Food Choice in Modern Society
Food plays a special role in the satisfaction of our needs. Already its preparation appeals to our senses and is, therefore, an important phenomenon, but the ultimate satisfaction, eating, is of course even more significant. It produces pleasure and enjoyment, but it also includes a danger. One has to swallow food, ingest it and who knows what happens then.
Food is not only ingested physically, but it intrudes into our selves, touches our personal (I) and social (me) identities. One can even say that body and food are the central links between the biological and social processes on our lives. This means that these processes do not take place between I and me, but in the body itself.
The mouth is that part of us which transfers food into us during moments of exceptional openness. These moments are always risky ones. One can then loose the borders of one’s self both physically, psychologically and socially. In a middle of the carnival, when the feast is at its height and the tongue “sings”, the willingness to enjoy unknown foods and drinks is greatest – as well as risk to get lost.
Thus food is not a mere physical phenomenon, a pure substance, as a group of cultural dimensions are crystallized in it. They define it and make the explanation of food choice an exceptionally complicated but exciting task. Food choice is such a manifold research subject that there is no single approach. Research into food habits is typically multidisciplinary, and the purpose of this article is to present what sociology can contribute.
- ISSN: 0357-9603
- ISBN: 951-9282-09-2
