Ireland on a Plate

Elaine Mahon, a doctoral student at the Dublin Institute of Technology, has published a new article. Her piece, "'Ireland on a Plate’: Curating the 2011 State Banquet for Queen Elizabeth II," appeared in Volume 18, Issue 4 of the M/C Journal of Media and Culture. The piece, which is part of a larger research project into Irish gastronomy and gastrodiplomacy, explores the notion of “diplomatic dining” at the 2011 state banquet. Mahon dishes on everything from the creation of the menu to the political and cultural history leading up to the banquet. Noting that “chefs no longer only make food; they also ‘curate’ meals," Mahon demonstrates how such high profile events can facilitate opportunities for nation-branding, cross-cultural understanding and diplomatic engagement. Mahon concludes with the observation that not only was Ireland successful in its objective to represent itself on a plate for the queen, but that since her visit, the strength of Irish gastronomy has become globally apparent as more Irish chefs and restaurants have been awarded Michelin stars and other top honors.  

The full article is available here.

Photo by William Murphy | CC BY-SA 2.0