SN2285 What’s Cooking: Food and Drink in South Asian Cultures is an interdisciplinary course that explores food as a powerful lens into South Asian societies. Integrating anthropology, history, cultural studies, and religious studies, the course examines how everyday practices of cooking, eating, and drinking reflect, negotiate and reproduce broader social, political, and economic processes across the region.

The primary objective of the course is to help students understand food not merely as sustenance, but as culture. Students can expect to learn how cuisines are shaped by migration, colonialism, religion, class, gender, and globalisation, while also developing critical skills in cultural analysis and comparative thinking.

A distinctive feature of SN2285 is its engaging, sensory-rich approach to learning. Classes and assignments include analyses of recipes, food media, ethnographic case studies, and discussions of contemporary food debates. This makes abstract concepts tangible and encourages students to connect theory with lived experience through food as a dynamic and multi-sensorial site of engagement.

The knowledge gained has clear real-world applications. Students learn to analyse cultural practices with sensitivity. These skills are valuable in fields like heritage management, education, public policy, marketing, journalism, and the food and hospitality industries.

Students often highlight how the course changes the way they think about everyday meals, making them more culturally aware and critically engaged. Many appreciate its interactive discussions and relatable subject matter, noting that it is both intellectually rigorous and enjoyable.

SN2285 also prepares students for further study in anthropology, Asian studies, or cultural studies, as well as careers involving cross-cultural engagement. There are no prerequisites, making the course accessible to students from diverse academic backgrounds who are curious about food, culture and society.