartoon, “The Fatal Effects of Gluttony: The Lord Mayor’s Day Night Mare” features a British Lord Mayor haunted by dreams of his day’s meals. From fish to fowl to feral-looking deer, the animals that the Lord Mayor has consumed throughout the day are coming to exact their revenge, armed with weapons and murderous stares. The Lord Mayor is lying in his bed that conveniently looks like a dining table, pinned down by a massive tortoise, as a frog wields two opened champagne bottles as guns. A frog is standing on top of the bedside table, atop the day’s menu – filled with too many delicacies to count. The 1830s were a time of political and social friction in London, and the Lord Mayor’s Day highlighted these tensions. A celebration to inaugurate the new local Lord Mayor of London, Lord Mayor’s Day reinforced the Lord Mayor’s devotion to the British crown, a symbol of wealth and extravagance: two things that the upper class in London had plenty of, but the lower and rising middle classes did not. The gluttony of the Lord Mayor’s Day Feast was a visible division between the haves and the have-nots. The political cartoon begs the question: is the real sin here gluttony, or indulging in gluttony while willfully ignoring those who go without?

by Brent Eisenbarth left: Rose Piper. American, 1917-2005. Eve and the Serpent (“Sarpent he Came Roun’ de Trunk; At Miss Eve his Eye he Wunk”), 1988 or earlier. Acrylic on masonite right: Hendrik Bary, Dutch, c. 1640 – 1707, printmaker. Frans van Mieris, Dutch, 1635 – 1681. Wine Is a Mocker, printed 1670 engraving Ackland Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. How do paintings convey narrative? Rose Piper’s painting “Eve and the Serpent” (c. 1988) and Hendrik Bary’s sketch “Wine is a Mocker,” (c. 1670) answer this, capturing a trickster’s wink at the viewer. Juxtaposed, the two works contrast temptation versus the reality of sun. Furthermore, the deceiver of each piece serves an anti-feast. Piper’s piece is full of motion. With her head tipped, Eve reaches out to the snake, coiled about the tree. His wink, their motion, and the bright colors, paint an alluring picture of temptation. This motion is fitting as “Eve and the Serpent” originates from an African-American slave song “Dese Bones Gonna Rise Again,” titled after a resurrection prophesy in Ezekiel 37:7-8. Adam, present in the original Hebrew text (Parker). If Piper’s colorful, active work showcases temptation, Bary’s “Wine is a Mocker” sketched the result. As its title suggests, the mocker’s foolish wink really mocks himself. Her stillness and his erratic teetering sharply differ from Eve and the snake’s graceful movements as the temptation differs from consequence, the painful second half of sin’s narrative. Furthermore, both works marriages lack communion, showcasing an anti-feast. Eve instead dines with sin, while a husband’s drunken antics plant seeds of strife. In light of the Piper’s works Biblical context Matthew 5:23 proclaims, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you.” If God refuses food brought to his alter in strife, then a meal defined by sin must offer the narrative of the anti-feast. Works Cited Holy Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House 1984. Print. Parker, Julie Faith. “Blaming Eve Alone: Translation, Omission, and Implications of עמה in Genesis 3:6b.” Journal of Biblical Literature 132.4 (2013): 729-47. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.

by Maggie Dunn Dutch painter Jan Weenix's Still Life with Hunting Trophies is captivating due to the gory and troublesome scene it captures. While modern viewers might balk at the blood and sinew in the foreground of this piece, such as the strewn corpses at the forefront of the painting, Dutch viewers in the late seventeenth century would have seen Still Life with Hunting Trophies in a different context. In this Dutch Golden Age, characterized by prosperity, Weenix’s paintings were displayed in wealthy townhomes to display surplus and consumption (Frick Collection). After the Dutch War of Independence that began in the sixteenth century, the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands achieved independence. The Southern Netherlands, which were still under Catholic control, saw an influx of artisans fleeing to the north. Their independence created an emphasis of wealth, art, and colonialism for the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Frick Collection). This can be seen in violent paintings like Weenix’s, which asserted dominance over creatures perceived to be useful to the owner. In Still Life with Hunting Trophies, a hunting dog and monkey stand to either side of the corpses of a doe and a heron. The difference between the living and the dead animals lies in their service to hunters. Overconsumption is evident through ornate, abandoned falcon hoods at the forefront of the painting, as well as a hunting rifle embellished with a long red tassel. Ornaments of wealth on display next to subordinate animals show overconsumption and dominance on the part of hunters. Ideals of power and superiority as shown in this painting are examples of the colonialist mindset which was common as the Dutch expanded their empire in the seventeenth century (Frick Collection). Weenix's Still Life with Hunting Trophies now hangs in the Ackland Art Museum, a reminder of the violence of overconsumption for modern viewers. Juxtaposing adornments of wealthy hunters with the gore of animal death creates a commentary on wealth and power that has remained relevant throughout history. Work Cited The Dutch Golden Age | The Frick Collection. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2023, from https://www.frick.org/exhibitions/mauritshuis/golden.

by Hien Le "Hotdog Bridge" by Russell T. Gordon shares a similarity with the cinematic landscape, notably the hotdog scene from “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” In both instances, the humble hotdog goes beyond the traditional culinary confines that it resides in, transforming into a symbol of creativity and endless possibilities, but most importantly, absurdity. Just as in the film where the dimension-hopping protagonist, Evelyn Wang (played by Michelle Yeoh) happens to tap into the world where fingers have been replaced by hotdogs, the connection bridges the mundane world of Evelyn with the ridiculous world of hotdog fingers. Gordon's painting has a bridge made of hotdogs, linking the “normal” world with the world of imagination. The bridging of normality and silliness in a way emphasizes the significance of food as a conduit for the imagination. In “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the hotdog scene serves as a visual metaphor for interconnectedness, as Evelyn learns to connect with her “nemesis,” Deirdre (played by Jamie Lee Curtis), and understands that she too is someone struggling to go through life just like everyone else. Then in "Hotdog Bridge," food becomes a vehicle for absurdity and going beyond one’s imagination. Placing a hotdog between two cliffs to be a bridge allows the viewer to think beyond what a hotdog traditionally can be, can it be just a food or can it also be a literal bridge, what else can a hotdog be? Both the film and the painting blur the lines between reality and fantasy, inviting the audience to think about the ordinary in extraordinary contexts. Just as the characters in the film navigate a multiverse while dealing with their daily lives, Gordon's artwork invites us to cross the fantastical hotdog bridge, embracing the whimsy and absurdity that art and food can bring to our lives. Through these creative outlets, we are reminded of the limitless potential of the human imagination, where even a simple hotdog can become a bridge to unexplored worlds of creativity and wonder. WORK CITED Everything Everywhere All at Once. Dir. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Perf. Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis. A24, 2022 Streaming.

by Jordi Gaton and Skyler Tapley George Cruikshank. British, 1792-1878. A Good Cup of Tea (When the Duty Is Taken Off), n.d. Etching. Ackland Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The William A. Whitaker Collection This brief little cartoon from one of Great Britain’s leading caricaturists, George Cruikshank, is a political parody of the British empire’s expansion into both India and China. Cruikshank was a master of the political cartoon and was quite cognizant of current social movements and political trends. During this time period, tea was in high demand within Great Britain. Tea time had a very prominent role in all classes and much importance was placed on it. In this cartoon, Cruikshank uses British tea time as a metaphor for the extraction of both goods and resources from British holdings in both India and China. India in this piece is depicted in the elephant decoration of the massive tea cups and China can be found in the names of the tea leaves used to make the mixed brew of tea that these women are enjoying. Everything related to tea has been depicted in excess in order to link British imperialism with the theme of gluttony. As these women appear to consume this tea by the “pint” from massive teapots, the author intends to question the British appetite for imperialism and to express the extent to which the British have grown to exploit their colonial interests. Cruikshank suggests further with his inclusion of the separate tea container for “gunpowder” on the far wall that this relationship is one that is, in part, maintained by violence. His placement of gunpowder in a tea container could be interpreted as the other cup of tea that these women would take when they are on duty rather than in their leisure time. Duty’s connection with gunpowder, therefore, reveals Cruikshank’s opinion that British nationalism and imperialism is closely associated with both violence and death. Sources “Ackland Art Museum.” Collection Search | Ackland Art Museum | The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2017. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “George Cruikshank.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 22 Apr. 2005. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

