Sociology 297F - ST- Food as Culture

A central tenet of nutrition research is that our food choices are largely determined by nutritional need. But this isn't a nutrition class. This is a sociology class, and one of the main ideas of this class is that there are considerable social forces at work behind how, and what, we eat. Think about availability, cost, religious guidelines, short-term diets for health purposes, and cultural beliefs. Not to mention that our relationships with others influence what we eat, whether in the context of the family dinner table, a friend's choice of a lunch spot, or the workplace (or college) cafeteria. Furthermore, one's socioeconomic, demographic, and cultural background all contribute to the cultures of food that one is exposed to.