by the “Off the Menu” Research Group
University of Augsburg
June 1—3, 2026 
Ammersee, Bavaria, Germany

Call for Applications
Deadline: November 3, 2025

Eating is an ecological act. To nibble and graze is to shape and to sculpt, contouring lands and waters and even worlds. Reflecting  on this relationship, the “Off the Menu: Appetites, Culture, and Environment” international research group at the University of Augsburg invites academic researchers and creative practitioners —and especially those whose work straddles both—interested in the many ways that eating and ecology connect, clash, and collide to join us for a culinary environmental humanities forum from 1 to 3 June 2026 at the Villa Habersack of the Bund Naturschutz in Wartaweil am Ammersee, Bavaria, Germany.

Yes, a plate is a flag, as Michael Twitty asserts (2017), and a boundary, as Priya Basil points out (2019), but plates also travel beyond states and nations to make up the planetary. This is to say that whether porcelain or clay, plastic or bamboo, an heirloom or disposable, plates map inheritances and ruptures, reflect trade and exchange, and archive appetites. 

From the preservation of dishes to the preservation of ingredients subsequently transformed—and plated—we want to reflect on the various meanings of preservation and the myriad ways that plates shift and sometimes even smash. We welcome critical and creative reflections on how eating is an example of what Timothy Morton calls “being ecological” (2018) and the planetary turn in food (studies). Transnational and interdisciplinary perspectives are especially welcome. More specifically, we seek contributions that consider questions including but not limited to: 

—   Preservation and Time
* How does preservation interrupt time?
* How has “freshness” as a concept and an aspiration changed over time?
* How do you calculate the age of salt?

—   Preservation and Aliveness
* What makes a fish fresh? 
* How might fermentation make food more alive?
* How does preservation interrupt or support or challenge natural cycles of decay and renewal?

—   Preservation and Memory
* What makes something worth preserving?
* What happens to a recipe when one of its ingredients goes extinct? 
* How can we conceive of a taste that has been lost?

Like a shared feast, our forum seeks diverse forms of collaboration and conversation, from discussions and workshops to creative interventions, and, of course, cooking. Equally we are looking for “original dishes,” meaning original research and fresh contributions. We welcome and encourage applications from researchers, practitioners, and artists at all career stages. Contributions are invited from a wide range of fields, including (but not limited to): food studies, environmental humanities, gastronomy, and the arts. Participants are expected to be present for all three days of the workshop. 

To apply, we ask for a statement of interest describing how the forum’s themes connect to your work or practice, and outline what you would like to contribute or explore within this setting (max. 500 words), and submit a short bio (max. 250 words) in a single PDF, by November 3, 2025. Funding for travel from within Europe is available, made possible through the generous support of the Elite Network of Bavaria, so please indicate in your application whether you require travel funding. 

Send your application and any queries to: off-the-menu@philhist.uni-augsburg.de