by Julia Gray Saunders "Dinner on the Grounds of the Corinth Baptist Church". Minnie Smith Reinhardt, American, North Carolina, Catawba County, Vale, 1898-1986 oil on canvas. Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Gift of the artist. Minnie Smith Reinhardt’s 1985 painting, Dinner on the Grounds of the Corinth Baptist Church, depicts a local church congregation’s Sunday feast in the countryside of early 19th-century North Carolina. Reinhardt was a North Carolina resident; she had six children, worked on a farm, and as she phrased it, watched the “cutting wheat and picking cotton” (Ackland, 1). At age seventy-seven Reinhardt began painting the details and scenes of her rural life. Although Reinhardt painted this church repeatedly over time, this particular painting is of the annual Sunday afternoon gathering in August (Ackland, 1). Reinhardt’s painting of the congregation creates a tone of nostalgia for kind community and a slower-paced time. The image is the true antithesis of T.S. Eliot’s Cocktail Party, in which the people at the party who know each other act like strangers, and no one is well fed or particularly enjoying themselves because there are only drinks and appetizers. In Cocktail Party there is no meal to bring the party’s members together; the conversations are full of “schmoozing” and superficiality. In Dinner on the Grounds of the Corinth Baptist Church the men, women, and children come together to eat, creating a sense of nostalgia for this warm community. Would this warm community still exist with just the church or just the people? Without the table set for eating, the true bond would not persist. The way the people form a circle around the table, beckoning to the stragglers who still have not joined them, would not visually come across the same way without the table and thus the food. They are all dressed-up for this special annual occasion— a true feast because of its rarity, exceptionality. While the church-goers come together to the church every Sunday to pray, sing, and worship God, Reinhardt recalls this annual meal as her subject to show the compassion and connection between the people as individuals and as a group. The feast also shows the simple, untouched America Reinhardt longs for and remembers so vividly. One traveled by horse and wagon and lived in primary colors. The subjects of the painting are America’s settlers and the undoubted members of the United States’ “Golden Age.” In the picture, there is a white wooden church in the middle of the woods. The abandoned horses and wagons are all tied to trees on the left side of the church. In the foreground, are primary colored flowers, shedding brightness and color into the scene as well as mimicking the coloring of the congregation’s clothes. Dressed in their Sunday dresses and hats, all but four people are either surrounding or walking toward the white table clothed table on the right side of the Church. The table echoes the church’s white and represents its purity and thus importance to the people. On the far right side of the painting, two pairs of men are talking in the shadows of the trees away from the group feasting. Both are touching hands and seem to be in serious conversation because they are detached from the community. Perhaps these pairs of men negatively foreshadow the business and loss of community that will accompany America’s future. Reinhardt creates her nostalgic tone in Dinner on the Grounds of the Corinth Baptist Church with this picture of an untouched, slower-moving America. Because Reinhardt chose this simple, quaint annual scene as the subject of her work in 1985, there was something that she wanted to recreate, something she longed for about this time period. The feast is imperative to produce this longing. The scene would not be the same if the congregation was walking in before the service or gathering in groups talking after the service. An onlooker sees the people’s kind-hearted relationships created by breaking bread together. While the beliefs brought them together as members of the same church, it is the eating after church that perpetuates their community, their circle. Works Cited “Dinner on the Grounds of the Corinth Baptist Church.” Art at the Ackland. Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, n. d. 16 Oct. 2010. <http://www.ackland.org/art/collection/search/Result.php?accession=86.5.> “Painting, Memory: the Encyclopedia of American Folk Art.” Book Rags. Book Rags, 2009. 20 Oct 2010. <http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?reqstyleid=1&mode=form&reqsrcid=MLAWebDocument&more=yes&nameCnt=1>.

by Ana-Maria Balta “Labor and Diligence Enjoy their Simple Meal”, from The Reward of Labor of Diligence. Maerten van Heemskerck, Dutch, 1498-1574, engraving. The William A. Whitaker Foundation Art Fund. Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Labor and Diligence Enjoying Their Simple Meal is a print from the series The Reward of Labor and Diligence, engravings created by the Dutch artist Maerten van Heemskerck in 1572. The standard of prints in mid-sixteenth century Holland was to create an art form whose purpose was not only to be aesthetically pleasing, but also to have an edifying, practical message that was easy to understand. The message would be revealed through the accompanying verses, which would serve to explain or clarify the visual image. The engraving depicts “Labor” as a common man, and “Diligence” as a woman, seated at a long table, arms open and bodies facing one-another. Labor, as depicted in the painting, is defined as physical work done for the purpose of economic gain, and diligence, as personified in the painting, is defined as the constant and steadfast effort to accomplish the expected and undertaken tasks. There is no specific evidence as to why the artist might have chosen to represent labor and diligence as a man and a woman, respectively, but we can infer from the gender roles in ancient Greek culture that this portrayal would be appropriate. Women in ancient Greece were “regarded as a lower order of beings, neglected by nature in comparison with man, both in point of intellect and heart…and fitted only for propagating the species”(Katz 77). The place of women was within the home, their primary purpose to be dutiful mothers and loyal and obedient wives. This was similar to the expected behavior of women in the time period of Van Heemskerk, when indolent and negligent women were frowned upon. Hardworking women took care of the household tasks and were not lazy; thus, the ideal women were diligent in their work. Meanwhile, the men of ancient Greece held the positions of power and prestige. The men of ancient Greece were educated beginning at age seven, and engaged in work outside of the household, such as working the fields, sailing, hunting, engaging in trade, or training to be athletes. Because of men’s expectation to provide for the family, and engage in physical work, labor is personified in a masculine form. Above Labor and Diligence is an angel, prepared to crown them, commemorating each and indicating that all human beings should aspire to be hard-working and diligent laborers in order to be accepted into the Kingdom of God. This was connected to the 16th century ideals of valuing work ethic and frugality. No food can be seen upon the table besides a small teacup that sits in front of Labor; instead, four individuals majestically enter the scene at the bottom of the engraving, prepared to bring large platters to the empty table of Labor and Diligence. This first figure carries a plate of light food, what appears to be some long pods of peas and some slices of meat. The next figure carries a star; the third individual brings forth a bull’s head, and the last brings a pottery vase. The majority of the items that will be presented for the meal are inedible; instead, they are symbolic. The main purpose of the meal is sustenance as opposed to decadence and abundance that would usually be associated with a feast. However, the modest amount of food and the emphasis upon the gifts of the virtues are portrayed as honored rewards, elevating the abstinence from the indulgence of the palate to a higher, more godly and honorary status. The star carried is the symbol of health and the representation of the Greek goddess of health, Hygieia (“Pentagram” 1). The bull’s head is a symbol of firmness, support, endurance and strength, and “has appeared in several images and art produced by the Mesopotamian cultures and the Mediterranean basin, from the Sumerians to the Iberian and Roman pre-Christian cultures,” (Koroxenidis 1). The final object is a ceramic vase, a contemporary and very common object of usage in the time-period of the Greeks. Due to the abundance of clay in Greece, the production of vases was not expensive, and the value of the ceramics low. The vase in the print represents thrift because of its simplicity and routine usage. The significance of this engraving can be seen more easily by considering the five other works that go along with Heemskerck’s collection of prints entitled The Reward of Labor and Diligence, all created in 1572. The six prints tell the progressive story of man and woman as Labor and Diligence, respectively. “The first print shows how man is by nature destined from birth to toil and moil. In the following print, Labor and Diligence are married by a priest called Fear of the Lord, with Hope as their witness. In the third print, Faith and Hope are helping Labor towards Righteousness and the Kingdom of the Lord. The Lord thereupon endows the diligent couple with food and clothing, symbolized by a cornucopia and fleece and two children, Nourishment and Clothing” (Veldman 124). The series bears a striking similarity to the story of Genesis. However, because “Eve” is diligent in Heemskerck’s paintings, she does not disobey, and does not eat the forbidden fruit. Instead, “Adam,” depicted as Labor, and “Eve,” depicted as Diligence, live ideal lives filled with Hope and Righteousness; instead of being dismissed from the Garden of Eden, they are accepted into the Kingdom of the Lord. The couple is supplied with all of their wants and needs, including two children, Cain and Abel. Thus, the series can be seen as a “Revision of Genesis.” In the sixth print entitled Labor and Diligence Enjoying Their Simple Meal, it is shown that once the daily work is completed, Labor and his wife Diligence sit to enjoy a “modest but nutritious meal, waited upon by the personifications of Appetite, Health, Firmness, and Thrift” (Veldman 139). The Latin verses at the bottom of the engraving translate to reveal the main message: by eating moderately, we remain healthy and thrifty. The artist’s main goal is to express this moral of the story without a hidden symbolism, but with “topical metaphors or well-known subjects taken from the bible and classical mythology, given a definite function in addition to their narrative aspect” (Veldman 141). Labor and Diligence Enjoying Their Simple Meal elevates the position of the common man and the importance of adhering to the virtues (primarily of labor and diligence), throughout a modest life. Eating is approached in a practical way; the focus is on its purpose for nourishment of the body to promote “health and firmness.” This simplicity can be equated to the consumption of simple, whole-some food as the “material for growth, self-maintenance, and self-healing” (Kass 30) that is essential to the soul, which differs from our modern day culture that has seen an emergence of eating as considered a “pleasurable intermediate activity, inserted between need and necessity” (Kass 59) that has been embodied through feasting and the characterization of eating as a recreational activity. Labor and Diligence Enjoying Their Simple Meal rejects overindulgence —even the food delivered by “Appetite” is not too plentiful. Thus, it can be concluded that the sumptuous element of the feast is eliminated, and the more sustainable and everyday meal is elevated in terms of spiritual worth. At the same time this parallels the physically elevated trestle table. It can be interpreted as an emblem of royal reward and it’s connection to the Mycenaean society in regards to the practices of drinking and feasting in order to “imply the importance of the formation of an elite culture” (Wright 133). The depiction of feasting scenes upon frescos of Crete and Mycenaean pottery are expressions of “hierarchical, sociopolitical structures and the formation of an elite identity” (Wright 133). The trestle table appears to be prepared for a banquet, yet in the work’s depiction of the virtues and their abstinence from excessiveness in food and drink, the message translates to the royal reward that is received with adherence to simplicity with a commitment to labor and diligence in everyday life. Works Cited Veldman, Ilja M. “Simiolus.” Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art 20.2 (1990): 124-41. JSTOR. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. Wright, James C. “A Survey of Evidence for Feasting in Mycenaean Society.” Hesperia 73.2 (2004): 133-140. JSTOR. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. Katz, Marilyn. “Ideology and ‘The Status of Women’ in Ancient Greece.” History and Feminist Theory 31.3 (1992): 70-97. JSTOR. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. Koroxenidi, Alexandra. “The Bull in the Ancient World.” Ekathimerini.com. Kathimerini, 2003.Web. 10 Oct. 2010. “The Pentagram.” Freemasonry.bcy.cy. Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, 2007. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.Kass, Leon R. Kass, Leon R. Food and Nourishing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999. Print.

