4
The Meaning of Food
Psychological theories of food choice examine the individual factors which
influence eating behavior, with an emphasis on learning, beliefs, attitudes,
and the individual’s psychophysiological makeup. Such work is based on
the premise that food choice is a product of more than the nutritional
content of the food concerned. Food choice is also more complicated than
the psychological makeup of the individual doing the choosing. Food
choice takes place within a network of social meanings. Some of these mean-
ings relate to the food itself and, as described by Douglas, should also be
the focus for analysis: “Nutritionists know that the palate is trained, that
taste and smell are subject to cultural control...[yet research] seeks to screen
out cultural effects as so much interference. Whereas...the cultural con-
trols on perception are precisely what needs to be analysed” (Douglas, 1975,
p. 59). This chapter explores the complex social and cultural meanings
of food. In particular it describes food classification systems which are offered
as a means to understand food and its consumption. It examines the ways
in which food represents aspects of self-identity in terms of gender, sexual-
ity, conflicts, and self-control, and the ways in which it is central to social
interaction as a communication of love and power. Finally it explores food
as a symbol of cultural identity in terms of religion, social power, and a
delineation between culture and nature.
This chapter covers the following:
- Food classification systems
- Food as a statement of the self
- Food as social interaction
- Food as cultural identity
Food has a complex array of meanings, as described by Todhunter (1973):