Food, Zoom, A Website, and Noodles From China to Italy: A Media Education Lab Curriculum Review

This piece is not about home energy upgrades, rebates, or weatherization. It is a curriculum review from a Media Education Lab series on food and education, describing a college course at Emory University called "Noodle Narratives on the Silk Road," which used noodle dishes from China and Italy to help students cope with isolation and stress during the pandemic. The professors behind the course, Christine Ristaino and Hong Li, built a class around cooking assignments, reflective essays, and a website called Pandemic Noodles, where students shared family recipes and stories tied to their cultural heritage.

The article traces how the project grew beyond the classroom, drawing coverage from Emory's own news outlet, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, SupChina, and Vice, as students' stories of cooking during lockdown resonated with a wider audience. It also describes newer courses built on the same approach, including one on diaspora experiences in Italy and Georgia, and another on Chinese American food history.

There is nothing here about heat pumps, insulation, rebates, tax credits, or any other home efficiency topic. If you came to this looking for news that affects decisions about your house, this story does not touch on that. It is a reflection on teaching methods and student wellbeing, told through the lens of food and cultural memory, and has no bearing on energy costs, home upgrades, or available incentive programs.