by Ryan Drabble and Hunter Dail Unidentified Artist, Il Famosissimo Triompho Di Bacco (The Most Famous Triumph of Bacchus), 1594, Print of Engraving. Ackland Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Produced in Italy in 1594, this monumental piece depicts a Bacchanalia, a Latin word describing the procession or celebration of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, agriculture, and rituals. The engraving was created in Italy during a time defined by conflict between the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter Reformation. Both movements brought about ensuing slander, iconoclasm, and redefining the way people, clergy, and Churches understood worship especially through art. Il Famosissimo Triompho Di Bacco calls attention to ideals of feast and culture as degradation of church ideals in chaotic, reckless imagery of drunken fauns, contorted faces, and a demolished building in the background that could be a reference to the decomposition of the Church. With calls for reformation in the church, the artist may have seen this as an act of destruction for traditional, pre-Reformation beliefs and practices. The illustrator represents the feast as a gluttonous pleasure-and-satisfaction-seeking bounty through the spillage of various liquids and the absurd, likely drunken, expressions of the procession participants. Furthermore, Bacchus is illustrated as a savior who should be celebrated. Four of his main symbols are portrayed in this piece: wine, masks, thyrsi, and fauns. With respect to the feast, in the engraving we can actually see contradictions and oppositions to a feast, such that one could call this celebration an anti-feast. Feasts are often associated with abundance and copiousness, however this abundance can be distinguished from overindulgence, as is seen in Il Famosissimo Triompho Di Bacco, such that this can be considered an anti-feast. Similar to the overindulgence seen by Comte de Reynaud in the film, Chocolat, the pleasure and ephemeral satisfaction is seen during the consumption, however this is followed by a period of regret, shamefulness, and grief. In this engraving the period of regret is not shown, but can be interpreted to be the hangovers and feelings of regret likely experienced the next day. The overindulgence of alcohol is a prominent feature of this engraving, as described in the following paragraphs. The emphasis of this piece is alcohol and its pleasure-driven attributes: freedom, playful enjoyment, racy activities, and reckless behavior, all facilitated through the over-consumption of wine. Looking past the fauns in drunken stupor, there is a clear persistence of flowing liquids and spilled wine. A broken amphora, a Roman wine vessel, lay on its side spilling wine on the ground. A woman stands drinking wine while urinating herself. A man lay on the ground, passed out and vomiting. The flowage depicted is symbolic of ritualistic freedom where “all modesty [is] set aside; every kind of vice found here [is] full satisfaction” (Schmitz). In gluttony, people and fauns attempt to find satisfaction in unfiltered actions, moving across the extra-long print as a flowing liquid, uncaring of perception or manners, only feasting on the high of the moment (and wine). One symbol illustrated in this piece is the thyrsus, a staff tipped with an ornament such as a pinecone, commonly carried by Bacchus and his followers. Thyrsi in ancient Roman culture symbolized general pleasure and enjoyment (“Dionysus”). Paired with the excessive alcohol described above, the thyrsi further the author’s intentions of depicting such insatiable satisfaction. Masks in Ancient Rome were commonly utilized during celebrations and were also a symbol of Bacchus. Celebrants of the Bacchanalia wore masks and danced in groups in order to simulate the stopping of reality. All identities, obligations, and responsibilities were forgotten, and complete attention was focused on the celebration at hand. Works Cited “Dionysus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysus. Schmitz, Leonhard. “Bacchanalia.” LacusCurtius • Roman Religion – The Bacchanalia (Smith’s Dictionary, 1875), 31 Mar. 2018, penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Bacchanalia.html. “Great Dionysia.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 Jan. 2012, http://www.britannica.com/topic/Great-Dionysia.

by Elizabeth Davis "Dinner on the Grounds of the Corinth Baptist Church". Minnie Smith Reinhardt, American, North Carolina, Catawba County, Vale, 1898-1986 oil on canvas. Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Growing up, I have fond memories of the “homecomings” at my grandfather’s small Baptist church in the mountains of North Carolina. After a formal conclusion of the church service, congregation members and their families would head outside to their cars to get their best dishes out, and place them on a long communal table for everyone to enjoy, in the same way as Reinhardt depicts in her painting. These events were not exclusive, but rather involved anyone and everyone who wanted to partake in a celebration of the Sabbath. Does the act of worship carry over to these types of feast? The title of Reinhardt’s work implies that the meal in itself is holy, Dinner on the Grounds of the Corinth Baptist Church. She did not entitle the work Dinner Outside the Church, but rather emphasizes that the feast takes place on holy ground. In his work “The Sabbath: It’s meaning for modern man,” Abraham Heschel analyzes the significance of sacred time and sacred space, as well as their differences. This contrast began, as Heschel discusses, in the Book of Exodus in the Torah when the Israelites made gold “into an idol cast in the shape of a calf” (Exodus 32:4, New Revised Standard Version) and consequently broke one of the Ten Commandments. It was then that the holiness of space was mandated by the erection of a Tabernacle, according to Heschel. The Sabbath allows people to come together in a holy space and partake in acts of worship together. But what constitutes a holy space? Does it solely lie within the walls of a church, tabernacle, mosque, or temple? Or can it extend into the outside world? In Reinhardt’s painting, it seems as though the church members are still residing in a holy space, although they are outside the walls of the church. The long table is covered in a white tablecloth much like the white church, perhaps indicating holiness and innocence. Similarly, the trees frame the church grounds and themselves become the walls of the holy space. From the perspective of the viewer, the church grounds are surrounded on three sides by trees and the church members, the human beings are only pictured within the clearing. There are horses in the painting, but they are pictured within the trees, suggesting that animals cannot enter the holy ground. In addition, those who are pictured away from the feast table are dressed in dark clothing, while those surrounding the table flaunt colored garments, suggesting that life in its most vibrant sense exists at the feast table. Within the ideals of the Sabbath, there is an inherent idea of the feast. God intended the Sabbath to be sanctified with “all thy senses” and “by choice meals, by beautiful garments” (Heschel, 19). The act of coming together in holy space for a feast is a form of worship. It is a celebration of God’s bounty and is separate from any other meal had throughout the week. A feast on the Sabbath is filled with love, kindness, and a freedom from the concept of time that occupies the other six days of the week. As the congregation of the Corinth Baptist Church, as pictured by Reinhardt, as well as the members of my grandfather’s rural church celebrate the day by not only the hands of man but with the tongue and soul as well (Heschel, 14). References “Dinner on the Grounds of the Corinth Baptist Church.” Art at the Ackland. Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina. http://www.unc.edu/ackland/collection/?action=simple&search=dinner%20on%20the%20grounds&department=&classification=&artist=&title=&medium=&culture=&year_begin=&year_begin_search=&year_end=&year_end_search=&credit=&accession=&results=25&sort=&order=&ea=&et=&ec=&em=&action=details&page=1&search_type=simple&object_id=11086027 Heschel, Abraham Joshua. The Sabbath, Its Meaning for Modern Man. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1977. The New Oxford Annotated Bible: With the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, New Revised Standard Version. Michael D. Coogan, editor. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.

