It’s summer. Convocation is past, and I’m in Europe attending an academic conference. It’s been a while since before the pandemic, that I’ve traveled to conferences overseas in the summer. I’ve written a bit about academics, conference travel, and exercise here.
More specifically right now, I’m in Rome, where I gave a keynote address at the Food, Family, and Justice at John Cabot University, an American university with a campus here.
Here’s my abstract:
“Eat Me, Drink Me”: Philosophical Reflections on Children, Food, and Good Parenting
In this talk, I want to explore three themes related to children, their relationship to food and the nature of good parenting.
First, I’m intrigued by the dichotomy of our perceptions of children as “natural eaters” and “out-of-control wanton eaters.”We often project our own ideas about childhood and our anxieties about food and appetites onto child-aged eaters. The fear of obesity drives us to control childhood eating, yet there’s a prevalent parenting notion that if we allow children to graze freely, they’ll instinctively make healthy choices and never become overweight. I argue that both these ideas are flawed, mere reflections of our own anxieties about eating and body size projected onto children as eaters.
Second, I examine the societal pressure that weighs on parents’ food choices. The realm of food is a vast one, offering parents a multitude of options. Yet, the decisions about what and when to feed their children can become a consuming task during the child’s early years. This is a domain where parents often find themselves under scrutiny, where their choices are open to critique from others.
Third, we focus on children and eating partly because children are the front line in the “war against obesity.” Why the public policy focus on children? The thought is that we can stop obesity either before it develops or in its early stages, and we can avoid the health problems associated with overweight and obesity. However, the effectiveness of these measures is questionable. While the adage “eat less, move more” seems like common sense, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the causes of obesity. Moreover, we’re not entirely sure what strategies effectively combat childhood obesity. The anti-obesity measures aimed at children stem from various public policy contexts, each with its own moral complexities. When we factor in elements such as class, race, income, and physical or mental ability, it becomes evident how this approach might be dangerous.
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There were three days of terrific papers and some excellent conversation. It’s Rome so there was also excellent food. The conference also successfully blended in-person and some virtual presentations.
Sarah came with me, and we’re taking some vacation days after the conference, being tourists. I’ve never been here before. Rome is a great city for exploring neighborhoods, and we’re doing lots of that.
Here’s the sandals on the left I imagined wearing, with long flowy dresses. I love the way Italian women dress and I kind of wanted to blend in. But, no go. On the right are the sneakers I’ve ended up wearing most days with capris and yoga pants, looking very much like the North American tourist that I am.
Cobblestones make for tough walking.
How on earth do Italian women manage to walk so elegantly on cobblestones in stilettos? I’m amazed. I keep tripping, and I’m wearing running shoes.
After five days of averaging about 15k steps a day, my feet are incredibly sore, even wearing my beloved Hokas.
Here’s roughly where we are staying in Rome, post conference. John Cabot University, where the conference was held, is in Trastevere.
Mostly, it’s been pretty flat, but we did climb one very big hill, the Palatine Hill, which has a great view of the city and the Roman ruins. Here’s the view from the top.
Our view from Pallatine Hill.
Anyway, yes, my feet are sore, but my new knees are holding up just great. I’m grinning from ear to ear at being able to do this again. I thought I might never be able to walk all day. It feels so good to explore a new city on foot.
So it’s weird to have sore feet, sore calves, and a bit of back pain and feel good about it all. But the thing is I’m out of walking shape. I haven’t been able to do this for years and yes, while everything hurts, it’s not my knees holding me back!
We’re setting out in the morning and walking around all day, coming home in the evening tired and happy. 😊
Truth be told, in the evenings, we’re watching Tour de France: Unchained Season 2, which isn’t available on Canadian Netflix. It’s good timing since the Tour de France 2024 starts in just two days, and it even begins in Italy.
I’m happily walking our days away, feeling joyful about my new knees and the ability to walk again.
How’s your summer going?
