From left, Slippery Rock University professors Franklyn Charles and Ursula Payne prepare food at the Macoskey Center as part of an online cooking show titled “The Soul Food Initiative.” SUBMITTED PHOTO

SLIPPERY ROCK — Food is much more than sustenance that keeps people alive. It sustains cultural traditions, strengthens social and emotional ties, and feeds conversation. Or, as a faculty and student group at Slippery Rock University has observed, food is how people relate to one another and nourish their souls.

"We look at food as communication," said Fadoua Loudiy, assistant professor of strategic communication and media. "When we think about communication, we think about words and gestures, but food communicates something, too. It starts conversations with people who wouldn't otherwise gather around a table, and it can break down barriers between people and bring families and friends together."

Loudiy's favorite class that she teaches at SRU is Intercultural Communication, and culture intersects with food in discussions with her students.

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