by Lindsay Worley Bacchus, the God of entertainment, merriment, and wine, has been a symbol associated with feasting since his invention. However, the fact that this sculpture is a forgery provides an additional lens through which we can interpret feasting and its portrayal. Visualized here in his younger form, Bacchus (also known as Dionysus) was raised by Silenus, the older figure on the donkey. According to mythology, Silenus taught Bacchus how to enjoy wine and festivities. Silenus often traveled on a donkey because he was usually too intoxicated to walk (Jones). Bacchus was usually pictured surrounded by his clan of satyrs, seen in the figure as the half-man, half-goat character on the left. Originally, the sculpture was thought to have been created the 4th – 3rd century BCE in Greece (Sturgeon). When the Metropolitan Museum of Art discovered that the figurine was a forgery in 1960, the piece took on a realm of previously hidden meanings. The act of forgery exposes a deeper part of humanity; why do humans seek to fabricate pleasurable moments, and pass them off as authentic? Within the theme of feasting, a group of people sitting down to a picture-perfect meal give an appearance of shared unity, provision, and peace. However, the feast could be considered a “forgery” if the group is experiencing discord, scarcity, and shame beneath the surface. For example, within the film Big Night, the owners of a restaurant put on a grand feast to save their restaurant, and the meal began as a wonderful celebration. However, it turned into an anti-feast when one guest betrayed them, revealing that the feast was set up to trick the owners into causing the restaurant’s ultimate downfall (Tucci and Scott). In the 20th century, Bacchus’s forgery can be connected to social media. This tool has made it even easier to manufacture appearances and fabricate meaningful moments. In conclusion, Bacchus’s forgery reveals humanity’s search for authentic feast-like moments of abundance, peace, companionship, and ultimate fulfillment. Works Cited Jones, Jonathan. “Drunken Silenus Supported by Satyrs (c1620), Rubens’s (Studio).” The Guardian, 20 Dec. 2002, https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/dec/21/art. Sturgeon, Mary C. “Ancient Mediterranean Art in the Ackland Art Museum.” Ackland Art Museum, 2015. Tucci, Stanley and Campbell Scott, directors. Big Night. The Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1996.

by Christina Polge Hot Dog Bridge by Russell T. Gordon is an idyllic and striking image, showing a hot dog functioning as a bridge between two ends of a canyon. The art piece portrays a hot dog in a whimsical setting, exemplifying food’s place in forming a person’s identity through hope, memory and pleasure, all of which are aspects of a feast. Because of the hot dog’s prominent position in the lithograph, Gordon shows that the hot dog is a self-contained feast. Through its relationship with the rainbow, Hot Dog Bridge glorifies the hot dog, showing that it is not just nourishment. It is also a representation of hope. The hot dog itself has multiple purposes, serving as a bridge and a food. The existence of a rainbow implies that there was a danger that has since disappeared, since rainbows only appear after storms. Its position framing the hot dog, as well as lack of sun could suggest that the hot dog itself is the solution to a past storm. Rainbows are also a sign of magic and luck which a lot of people dream about seeing. The hot dog being the cause of this one illustrates that it is also magical in a sense, perhaps due to its affordability. The lithograph highlights the duality of normalcy and magic in a hot dog by linking it directly to the rainbow, showing that a hot dog bridges the gap to a beautiful yet possible future. Furthermore, the fantastical style depicted in the lithograph is childlike due to the use of primary colors and whimsical imagery, representing the nostalgia tied to food. The lithograph captures the euphoria in eating something that one has formed a deep connection with. This bright, fantastical moment parallels how other media depict eating food for the first time. Children’s films specifically lean into this magical feel because that kind of big and bright experience is naturally childlike. In the Pixar film Ratatouille, when Remy eats cheese and strawberries for the first time, he is immediately surrounded by bright colors and almost overwhelmed by his own euphoria (Ratatouille 4:28-4:53). But it is not just the first time he eats food that he experiences such expansive joy, signifying that food continually has that effect no matter how many times it is eaten. Like any other feast, regardless of how small, it imprints on him and he continues to associate food with bright colors. Similarly, the hot dog here is bright and covered in sun, showing that it is an integral part of childhood which then translates into importance for an entire lifetime. The bright colors are just one element of the outlandish, joyful image that enhances its connection for many Americans as a nostalgic feast with a formative influence on childhood experience. The aesthetic pleasure of looking at the hot dog in the lithograph shows that the appearance of food is just as memorable and impactful as its taste. The perfect, formulaic clouds and bright blue sky are cartoonish in nature. Combined with the rainbow and canyon, the entire scene is a dreamscape. The hot dog alone is appealing to look at even without the other elements. The biggest focus is on the bun, but the red of the hot dog is peeking out from either side in an enticing way, in a color that matches the rocks, showing there is more to be intrigued by and encouraging exploration. The hot dog is the only distinct, individual thing in the lithograph showing that it has distinct, individual characteristics. Through its colorful, central role, it is pleasurable to look at. The aesthetic pleasure then leads to curiosity about taste. This excitement also contributes to the memorability of the hot dog because it is appealing to think about later. Because of the rainbow, childlike imagery and superficial appeal, the hot dog has all the required elements for a feast. The hot dog is more than just food because it provides emotional, nostalgic and aesthetic fulfillment. Even though the traditional feast is a whole meal spread, the hot dog is its own wonderful feast as well. Hot Dog Bridge shows that any meal, no matter how seemingly small or mundane, could evoke a formative experience that should be considered a feast in itself. WORK CITED Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava. Buena Vista Pictures, 2007.

by Justin Tse This engraving by Enea Vico dated to around 1540 is based on a similar one done by Marcantonio Raimondi several years earlier. It depicts the end of a bacchanal and the aftermath of a rowdy, excessive feast. Bacchanals were celebrations in honor of the Roman god Bacchus, Dionysus to the Greek. Bacchus was the god of wine, intoxication, and hedonistic pleasures. With this in mind, the festivals in honor of Bacchus were extravagant and gluttonous celebrations with plenty of alcohol and revelry. The engraving suggests that bacchanalian festivities can easily turn from celebratory feasts into bitter anti-feasts and fall victim to gluttony and intemperance. Most bacchanals depict the followers of Bacchus– humans, satyrs, and nature spirits– in the midst of a jubilant feast. This piece, however, chooses to shed light on the consequences of exorbitant overindulgence in feasting. The scene is bounded by two Terminus statues on each side. Terminus was the Roman god of boundaries and their markers. In special cases, statues of Terminus were used to mark borders such as in this engraving where he serves as a border for both the image and the celebration. It serves to separate this image of overindulgence from the happy celebration normally depicted in a bacchanal. There is a noticeable absence of any sort of food or drink in the scene. The woman left of center contemplates an empty bowl while Bacchus limply holds his empty wine vessel. Everything has been consumed in their wanton celebration, and some of those depicted in the scene are feeling the effects of this overconsumption. Satyrs are depicted unconscious or leaning on statues for support, and Bacchus himself is being supported by two disciples. Rather than being able to enjoy the contentedness of eating and drinking, these revelers are experiencing the consequences of exorbitant feasting. This image is very similar to a scene from the film Chocolat, where a woman arrives in a small town and begins selling chocolate desserts that conflict the religious fasting of lent. While most of the townspeople partake of moderate amounts of the chocolates, the mayor, in a fit of wanton gluttony, consumes an entire storefront display of chocolate. He is found the next morning after having passed out due to his over-consumption. This duality of the townspeople and the mayor reflects the duality of the bacchanal. Most depictions show a joyous celebration where participants are able to enjoy the feast, whereas in this piece, the participants have turned to gluttony and over-consumption. Works Cited: “Bacchanal.” Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art https://www.philamuseum.org/collection/object/29103 “Collection Online Print.” The British Museum, Trustees of the British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1873-0809-935

