wastED rhetoric

ABSTRACT

Public Chef Intellectuals use restaurants as a topos to advocate for a more humane and sustainable food culture. They direct appetite both in the sense of creating delicious food and in the sense of articulating food politics. In a rhetorical analysis of Dan Barber’s experimental 2015 pop-up wastED, we find he employed three topoi in his rhetorical strategy to induce appetite: a glossary that situates his project within the context of our food system, a design that drew attention to the often-invisible nature of waste, and a plate that subverted expectations. These rhetorical places became material, interlocking arguments to help diners develop an appetite for what we now label as waste. wastED allowed Barber to create a space to reflect on what separates food from waste, prompting debate.