”Sense, play & reflect!” – a visit to an Italian University

Hilde Weiser is a Doctoral student at the Department of Food, Nutrition and Culinary Science, and the Arctic Graduate School at Umeå University. Between 14 and 18 September, she went to the Università di Scienze Gastronomiche di Pollenzo (UNISG) in Italy to present her research and host a workshop about sensing food.

Tell us about your visit at UNISG

Entrance of Università di Scienze Gastronomiche di Pollenzo.

Image Hilde Weiser

Weiser explains that UNISG is a multidisciplinary university with many different areas for research and education, all included under the umbrella of gastronomy and sustainability.

– During my stay, I participated in the alumni day arranged by the university where I presented my ongoing doctoral project, my home Department of Food, Nutrition and Culinary Science, and the Arctic Graduate School.  I also hosted a workshop connected to one of my sub-studies and I had the possibility to stay for a few days to strengthen my old network and establish new contacts, she shares.

She continues to describe the workshop she was hosting.  

– My Doctoral project concerns the encouraging of sustainable eating amongst adolescents living in a Swedish Arctic context. As a part in this, I investigate how sensory experiences can stimulate curiosity for different types of foods in a playful and explorative way. In my workshop at UNISG, which I called “Sense, play & reflect!”, the participants firstly got to taste juice while simultaneously listening to two different kinds of music and then discuss and reflect upon how sounds influence a meal experience. Secondly, they got to explore different fruits and vegetables while being blindfolded. They had to use their sense of touch, taste, smell and hearing in order to try to find words to verbally describe the textures, tastes, memories, smells, associations, and other impressions this experience evoked in them. Lastly, they performed a sensory evaluation of three different preparations of barley; one sweet and one savory cracker, and puffed barley. The participants had to try to verbalize their sensory impressions through describing the appearance, smell, taste, and texture of the different barley preparations.

Weiser says that the workshop inspired discussions about relation to food through the senses, as well as what the concept "sustainable food" can mean in different situations and contexts.

It was enriching, educational and inspiring to present and host a workshop in an international context for an audience representing a variety of competences, experiences, and perspectives.

What did you think of the visit to UNISG?

Weiser shares that the visit to Italy was a very positive experience.

Workshop at Università di Scienze Gastronomiche di Pollenzo (UNISG).

Image Hilde Weiser

– It was enriching, educational and inspiring to present and host a workshop in an international context for an audience representing a variety of competences, experiences, and perspectives. It was very rewarding to see how the group engaged in the activity, what discussions arose and how they reflected upon their sensory experiences. During my presentation, I showed pictures from Umeå University and for the workshop I had brought barley from Burträsk. It was so fun to be able to share a bit of the Arctic both visually and on the plate!  Being able to strengthen my current network and make new contacts with researchers at UNISG feels very exciting and opens many possibilities.

In what way did this visit benefit you as a researcher?

Weiser mentions that all the people she met and the places she visited gave her a lot of inspiration for her doctoral project.

– To present my doctoral project, both verbally and in the format of a workshop, in an international setting was educational, rewarding and has given me confidence for future presentations. The workshop is valuable for me also because it helps me to understand what experiences and thoughts are evoked in a group of people who collectively, creatively, and actively focuses on their senses when exploring food. The stay also gave me many new contacts with people from different fields, both geographically and professionally, which has strengthened my international network. It also gives me a better understanding of how research about food, meals and sustainability is carried out at other universities outside Sweden.

What significance did your visit have for the Arctic?

– Having the opportunity to present my Doctoral project about sustainable eating, within the field of food, nutrition, and meal science, as well as to talk about the Arctic Graduate School, in the multidisciplinary environment of UNISG feels very exciting and can hopefully lead to fruitful collaborations in the future, Wieser concludes.