by Ariana Lucido and Farhana Ahmed left: right: "Rwandan Refugee Camp with Mother and Child". Sabastião Salgado, Brazilian, b. 1944. gelatin silver print.Ackland Fund. Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A common theme in relation to the feast is the idea of suspended time and space. There seems to be something about a feast that involves assigning importance to the present moment and simultaneously distancing oneself from the harsh realities of life. This distance could be the result of a hiatus from normal daily life or a dissociation of oneself from a significant event or trauma. The feast’s ability to fit a myriad of situations and circumstances attests to its flexibility, ranging from an ethereal fantasy to the very real context of profound suffering. This new idea of escapist motifs are clearly depicted in Nicolas Lancret’s Dance in a Garden, created in France during the mid 1730s, and Sebastião Salgado’s Rwandan Refugee Camp with Mother and Child, taken in Tanzania 1994. In both cases, a sharp break with life is depicted in two very distinct ways. Lancret’s piece is a portrayal of a fantasy retreat complete with costume and aristocratic airs, whereas Salgado’s photograph graphically illustrates the aftermath of genocide within the confines of a desolate landscape in Tanzania. Despite vastly different geographical settings along starkly contrasting media and historical contexts, the images when juxtaposed reveal the flexibility of the feast as it plays the ever important role of respite. Both pieces have elements of hearth and home that characterize the feast, but the Salgado work lacks many of the defining characteristics of feasting that are displayed as archetypal in Lancret’s, highlighting the contrasts between the two; despite this, the theme of community and the convention of everyday life are common to both pieces of art. Starting with the different media, the construction of each piece reveals the basis for Dance in a Garden as a foil to Rwandan Refugee Camp with Mother and Child. To enhance the stark poignancy of the subject matter, Salgado uses a gelatin silver print to increase the contrast within the black and white image, making it more striking to the eye. The photographer utilizes this photographic medium because he wants the audience to see a highly realistic and graphic portrayal of residuum from one of the worst crimes attributable to mankind. This contrasts starkly with Lancret’s medium – oil and canvas. His fictional portrayal of reality requires a method that doesn’t depict a hyper-realistic view of the world like Salgado’s photographs, but rather embosses the painting with a superficiality that more readily complements the themes of fantasy and escapism. Such juxtapositions make the works foils of each other. The setting is particularly significant with regards to the type of escape each artist is attempting to showcase. The landscape of the refugee camp and its natural characteristics develop this atmosphere of desolation and decay: bodies are strewn around makeshift tents and plants struggle to flourish, much like their human counterparts. The raw nature of their surroundings speaks to a lack of nourishment and of comfort that comes with forced displacement from their homeland and the consequent loss of identity. With an alternative link to nature, Lancret places his figures in a forest that alludes to the bounty and luxury of the aristocrats’ lifestyle, choosing it as their location for debauchery and merriment as it is far removed from the judgments of fellow courtesans. While we see that the refugee camp is characterized by a lack of provision of all basic needs, the tents of the aristocracy represent a surplus in health and material goods that makes their escape one of delight and fancy instead of massacre and survival, furthering the seeming opposition between them. The formal background elements of both pieces contribute to the motif of escapism through the glimmers of normalcy in these divergent, surreal existences. Salgado’s focal point draws in the Rwandan subjects in the background, as they look towards the camera and involuntarily smile; this common human act poignantly illustrates the omnipresent fact that life goes on, amidst even the massive violations of human life and the associated guilt. This voyeuristic aspect flows into the Lancret work as the pampered elites, with their charged glances, seemingly devour the dancing couple as an aperitif of entertainment. The Bard, on the other hand, is seen as a provider of amusement who, by the very nature of his status, is a facilitator, not a participant. Though not in the background, the presence of the servant washing out wine bottles is in direct opposition to this elitist escape; a further reinforcement of his day-to-day activities, the servant is confined by his socioeconomic status and is thus denied direct participation in the pleasures of this fantastical adventure into the woods. These features of both works manifest the imposition of communal values on both situations, paralleling the transient nature of feasting in diverse ways. Juxtaposing the various realities of escape comes together neatly when the feast of the affluent is contrasted with the half-empty pots of the refugees. Lancret’s work boasts of indulgent wine and luxurious fruit, while Salgado’s only alludes to the minimal presence of food and, even then, only as barely meeting the requisite amount for sustenance. A baby gazing at his mother, sitting amidst thousands of other Rwandan refugees in this giant encampment, ties together the entire image by presenting this idea of the resilience of archetypal human relationships in the face of suffering and the apparent ruination of a multiplicity of lives and identities. The overarching themes and motifs in this piece reach their natural denouement when the aristocratic dancing partners are contrasted with the unfortunate victims in the refugee camp. The aristocrats are kinesthetically distinct in that their movement and physical display of vitality and health are a testament to their escape as both ethereal and voluntary. The refugees, however, are chained to their oppressive, burdensome reality; this weighs them down in an almost lethargy of helplessness that explains the lack of movement and sedentary tendencies depicted within the photo. These observations serve to complement the differences in these two distinct portrayals of community. Highlighting the numerous contrasts between these foils elucidates both artists’ conception of community in the feast. The lack of food or abundance in each work reveals interesting and nuanced ties to conceptions of normalcy and convention as related to the feast.

by Robbie Luna and Rohan Ramani This colorful piece served to advertise the novel Reine de Joie (“Queen of Joy”) by the now-forgotten French author, Victor Joze. The foundation of the novel is rooted in class relationships and distinctions between the rich and poor in Paris. The lithograph provides a daring scene that attempts to depict the troubled relationship between the upper and working classes. The man in the painting, described in the novel as a Jewish banker, is offering a working-class courtesan his wealth in exchange for nothing more than her company. This glimpse into the world of prostitution provides an interesting twist to the usual transactions that occurred between wealthy men and poor women. Furthermore, this work represents the wealthy as willing to indulge in whatever their money can buy, even if it goes against social norms and ethics of the era. This dehumanizes the wealthy banker, portraying him as repulsive and setting a stereotype for the Parisian upper class. Lastly, the courtesan’s red lipstick and dress symbolize a life rooted in and sustained by worldly lust. Her lifestyle was seen as immoral and vulgar during the period in France (The Art Institute of Chicago). Apart from class differences, Reine De Joie has a unique historical context. In the years prior to this lithograph, French society had experienced a resurgence of anti-semitism within mainstream culture. There was rising fear that Jews posed an internal threat to France as both the main beneficiaries and main propagators of the capitalist system that divided the upper and working classes. They were also thought to be genetically inferior to non-Jewish caucasians (of which one can be seen in the background of the work), a motif that de Toulouse-Lautrec plays on by intentionally giving the businessman stereotypical negative Jewish characteristics, like a hooked nose, small moustache, and stout frame. Media like Reine de Joie increased the anti-Semetic momentum in France by providing non-Jews a feeling of physical and moral superiority over Jews, essentially equating the sin of prostitution with the sin of Semitism (Iskin). In relation to the feast, this piece depicts two key aspects of what make feasts significant: community and relationships. Through its explicit depiction of the socially-unacceptable relationship between the banker and the courtesan, Reine de Joie demonstrates the power the feast can have to unite two unlikely companions in a relationship that would otherwise be impossible. Furthermore, since the agreement the two make – money for companionship – requires the courtesan accompany the banker at meals, the audience can understand the importance the feast has in defining companionship. For many single people, eating alone is one of the most difficult and lonely parts of life. From a historical perspective, this work served to further degrade the French public’s opinion of Jewish people by depicting this Jewish banker as a gross, unhuman, and unrespectable man, who, through both his Jewish heritage and union with a courtesan, tarnishes the sanctity of the feast at which he presides. The man in the background, a well-looking Caucasian, serves as a foil to the main character, whose overweight and dirty demeanor would have been generally repulsive to the era’s French audience. Thus, de Toulouse-Lautrec utilizes the respect Frenchmen had for the feast as a tool to further dehumanize Jews in French society. Works Cited: The Art Institute of Chicago. “Reine De Joie.” Reine De Joie, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1 Jan. 2008, http://www.artic.edu/artworks/88629/reine-de-joie. Iskin, Ruth E. “Identity and Interpretation: Reception of Toulouse-Lautrec’s Reine de joie Poster in the 1890s.” Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide, vol. 8 iss. 1, spring 2009, http://www.19thc-artworldwide.org/spring09/63–identity-and-interpretation- receptions-of-toulouse-lautrecs-reine-de-joie-poster-in-the-1890s.

