Choux Questionnaire

Abstract

A riff on the well-riffed Proust Questionnaire, the CFS Choux Questionnaire is meant to elicit a tasty and perhaps surprising experience, framed within a seemingly humble exterior. (And yes, some questions have a bit more craquelin than others.) Straightforward on their own, the queries combined start to form a celebratory pyramid of extravagance. How that composite croquembouche is assembled and taken apart, however, is up to the respondents and readers to determine. Respondents are invited to answer as many questions as they choose.

The final question posed—What question would you add to this questionnaire?—prompts each respondent to incorporate their own inquisitive biome into the mix, feeding a forever renewed starter culture for future participants.

Our Choux Questionnaire respondent for this issue is Elaine Power. One of the founders of the Canadian Association for Food Studies (CAFS), Elaine has spent much of her career researching food insecurity and other issues related to poverty, class, food, and health. She is an advocate for a guaranteed basic income, an income floor that would provide all Canadians with adequate income to meet their basic needs, including food. Her current research is exploring arts-based knowledge mobilization for effective solutions to food insecurity.