While eggplant may be a strange-looking purple fruit, it can teach us a lot about different cultures around the world, said Ann Gold, a Syracuse University professor of religion and anthropology, and Ron Herring, a Cornell professor of government, in a joint presentation, "The Lowly Eggplant: Poetics and Politics."

The June 28 presentation was part of the "Food for Thought: Food and Culture Across the Globe" workshop, hosted by the Cornell Educational Resources for International Studies (CERIS). About 40 New York middle and high school teachers, many of them from rural school districts, attended the June 27-29 event to learn about teaching different cultures through food themes. Its seminars, demonstrations and tours included such topics as South Asian culture and food, how to incorporate food into the curriculum and cooking Thai eggplant.

The eggplant, Gold explained, is indigenous to the sub-Indian continent and is a staple in the Indian diet. The most commonly grown variety is the Brinjal eggplant, Herring added, and due to the low land requirements of the crop, individuals of lower social stature typically farm it. As with any crop, agricultural innovations can improve farmers' yields, ultimately improving their economic status. However, a promising innovation for increasing eggplant yield in India, the production of genetically modified eggplant, is controversial.

The fruit and shoot borer, a common pest in India, can destroy up to 70 percent of an eggplant crop, Herring said. The insect resists heavy pesticide spraying, forcing farmers to spray up to fifty times a season. The introduction of Bt (or Bacillus thuringiensis) Brinjal to India, a variety of Brinjal eggplant that produces a protein lethal to the borer, would reduce insecticide use by 80 percent and significantly increase yield, he explained. However, since Indian consumers have protested against Bt Brinjal because of its unknown health consequences, the Indian government has banned its production. Until Bt Brinjal is supported, farmers will resort to the "underground seed market" and buy Bt Brinjal and hybrid seeds to improve their yields, profits and ultimately their social status, Herring said.

Renee Moser, an eighth- and ninth-grade history and social studies teacher from the Beaver River School District, said that the theme of the workshop was in line with her experiences as a teacher, as many of her students choose food-themed projects. She said that the workshop was a perfect fit for her because it let her "go back to school for a day," and she was eager to learn tips on how students could become "more interested in the social and cultural aspects of history."

Other presentations included an authentic Japanese tea ceremony, discussions on food and identity, peanut oil in West Africa, rice and water, curriculum development, and food and culture resource kits available to the teachers. The program also included a field trip to the Ithaca Children's Garden to see the CERIS international garden plots and learn about the related garden cultural activities taking place there this summer.

CERIS consists of outreach coordinators from the Einaudi Center and the East Asia Program, Southeast Asia Program, South Asia Program, Institute for African Development, Cornell Institute for European Studies and Latin American Studies Program.

Graduate student Kate Neafsey is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.