by Austin Stanion "Supper Party". Martin Shortis, British, b. 1959, drypoint sheet. Joseph F. McCrindle Collection Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Martin Shortis is a relatively unknown artist and teacher of a form that has been overlooked and forgotten in modern times. As a contemporary etcher working in the ‘90s and ‘00s Shortis must struggle to justify his medium to a public who have dismissed etching as limited and dated. However, Shortis’s art sends the message that the limitations of etching are also the strongest assets of the form. Etched art suffers from a primitive, two-dimensional look, and can only be colored black and white, but a master like Shortis plays off these aspects to create powerful and emotional pieces. He often represents shadowy human forms, taking advantage of etching’s tendency to make human subjects appear disfigured and almost lacerated. This style is exemplified in Supper Party (1994), a macabre depiction of consumption, where there is little distinction between who is eating and who is eaten. One of the most striking aspects of this etching is the ghoulish treatment of his subjects. The intense contrast of light and shadow complement pronounced cheekbones and elongated fingers to suggest a feast of the dead. Shortis uses this stark contrast in color as a parallel to the paradox of polite society. Like T.S. Eliot’s Cocktail Party, Shortis represents eating as an anti-feast. Similarly to Eliot, Shortis juxtaposes savagery with civilization, highlighting the brutal nature of genteel life. The focus is not on food and familiarity; the piece has a much more formal and hostile feel. The food is almost not present, and what little evidence of eating that is present in the piece is misleading and inconclusive. There are two plates, a few spoons, and a knife, but these items are so far forgotten that they are actually disappearing into the etching, some represented without perspective in a few barely visible lines. The woman in the center of the picture delicately holds a serving bowl and a ladle, but the ladle is empty and by the position of her arm she is not scooping anything, probably just toying with the absence of actual sustenance. The lack of food and festivity contributes to a darker view of the piece. Shortis creates almost a primitive scene- the contrast in the whiteness of the table and the darkness on the outsides of the scene suggests savages gathered around a fire. I feel that the piece overall has a very cannibalistic feel. The lack of food and the high tensions create a scene where everyone is watching, hungry, and waiting for a moment to pounce. Eliot introduced these cannibalistic undertones to his plan through the character Alex’s stories about savage rituals told during a high-society dinner event, as well as the ritualistic behavior of the Brotherhood. Both Eliot and Shortis thinly layer high society over these dark suggestions to expose society’s dual nature. Both the author and the etcher believe they are living an elevated lifestyle, but the truth remains that they are as much savages as a cannibalistic tribe. The one piece of food clearly recognizable in the etching is held by a man who seems to be looking directly at the viewer with a single cyclopean eye (the only clearly articulated eye in the entire piece). He’s holding what looks like a small slice of cake in a bowl, but by his gesture he is almost offering it up, out of the etching to the observer. He’s inviting us to the table. But who would join the savage scene only to be potential victims to these waiting cannibals. The man’s offer is not genuine; he wants to take more than he wants to give. He deceives. At this supper the cake is not consumed; the guests are. Works Cited: Eliot, T.S. The Cocktail Party. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc., 1950.

by Emily Kulenkamp David M. Spear, American, b. 1937. gelatin silver print. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William J. Armfield, IV. Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Character and Feasting in Mamie Neugent's 81st(?) Birthday with Family David M. Spear’s Mamie Neugent’s 81st (?) Birthday with Family is one of an extensive series of photographs taken of the Neugent family by Spear. He photographs them in their day-to-day life, doing everything from working, to recovering from injuries, to feasting. This particular photograph illustrates the Neugents’ character as it relates to the feast. Their birthday meal is a straightforward celebration. It is depicted as a practical and unostentatious recognition of Mamie rather than as the social display that feasts often become, such as in the works L’Assommoir and Madame Bovary. Spear began photographing the Neugents in 1987 and took Mamie Neugent’s 81st (?) Birthday with Family in 1989 (Spear, 1993, 1; Spear, 1989). The Neugents are primarily tobacco farmers and live in Rockingham County, North Carolina, near the town of Madison (Spear, 1993, 1; Williams 1). As of 1990, Rockingham County had a population of 86,064 people (“County Facts”). As of 2002, there were 871 farms in the county, of which 93.2% were family owned (“County Facts”). The town of Madison had a population of 2,371 as of 1990 (“Demographics”). Spear selected the Neugents as his subjects “because of the uniqueness of their lifestyle” (Spear, 1993, 1). He views them as “throwbacks who continued to struggle within a system that had been replaced by agribusiness and industrial development” and “have clung to the traditions of the tenant farmer” yet are simultaneously “spirited, able-bodied” and possess “real vitality” (Spear, 1993, 1, 4). The Neugents’ celebration of Mamie’s birthday is what it is; they do not feel as if the occasion requires that they prove something to one another or to the outside world. The point of this feast is to honor and celebrate Mamie for her and for themselves. Spear’s mission was “to make these images more intimate, more empathetic…more into their world” (Spear, 1993, 2). As he and the Neugents worked together, the Neugents “[became] subjects” rather than “objects,” partaking in “a loose sort of collaboration” with Spear (Spear, 1993, 3). This photograph shows they are sure enough of the validity of their life that they have no need to use this feast to act out any kind of pretentious ideal. In numerous other works, the feast functions as an expression of social class and, in many cases, social pretensions. In both Flaubert’s Madame Bovary and Zola’s L’Assommoir, feasts are representative of much more than the pure commemoration of an event. In Madame Bovary, Emma’s father insists on hosting her wedding to Charles in a grand fashion (Flaubert 25-27). The bride “would…have preferred to have a midnight wedding with torches,” but her father cannot conceive of the wedding as anything but a public spectacle (Flaubert 23). He presents a lavish display of food for his guests, which highlights his middle-class financial success (Flaubert 25-27). In fact, the use of the wedding as an exhibition is sufficiently apparent that it is acknowledged by Monsieur Rouault while interacting with a guest (Flaubert 26). At the wedding, one of Emma’s cousins starts to act out a traditional and bawdy nuptial custom (Flaubert 26). However, Emma’s father stops him as “the distinguished position of his son-in-law would not allow of such liberties” and the cousin begins to harbor a mild resentment of Emma’s father, Rouault, for his perceived pretension (Flaubert 26). In L’Assommoir, Gervaise and Coupeau’s wedding feast is also shaped by the perceptions of their family and other peers. Gervaise “[feels] a little ashamed and [does] not care to parade their marriage before the whole Quartier” (Zola, Chapter 3). However, her fiancée holds that “[it] would never do not to have some festivities” (Zola, Chapter 3). Neither of them appears to have much of a personal desire to celebrate their wedding elaborately. Instead, they borrow money and agonize over the cost of the feast in order to make a positive impression on their guests and community (Zola, Chapter 3). Neither of the pairs feels secure enough to dispense with the pretense of their union. The discontented Emma allows her father to use it as a display of his financial success. Gervaise is anxious not to make a bad impression on her new relatives while Coupeau, like Monsieur Rouault, cannot conceive of this celebration as anything but a public spectacle. The Neugents, conversely, approach the feast in a highly unpretentious manner. About Mamie Neugent, Spear states “Chattering magpies, dressed in ostentatious clothing, look at this woman!…she is purity…[she] is not interested in a world full of idiot fools that mass produce false dreams and make false promises by the screaming minute” (1993, 1). Mamie Neugent’s 81st (?) Birthday with Family depicts a group of people celebrating a feast entirely without ostentation, without falseness. They stand and sit lined up behind the table in everyday clothing; each one of them is wearing a button down work shirt. Their expressions are likewise straightforward; none of them try to project happiness through artificially inflated smiles but rather look to the camera with realistic looks of contentment. The table is crowded with dishes presented in an unadorned fashion. There is a plastic milk jug, a can of PET evaporated milk, and a plastic container in which something was bought already made from a store lain out on the table amidst more permanent dishes. The Neugents’ willingness to use these containers at their feast illustrates their lack of concern for appearance; they do not project an image of artificial affluence or grandeur. The uncertainty in the title of this piece additionally highlights their straightforward approach to the feast. The Neugents’ feast is not impaired by concern about the image that the uncertainty of the occasion sends. The contrast between Mamie’s birthday feast and the feasts depicted in Madame Bovary and L’Assommoir highlights the manner in which Mamie Neugent’s 81st (?) Birthday with Family portrays the character of the Neugents. This photograph reveals that, in keeping with their unostentatious life off the land, they approach the feast simplistically and add no unnecessary adornment in an effort to live up to a socially conceived notion of the feast as grand and conspicuous occasion. Works Cited: “County Facts: Rockingham County, NC.” Rockingham County Government. Rockingham County. 2000. Web. 28 November 2010. “Demographics.” Town of Madison, N.C. Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary. New York, N.Y.: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. Print. Spear, David M. Introduction. The Neugents: “Close to Home.” By Spear. 1993. 1-4. Print. —. Mamie Neugent’s 81st (?) Birthday with Family. 1989. Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Williams, Jonathan. Afterword. The Neugents: “Close to Home.” By David M. Spear. Zola, Emile. L’Assommoir. Project Gutenberg: 2005. Web. 28 October 2010.

