Teaching food memoir: can sensory stories create meaningful writing experiences amidst AI?

This essay offers a pedagogical reflection on the challenges and opportunities of teaching sensory skills and food writing in the university setting amidst AI advancements. As generative AI is increasingly used to supplement and supplant college writing, this essay reflects on one professor’s relieved surprise that her students continue to find food memoir a novel and worthwhile writing assignment. The essay highlights a critical tasting activity that builds into the food memoir essay as a potentially effective assignment to foster student engagement and creativity. When students invest in sensory experiences and personal storytelling, they connected deeply with their writing and one another, illustrating the significance of food in their lives and the senses in the college classroom, even in the age of AI.