Food is not just nourishment: it is culture, civilization, and symbolism. From the land of Bengodi to Hansel and Gretel’s gingerbread house, from Snow White to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, food in children’s literature is rich in meaning, evoking memory, identity, and social relationships.
The international conference “coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkins…”: Eating Indoors and Outdoors in Children’s Literature, organized by Ca’ Foscari University Venice together with Laura Tosi and Alessandro Cabiati, explores the relationships between food, space, and childhood, analyzing how the places where we eat help shape experiences and cultural identities. Scholars from Europe, Australia, Japan, and the United States will participate in sessions addressing topics such as food as performance, as a tool of control, and as a vehicle for nostalgia.
Keynote speakers include Vanessa Joosen (University of Antwerp) and Diane Purkiss (University of Oxford), alongside a special contribution from three-Michelin-star chef Massimiliano Alajmo on the connections between food, childhood, and language.
The conference highlights how scenes of eating in children’s literature are far from trivial: they depict community, friendship, misunderstanding, and power, reflecting social relationships and cultural norms.
Event in English, open to researchers, students, and the general public