Social Class in 3 Idiots by Abhishek Das In the film 3 Idiots (December 23, 2009) directed by Rajkumar Hirani, food and cinematic elements reveal socioeconomic disparities between characters of differing classes in India. Towards the beginning of the film, three students at the Imperial College of Engineering in India form a tight friendship and alliance against their power-hungry school headmaster, Virus. Virus abuses his power throughout the movie to embarrass and harass these students, especially emphasizing their class differences, and this class difference is present in the different types of foods depicted in the film. One of the students, Raju Rastogi, is verbally abused and ridiculed the most for his economic situation. Raju comes from a very low-class Indian village where both of his parents are unemployed and suffer from a litany of ailments. As the three friends venture to Raju’s house, the the film begins to change visually, and the screen depicts his home through a black-and-white film rather than through color. This black-and-white highlights the fact that Raju’s home is poor and decrepit and lacks life. Close-up shots of the food in Raju’s kitchen show the poor quality of food cooked, reflecting Raju’s low economic status. From close-up shots of a makeshift stove, broken china, and poor sanitation of cooking, Raju’s life as a proletariat is solidified. His mother constantly complains about prices of food, his paralyzed father, and his unwed sister. These are typical problems of the working class of today’s India. Conversely, food in the presence of Virus represents the elitist Brahmin class of Indian society. In Figure 1, Virus’ daughter, Mona, is having a wedding. The cinematography and depiction of the overall surrounding environment represents individuals who live in high class, opposite to the lives of Raju and his family. Throughout the wedding feast scene, the three friends, who all crash Mona’s wedding, must wear bright pink garbs (Figure 1) in order to blend in with the rest of the attendees. In addition, the scene is adorned with blazing blue and pink lights, adding a stark contrast to the black and white scene of Raju’s home. The bright colors at the wedding reflect Virus’ extravagance, as he is wealthy enough to purchase expensive, vividly colored cloth. This contrast is directly representative of the class difference recognized between that of the wealthy Virus and the destitute Raju. Although cinematography is an important way to signify social class in this movie, food provides a deeper understanding of stark differences in social class. In Raju’s home, food was scarce and low in quality. At the wedding, elegant food was piled in mountains awaiting magnificent wedding goers. Additionally, food was eaten chiefly with metal utensils at the wedding as opposed to with hands in Raju’s home. This utensil usage reflects societal superiority of having the affordability to use utensils, a luxury that Raju never experiences in his own home. In 3 Idiots, food was the principle mode of class distinction. The relationship between Virus and Raju was one of differing social class, but also one of differing power. Virus had ultimate control of Raju’s future, and exemplified his life in a higher class through his abuse of power. 3 Idiots, Dir. Rajkumar Hirani. Vinod Chopra Films. 2007.

by Na'dayah Pugh Russell T. Gordon’s “Hot Dog Bridge” depicts exactly what the title suggests: a hot dog bridge connecting two sides of a canyon-like figure, complete with a backdrop of sky, clouds, and rainbow. This simplicity of style, when coupled with the unsophistication of a hot dog, emphasizes the ability of food to invoke feelings of nostalgia and connection in a modest, relatable manner that’s easily accessible to a broad audience, allowing for a sense of community to be found through the artwork. The technical aspects of the piece are simple: saturated colors, sharp edges, minimal shading, and a lack of depth of field. Together, these features suggest a primitiveness in quality—it’s as though a child could’ve painted it. The backdrop of the piece is reminiscent of a playroom or daycare wall, a bright blue sky with clouds and a rainbow. The youthful nature of these elements conjures a sense of nostalgia; it is almost as if the viewer is transported back to a kindergarten classroom, complete with finger paint, construction paper, and crayon-covered walls. Though experiences are never identical, the youthfulness that these details suggest is applicable to a wide audience. The piece boasts a simplicity in terms of its actual subject. Hot dogs are finger foods, requiring no silverware. They are quickly boiled or grilled, then slathered with ketchup or mustard, topped with relish and onions, and held in grubby fingers. The hot dog lacks sophistication but is nevertheless a cornerstone of American food culture. Hot dogs are found at many different outdoor gatherings—cookouts, barbeques, and Fourth of July firework watch parties, to name a few common ones. They require little cooking skill and are cheap and affordable, providing a quick dinner and a sense of comfort in many households. Because of this simplicity, they are accessible. They are easy to relate to. Different types of people can connect over something as simple as a hot dog in a bun. When combined, the painting’s simple technical elements and unsophisticated choice of food allow a relatability and universality. The universal nature of youth and the accessibility of hot dogs make the painting a piece of art in which all kinds of people can find some element of familiarity. Though not everyone will find the same meaning in the piece, the relatability of its techniques and subject makes it easy for audiences to connect with the image and, through the artwork, each other. In this way, the painting accomplishes the same feat that its “bridge” does. It connects otherwise separated parties through something simple, yet universal: food.

by Christian Ortiz and Jalen Heyward Unidentified Artist Opium Scale, ca. 1880 Teak wood and brass scale Private collection The opium scale, likely from the 1800s is made of teak wood, sliding open to reveal two small metal plates. These two small plates are attached by strings to a metal crossbar, used to measure the opium. On the exterior, there are two beautifully carved elephants facing each other, surrounded by other geometric patterns. Elephants in Thai culture are a symbol of wisdom and strength and are also used in design for attracting wealth and good luck. In relation to the scale, the design likely signifies accumulation of wealth through opium trade, or it could be symbolic of how the scale is related to money. Many of these opium scales made it to England during the 1850s and 1860s, and even the United States during the gold boom, attracting more than 300,000 poor Chinese migrants to the United States alone. In the United States or England, these scales could have been found in areas known as “opium dens,” predominantly Chinese areas common to drug sales. Opium growth and use began in 3400 B.C. when the opium poppy was cultivated in Southwest Asia. The Sumerians referred opium as the “joy plant” and used the plant for a variety of things — the most common included pharmaceutical medication and recreational drug use. In Southeast Asia, the practice of mixing the opium and tobacco for smoking spread throughout the region, creating much higher demand for the substance. In the early 1700s, China released an anti-opium edict, causing increased importation of the plant. About a hundred years later, when China reissued the prohibition with more clear guidelines, imports jumped from 200 to 4,500 chests annually. As a result, many countries began to grow and process opium to expand its availability, cultivating its spread along the Silk Road, eventually becoming a catalyst for China’s Opium Wars in the mid-1800s. At the time, the imports of opium had climbed to 70,000 chests annually. Sources: “Investigations: Chinese Opium Scale.” PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. “Opium Throughout History.” PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. Waley, Arthur. The Opium War through Chinese Eyes. Stanford, CA: Stanford U, 1995. Print.

by Sarah Brannum The Kylix was used in ancient Greece as an avenue for drinking wine. The Greeks engaged in many drinking parties, otherwise known as Symposia, where the Kylix specifically was used. The Symposia are considered feasts due to their inclusivity, enjoyable nature, and the facilitation friendships. The Greeks in general were very gracious people when it came to feasts by, “offering welcome to visiting friends who come” (Odyssey Book 3, Line 355). The Symposium is an example of the hospitality of the Greeks as these events were large and inclusive. The outer markings of the Kylix depict many different people, demonstrating how social these symposia were. The Symposia in ancient Greece were joyful events, with conversation and drinking. In Plato’s Symposium, Eryximachus says sarcastically, “Are we to have neither conversation nor singing over our cups; but simply to drink as it we were thirsty?” (MIT). Symposia were not events of sustenance, but instead enjoyment and indulgence. Throughout the Kylix, the images display different scenes from a Symposium. The top of the Kylix depicts a man lounging in a chair and flicking wine dregs at a target. This game was often played at Symposia and represent the carefree environment of these social gatherings. This image is on the bottom of the bowl in the Kylix so as the drinker was finishing, they could participate in the game. Although wine was an integral piece of Symposia, the Greeks enjoyed wine outside of these settings as well. Wine is described as a “drink for a deity” (Odyssey, Book 9, Line 205). The gift of wine also symbolized a meaningful relationship with an individual. This relationship with wine is described in the Odyssey, where, “Athena [rejoices] in the man so thoughtful and civil, seeing that she was the first to whom he would present the gold goblet” (Book 3, Line 52-53). Wine was used to grow both friendships and romantic relationships and to demonstrate one’s care for another. The Kylix, being the vessel from which wine is consumed, is a physical relic of the importance that wine had in facilitating social relationships in ancient Greece. The Symposium was the event where the Kylix was used, and is depicted on the exterior of the Kylix as a carefree event. The Symposia is considered a feast due to the inclusivity, the celebratory nature, and the ability to facilitate social relationships. Works Cited: Homer, et al. The Odyssey. Seven Treasures Publications. 2010. “The Internet Classics Archive: Symposium by Plato.” The Internet Classics Archive | Symposium by Plato, MIT, classics.mit.edu/Plato/symposium.html.

