Kittler, Sucher, and Nelms (2012) coined the term food habits (also known as food culture or foodways) to describe the manner in which humans use food, including everything from how it is chosen, acquired, and distributed to who prepares, serves, and eats it. They stated that the significance of the food habits process is that it is unique to human beings. They pondered why people spend so much time, energy, money, and creativity on eating. A familiar saying that epitomizes the idea of food and identity is, “You are what you eat.” This expression addresses two of the questions considered in the research: What does the food on my plate signify? and How do food practices contribute to personal identity? These questions address the concept of …show more content…
Health food personalities were characterized as antinuclear activists and Democrats. Vegetarians were likely to be perceived as pacifists who drive foreign cars. Gourmet food eaters were seen as individuals who were liberal and sophisticated. These stereotypes were established through self-descriptions and personality tests which were completed by individuals whose diets fell into the five categories. Another study examined people’s perceptions of similar looking individuals based on the foods they consumed. Stein and Nemeroff (1995) asked university students to rate profiles of individuals based on their diets. The students were shown pictures of sets of two nearly identical looking people. One person in each pair was classified as the “good” food eater and the other was the “bad” food eater. Physically, all else was similar. Students judged the people who ate “good” foods in a more favorable light. They found the “good” food eaters to be thinner, active, and fit than persons with the same physical characteristics and exercise habits who ate “bad” foods. In addition, the persons who ate “good” foods were rated as more attractive, likable, quiet, practical, methodical, and analytical that those who ate “bad” foods. Social and psychological factors have an influence on people’s food habits and choices. Larson and Story (2009) examined these influences on
"Eating is not only a political act but also a cultural act that reaffirms one's identity and worldview." (Salmón, 2012, p. 8). It is the statement from the book Eating the Landscape: American Indian Stories of Food, Identity, and Resilience that reflects the author’s main idea. The book is a cultural and geographical travel through the southwest part of the United States of America and northern Mexico. In his book, the author is focused on demonstrating the world of indigenous food and accentuates some direct connections between this food, the culture of people and understanding of the environment that surrounds them.
Pollan states that food is not just a necessity to survive, it has a greater meaning to life. Pollan explains how food can cause us happiness and health by connecting us to our family and culture. Warren Belasco, in “Why Study Food”, supports Pollan’s idea that food is something social and cultural. In Belasco’s description of a positive social encounter food is included, whether it involves a coffee date with a colleague or a dinner date with a loved one. Belasco states that food forms our identity and brings our society together.
“Hungry for Change” is an eye opening documentary made to explore the role that food plays in peoples’ lives. The experts, ranging from authors to medical doctors, address a variety of claims through testimonials, experiments, and statistical evidence. They not only state the flaws in this generation’s diet but also logically explain the reasons behind the downfall in peoples’ diet and offer better ways to approach our health.
Shapiro talks about his time in the kitchen from when he was a young trainee through to his maturity. Shapiro may be trying to get his point across to food eaters everywhere. While, Berry attempts to encourage people to improve the way they eat by giving them suggestions on what to do, Shapiro inspires to alleviate the misconceptions about food and food preparation, which goes further, in the long run, to convince people about the choices they make about food consumption. The writer avoids any errors of fact and any misinterpretation or misrepresentation of any facts.
During the discussions both groups seemed to unanimously agree that they ate out “too many times” per week, with about 2-4 times being at fast food restaurants. Most also admitted that their eating habits were routinely unhealthy, and that when they did order at a fast food restaurant, they thought first about what they want to avoid rather than what they want, namely salads. they agreed that upon deciding to dine in a fast food restaurant, they have usually already accepted that they will not be eating healthy, and that signage has little opportunity to change that. When looking at the menus of each restaurant, participants also agreed that the more pictures featured on a menu indicated to them that it was a less healthy restaurant overall, but it was still the first thing they noticed. They also noted that overall they did not tend to notice calorie count or fat free options very often.
Most people wouldn’t deny that food is vital to everyday life, but perhaps it has more importance than just simply nourishing our bodies. According to Carole M. Counihan, a doctor of anthropology, food is so important that society has constructed rules regarding its consumption. Counihan emphasizes in her 1992 Anthropology Quarterly article, “Food Rules in the United States: Individualism, Control and Hierarchy,” that these rules serve as the “means through which human beings construct reality” (Counihan, 1992, p. 55). Counihan advocates for the importance of studying food rules by explaining that knowledge about how food is viewed in our culture can do three things: improve understanding of other culture’s food rules, allow nutrition education programs to mesh with these rules, and reveal an aspect of society that helps maintain our current stratification system, which has not been thoroughly examined yet (Counihan, 1992). Through her study of food journals kept by American college students, Counihan argues that their adherence to food rules suggests that students strongly believe in self-control and individualism. Consequently, these beliefs reinforce our current social hierarchies, specifically classism, racism, and sexism. Counihan’s argument that our rules about food allow for the perpetuation of sexism is a compelling one that I very much agree with. I have personally seen my best friend plan her entire diet and exercise regimen based on what her boyfriend thinks. Although this article was written in 1992, I believe the message it conveys will still be applicable in years to come.
Social media does not help in this situation either. America’s trending apps and media such as Instagram and Snapchat encourages others to try the food that they have. These social networks make it easier for others to share pictures that glamorize very unhealthy food that might seem appealing but have a harmful effect on the body. Studies show that social norms highly impact the individual’s decision whether they are with friends or not. The study conducted by Dr.Robinson, PhD, of the University of Liverpool, concluded the environment plays a huge role in the trend. He saw that that people are more willing to eat the types of foods that others choose and the portions that they choose because social identity is guided by its community. If the community were to eat unhealthy foods then the person would eat unhealthy foods but if the community eats healthier then the person would eat healthier to maintain a consistent sense of social identity (Robinson). Community influences play a huge role all over the world and has the same effect on its i...
