Heike Henderson, Professor of German in the Department of World Languages, contributed a chapter to the recently published volume Blood on the Table: Essays on Food in International Crime Fiction (https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/blood-on-the-table). Written from a multicultural and interdisciplinary perspective, this collection of new essays, edited by Jean Anderson, Carolina Miranda and Barbara Pezzotti, explores the semiotics of food in 20th and 21st century crime fiction.
The title of Henderson’s essay is “Dying for Foie Gras: Murder, Politics, and Ethical Food Production.” In this chapter, she analyzes a culinary mystery by German author Ella Danz, Geschmacksverwirrung (Taste Confusion), that focuses on animals’ rights, factory farming and ethical food production. She also discusses the suitability of culinary crime fiction to explore troubling issues within the world of food, and how these texts can prompt readers to examine their food choices.