by Sofia Soto Sugar and Christian Villacres Knife and Fork, c. 1745 Unidentified artist Chinese, Qianlong reign, 1736-1795 steel and porcelain Ackland Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gift of Richard D. Pardue, 2015.13.15-16 Prior to being used for the consumption of food, forks, or at least what is considered to be the predecessor of the table fork, were most often two-pronged and used solely for cooking and serving dishes. Popular belief amongst historians dictates that the table fork is the most recent addition to the typical set of cutlery. The earliest instance of widespread table fork usage can be traced back to the upper Yellow River region of Gansu and eastern Qinghai, China. The time period in question has been narrowed down to between 1900 and 2400 BC. The universalization of the table fork is not believed to have started until the onset of The Silk Road around the second century BC. This fork and knife set were originally manufactured in China. The handles are in a Western, Dutch shape with Kakiemon style porcelain. While the Chinese manufactured plenty of porcelain goods for sale in a Western market, the three-pronged fork indicates this could have been for Chinese usage. This is not to say that Chinese culture was not using forks at the time, as some of the oldest known forks originate from China and spoons were even often pointed at the end to create a sort of single-pronged fork. In fact, while the chopsticks are more commonly associated with the Chinese, it was only the wealthy who used them because they believed the metal affected the taste of the food. Sources: Sexton, John. “Knife and Fork Found in First Emperor’s Tomb.” Knife and Fork Found in First Emperor’s Tomb – China.org.cn, 1 Apr. 2010, http://www.china.org.cn/china/2010-04/01/content_19732414.htm. Accessed 14 Apr. 2017. Jones, Tegan. “The History of Spoons, Forks, and Knives.” Today I Found Out, 24 Dec. 2015, http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/10/history-spoons-forks-knives/. Accessed 19 Apr. 2017.

by Amy Dwalin This Kiddush cup is made out of silver and engraved with Hebrew words and images of flowers. The Hebrew inscription reads, “Guard the Sabbath day and keep it holy as the Lord your God has commanded you” (“Kiddush Cup”). While the cup is beautiful and luxurious, such an object was owned not just by the very wealthy. A family of somewhat modest means might save money in order to buy ornate ritual objects, since the beauty of such objects is thought to enhance the mitzvot (Greene, 36). However, Kiddush cups are not intrinsically holy (Greene, 36). Certain objects, like Torah scrolls and fringed prayer shawls (tallitot), are treated with special ritual care. These objects receive burials, for example, when they are no longer fit for use (Greene, 37). The holiness that the Kiddush cup contributes derives from its use rather than its essence. It aids in the sanctification of the Kiddush blessing and the Shabbat dinner, but it is not itself a holy object. This parallels feasting in that the components of a feast do not by themselves create a feast. Rather, they must be used in a certain way. Just as the Kiddush cup must be used in a very particular way to create – or enhance – holiness, the food, company, stories, jubilation and socializing must be combined in the right sort of way in order to have a feast. Works Cited: Greene, Virginia. “‘Accessories of Holiness’: Defining Jewish Sacred Objects.” Journal of the American Institute for Conservation 31.1 (1992): 31-39. Print. “Kiddush Cup.” Ackland Art Museum. Ackland Art Museum, UNC Chapel Hill, 2002. Web. 3 Apr. 2015.

by Amy Dwalin left/above: Vomit Pot with Floral Decoration, c. 1750-51 Chinese, Qianlong reign (1736 – 1795) right/below: Tankard c. 1720 Chinese, Kangxi reign (1662 – 1722) Ackland Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Both the Tankard and Vomit Pot with Floral Decoration are items exported from China by the Dutch East India Company (“Blue and White Wares”). The artists are unknown (Ackland Art Museum, 21 – 22). The shapes of the items were likely to have been commissioned by Europeans. That is, the shapes are not original to China (“Blue and White Wares”). Both are made from porcelain (Ackland Art Museum, 21 – 22). The Tankard is decorated with “iron red” and gold, whereas the Vomit Pot with Floral Decoration is decorated with a cobalt blue underglaze (Ackland Art Museum, 21 – 22). Both are decorated florally, with delicate stems connecting the flowers to one another. The Vomit Pot with Floral Decoration is very likely from the Geldermalsen, a Dutch East India Company ship that wrecked in 1752 (“Blue and White Wares”). The vomit pot is considered a rare item; it is even thought that most vomit pots currently in existence are from the Geldermalsen (“Blue and White Wares”). Although it was speculated that they were used as chamber pots for young children, the consensus seems to be that they are more likely to have been used in the way suggested by their name (“Blue and White Wares”). That is, they were used to contain the vomit of a person who had perhaps eaten too much at dinner (“Blue and White Wares”). In contrast to the Vomit Pot with Floral Decoration, the Tankard was used for drinking. It is likely to have been used for beer (“Tankard,” and Sawinski). The juxtaposition of the two objects represents a unique perspective on the feast. This perspective is that we should not only tolerate excess. Rather, we should treat it as just as essential to feasting as is eating or drinking. Although the origins, materials and decorations of the pieces are very similar, their uses are quite opposite. In fact, it is not difficult to imagine a situation in which both are used in the very same night. Someone might drink a lot of beer out of a tankard and then become sick as a result. The person would then resort to using the vomit pot. The vomit pot is an interesting object because it involves the recognition of ones own lack of self-control. That is, unless vomit pots were used exclusively for those with stomach ailments such as viruses or food poisoning, they were owned with the expectation of eating or drinking too much. It seems unlikely that such an ornate object would be reserved only for the very sick, so they were probably used for casual eating and drinking to excess. If used in a public setting, this lack of self-control would be on display to all others in attendance. Rather than being a point of shame, it is symbolically held in the same esteem as the drinking of beer, for example, because the vessels for each are equally ornate. In fancy contexts, we dine with fine utensils and dishes. It is thus not surprising that the Tankard is beautifully decorated. However, it might strike us as unusual that a vessel used to contain vomit should be equally ornate. Vomiting is, after all, not something that is usually considered pretty. However, it can be made pretty in the sense that it can be recognized as part of the feast rather than something that happens separately from the feast. This is the suggestion of the paired items; they stand on equal ground with one another, for they are equally ornate. Works Cited: “Blue and White Wares since 1722.” Pater Gratia Oriental Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <http://www.patergratiaorientalart.com/home/20>. Ackland Art Museum. “Study Gallery Checklist.” Ackland Art Museum. UNC Chapel Hill, 31 Mar. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <https://ackland.org/files/2015/ 03/StudyGalleryInstallation3ChecklistSpring2015.pdf>. “Tankard.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Tankard>. Sawinski, Catherine. “German Tankards and Steins: Part 4—Porcelain.” Milwaukee Art Museum. Milwaukee Art Museum, 24 June 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <http://blog.mam.org/2014/06/24/ german-tankards-and-steins-part-4-porcelain/>. Tankard. [c. 1720 CE]. Porcelain. Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill. Vomit Pot with Floral Decoration. [c.1750 – 1751 CE]. Porcelain. Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill.

by Mai Dvorak Senzan Japanese, 20th century Sake Cup porcelain Ackland Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill In the early 17th century, Korean artists introduced porcelain to Japan marking the beginning of a new art industry and trade. Porcelain is formed by the use of touseki, a white clay, which is heated to extremely high temperatures to form ceramics, as seen in this sake cup. This sake cup, created in the 19th century, shows the exquisite craftsmanship of Japanese artisan Senzan, with a blue plum branch decoration on the exterior. The plum branches were painted with a blue underglaze and red decorative glaze to enhance the look of the ripened plums. The plum branches and fruit were most likely depicted due to their prevalence and use in Japanese culture and use in food and drink. This sake cup would customarily be used for dinner parties or personal use within the home. Sake is fermented rice liquor unique to Japan and dates back more than two thousand years. When drinking sake, it is customary for individuals to pour the alcohol for their companions before accepting a drink themselves. By pouring alcohol for others rather than oneself, it creates an atmosphere where everyone is a guest and serving one another. It is a way of showing community as well as putting one’s enjoyment before your own.

by Tori Placentra and Kennedy Thompson Unidentified artist Chinese, Qianlong reign, 1736-1795 Custard Cup, c. 1780 porcelain Ackland Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gift of Richard D. Pardue, 2015.13.13a Chinese porcelains were introduced to Europe as early as the 14th century, and commercial trade between Europe and East Asia grew in the 16th century. This porcelain custard cup, created by an unidentified Chinese artist in 1780, represents the Chinese production of utilitarian porcelain objects specifically for Western consumption. Manufacturing an object that serves custard, a Western custom, marks China’s place in international trade as a producer of exports and reveals its interpretation of Western consumer desires. In this sense, the cup is an interpretation of the West through the eyes of the East for the purpose of financial gain. This layering of interpretations and perspectives makes the custard cup in itself an amalgamation of cultures. Its floral design and delicate details are undeniably Western influences imposed upon porcelain, an Eastern tradition. The transculturation present in this single custard cup is reflected by the larger transculturation happening at the time. Increased trade and mobility meant that nothing was spared from being shared – ideas, traditions, foods, and spices were making their way across oceans, both literally and figuratively. China’s trade efforts were not futile. Demand for Chinese porcelain goods rose during the 17th and 18th centuries, as possession of Chinese mugs, cups, and household objects exuded an air of luxury and worldliness. European porcelain factories appeared in the late 18th century, leading to a decline in demand for Chinese products, so this cup is from a period when objects of its kind were on the demise. Source: Jeffrey Munger, Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen. “East and West: Chinese Export.” The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. N.p., Oct. 03. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.