Food!

Like many other examples of popular culture, the topic of food is far more in-depth than just stuffing our faces with that greasy burger and salty French-fries. Consider the differences between the following topics concerning food in America.

Fast Food: Fast Food in America is a popular topic of discussion. Consider the studies pertaining to fast food and obesity rates. Or the mass advertising of fast food companies in America. How has our view of fast food changed? To some, fast food could be a regular part of their diet, to others, a guilty pleasure. Which fast food joint is your favorite? Have you ever had the discussion of which restaurants offer the best items? "McDonalds has the best fries, Burger King has the best Burgers, and you have to go to Wendy's fo that Frosty". I've had that discussion before, and I'm sure you have to.

Cookbooks: There is a vast array of cook books that you see at the bookstore or magazines you see at the grocery store. The cookbooks appeal to a consumer's individual needs or desires. For example, they offer healthy recipes for the health-conscious consumer, slow-cooker recipes for the time-restricted consumer, and all burger recipes for people like me! There are too many cookbooks covering too many specific styles of cooking to list. They can be filtered by the consumer to meet their needs by a multitude of criteria, including skill level of the consumer, food interests of the consumer, or diet restrictions of the consumer just to name a few.

The act of eating: As far as the act of sitting around the dinner table is concerned, one may initially believe that there is not much to it, just eat! But consider the differences within our culture when it comes to meals. Do you always eat at the kitchen table? Did you eat while watching television? Who in your family contributes to meal time? These are a few of many questions that can be asked concerning mealtime.

Restaurants: Steakhouse or sushi? Tapas or Chinese food? Pub fare or Italian? I once lived in a neighborhood of Boston that offered so many choices and varieties of food, my roommate created a random restaurant generator on the computer to help us choose where and what to eat. Does the restaurant you choose depend on the occasion? Or maybe it depends on your favorite food? Either way, there are vast differences in where and why people choose to dine.

There is no doubt that food is important to our culture. Examining something as simple as food can help broaden our understanding of how we view it, and there is value in exploring topics like these to help us understand our world better.