This course provides an introduction to the food system in the mega city of Karachi, starting from farms, to the food market, and ultimately to our tables. It uses an interdisciplinary lens to deconstruct food production, preparation, and consumption and how all of this impacts our lives. Through readings, seminar discussions, and a semester?long creative project, students will trace the food system, examine cultural and ritual roles, pilot kitchen gardening, and experiment with cooking practices. By the end of the course, students will be able to situate their own plates within Pakistan’s wider food system, explain how power and inequality shape access, interpret daily and ritual meals as expressions of social life, and apply this understanding to define realistic healthy and sustainable eating. Additionally, they will also be introduced to practical skills by exploring the potential of home kitchen gardens, and experimenting with cooking and meal practices that fit their actual constraints.