In Michael Pollan’s “The End of Cooking” shares the message of what we are losing something important in this day and age because of all our pre-made and processed foods. This can be compared with Kothari’s “If You Are What You Eat, What Am I?” and her argument that food is part of one’s own identity. By using the examples from these two texts you can analyze the state of food and culture in the United States today. All of the processed and pre-made foods are causing people all across America to lose their sense of Culture. We no longer know what it’s like to make one of our cultures specialty dishes from scratch which can help people identify with their culture. This process helped newer generations see what it was like for those before them to cook on a daily basis and could help them identify your sense of culture.
With every experience that we have with food, a memory is created. Our experiences with food begin when we are infants. The memories can be traumatic or they can be pleasant, but they will affect the way we think, act, and shape our ideas about food in the future. Just like our language, the clothes we wear on a daily basis, our individual customs, and the values and beliefs that we have, food is important in constructing our overall identity too. If the way a person speaks, dresses, and thinks can reveal a lot about who they are as individuals, then doesn't food also define us? Everything that revolves around our food from what we choose to eat and how our food is obtained and prepared to when and how we eat tells us so much about
Food is the essential vitality of life and the essence of survival. It nourishes one’s physical body to enable pursuit of passion. However, in overwhelming aspects of American society, food is viewed as an enemy. It is seen as the root cause of obesity which carries heavy condemnations of ugliness and weakness. Countless people have become obsessed with food as a means of exerting strength, displaying will-power, and achieving alleged beauty. The way society views nutrition has become misconstrued and disordered, resulting in unhealthy relationships with food, and thus emotional and physical harm. The most effective way to change society’s relationship with food is to target the presentation, practices, content, and intentions of nutrition
As previously mentioned, food was traditionally considered as a mere means of subsistence, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries. The early history of food involved its use to define shared identities and reflected religious and group customs. Furthermore, food was filled with psychological, cultural, religious, and emotional significance. During this period, a unique court tradition of cuisine and sophisticated table manners emerged to distinguish the social elite from the ordinary people. However, during the 19th century, the history of food slightly changed as it became a defining symbol of national identity. This period was characterized by the association of several dishes to particular countries and cultures (Mintz, par 1). For instance, American hamburger and tomato-based Italian spaghetti are cultural foods that were in...
It seems as if there are two distinct categories which an individual can be placed in based on their food choices, one can either be seen as a good eater or a bad eater. This idea can be supported through Oakes and Slotterback’s research, “the goal was to examine whether routine consumption of a “bad” food (i.e., pie) for breakfast versus consumption of a “good” food (i.e., oatmeal with fruit and nuts) influenced judgments about the eaters.” (Oakes & Slotterback) Examining the results of this research based on the tables provided, the perceptions of good vs bad eaters are distinctly identified. The participants were given a number of scenarios which included a male figure and female figure either eating pie or oatmeal, they responded accordingly based on their perceptions of that scenario. Those findings which stood out above all were, those who ate pie for breakfast were perceived as, lazy, overweight and immature. However, those who ate oatmeal for breakfast maintained a positive perception they were associated with adjectives such as; healthy, clean, athletic, educated, health conscious and appearance conscious. (Oakes & Slotterback) Not only does this evidence support the argument that an individual’s identity is created based on the food consumed however, it also highlights a broader social issue that we as humans classify others into these discriminatory categories based on the food they eat. The term discriminatory is used as just because someone eats at a fast food joint once in a while, that one meal may not be reflective of their overall eating habits throughout the week. This then brings into question where we obtain these biased ideologies
What stood out to me in this video is the alarmingly growing rate of obesity and diabetes in the United States. Obesity and Diabetes Type II are both diseases that a person can easily avoid by becoming more aware of what he or she is consuming on a regular basis. In the video, one of Dr. Esselstyn’s patients, San’Dera Nation, who used a plant-based diet to reverse her diabetes and hypertension said “…do not live to eat, but eat to live”. This statement helped clarify the thought that many people eat for reasons other than health. For example, holidays are a huge time for socializing and, with that socializing, a huge emphasis is placed on food and drink. Not only are social gatherings a time that food is of importance, but, generally, as a matter of lifestyle, many people eat food as a means to feel happy. People enjoy the taste of food (particularly food that is ...
Food is a great obsession to human beings; it also can say something about us beyond what we decide to put in our mouths. Michael Pollan’s research shows that we are not really eating healthy we are convenient eaters. We much prefer quantity over quality, and this is the reason why we have an issue with obesity today, however, eating doesn’t have to be complicated. Yes, we need to worry about how we eat but not to the extent where it is unhealthy. Food is everywhere it’s a part of our lives. Without it we wouldn’t survive, but are we taking the easy way and eating too unhealthy? Is eating unhealthy all we have really known? What can our food choices say about us, beyond what we choose to put into our mouths? Is being defined by our food a bad thing? How does Social Media influence how we eat?
Food safety culture is at a record-breaking high , new and developing dangers to the sustenance supply are being perceived , and customers are eating an ever increasing number of dinners arranged outside of the home (Jespersen , 2012 ) . For food safety to succeed in an organization , the most important element is management commitment (Wilson and Worosz , 2014 ) . Commitment to specific areas is a defining element of a company's culture , particularly orienting and training the employees regardless of their educational attainment . Shifting commitments will change a company's culture (YamagucHi , 2014 ) . One of the ways to influence change is through organizational responsibilities , along with the inherent metrics to measure success . So