Menu Matters
A Book Launch for Nathalie Cooke’s “Tastes and Traditions: A Journey Through Menu History”
Friday, Jan. 23 (2-4)

Sidney Smith Hall, room 2098 (Natalie Zemon Davis Room)
100 St. George Street, at Harbord Street
University of Toronto Campus

Registration is free but required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1979757908197?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join us for an appetizing exploration of why menus matter and the stories they tell us today. We will come to menus belatedly, after the dishes have been washed up, so to speak. So in her exploration of ways in which menus matter, Professor Nathalie Cooke keeps at least two audiences in mind: diners of the menus’ moment and we who look at menus from distances spanning years, even continents and linguistic divides.

Nathalie Cooke is professor of English at McGill University and a recognized scholar in literary food studies and material culture. Her research explores how objects like menus and textiles tell stories: through design, language, and hidden codes. She works across disciplines and archives, often drawing public attention to overlooked artefacts and their cultural significance. From Victorian fiction to WWII resistance stitching, her projects bridge academic inquiry with public engagement. Cooke brings history to life through close reading and material analysis. Her books focus on the evolution of literary and culinary taste.