This event will take place both in person and virtually.

Professor Miranda D. Brown, the Yi-tsi Mei Feuerwerker Collegiate Professor of Chinese Studies

Lecture Title: A Moveable Feast: The Story of the Han-Manchu Banquet and the Forgotten History of Chop Suey

Lecture Abstract: Chop suey, a vintage Chinese-American food, has a dubious reputation. Some say it was invented from kitchen scraps in a California mining kitchen during the Gold Rush. Others claim it was an American invention—journalist Jennifer 8. Lee calls it "the greatest hoax played by one culture on another."

But what if I told you that chop suey was once a popular banquet food in China—and that it was enjoyed not only by ruling elites, but by the emperor himself? Far from being leftovers or cultural deception, chop suey graced imperial tables and wealthy merchant feasts for centuries before crossing the Pacific.

This talk explores the gourmet Chinese roots of chop suey through old banquet menus and imperial records, tracing its surprising journey from Qing dynasty haute cuisine to American convenience food. In recovering this forgotten history, it offers a new view of how Chinese American cuisine actually emerged—and reveals how crucial the study of foreign languages is for telling the American story.

Professor August E. (Gus) Evrard, the Arthur W. and Alice R. Burks Collegiate Professor of Physics

Lecture Title: A 20-Watt Thinking Machine with Legs Ponders Truth

Lecture Abstract: Some truths are universal, but not all. In this quick talk, I'll visit past experiences with truth on the sky and truth on campus before turning to a question for the age of intelligence: how will our AI-infused world handle the truth?

Professor Linda Tesar, the Alan V. Deardorff Collegiate Professor of Economics

Lecture Title: Deglobalization: What’s at Stake?

Lecture Abstract: Globalization helped fuel rapid economic growth and raised incomes in many of the world’s poorest countries. At the same time, widening income inequality within countries, increased financial market volatility and the decline of manufacturing in the wealthiest of countries has produced a backlash to globalization. What will be the consequences if the world economy becomes less integrated?

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Webinar ID: 939 7380 2185
International numbers available: https://umich.zoom.us/u/ayXtq0qRB