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Sociology on the Menu is an accessible introduction to the sociology of food. Highlighting the social and cultural dimensions of the human food system, from production to consumption, it encourages us to consider new ways of thinking about the apparently mundane, everyday act of eating. The main areas covered include:
* The origins of human subsistence and the development of the modern food system
* Food, the family and eating out
* Diet, health and the body image
* The meanings of meat and vegetarianism.
Sociology on the Menu provides a comprehensive overview of the literature, particularly helpful in this interdisciplinary field. It focuses on key texts and studies to help students identify major concerns and themes for further study. It urges us to re-appraise the taken for granted and familiar experiences of selecting, preparing and sharing food and to see our own habits and choices, preferences and aversions in their broader cultural context.
On the Back Cover
Sociology on the Menu is an accessible introduction to the sociology of food. Highlighting the social and cultural dimensions of the human food system, from production to consumption, it encourages us to consider new ways to thinking about the apparently mundane, everyday act of eating. Sociology on the Menu provides a comprehensive overview of the literature, particularly helpful in this interdisciplinary field. It focuses on key texts and studies to help students identify major concerns and themes for further study. It urges us to reappraise the taken for granted and familiar experiences of selecting, preparing and sharing food and to see our own habits and choices, preferences and aversions in their broader cultural context.
Review Quotes
1. "The major strength of this book is in its breadth of coverage and the way it considers the food system as an integrated whole, drawing on political adn economic, as well as historical, social, cultural and nutritional perspectives.... it provides a well-written, clearly structured and easy to read account, ideal for those new to the field and as a textbook for sociology, anthropology, nutritional anthropology and nutrition courses."
-"The Sociological Review
"Using a growing body of British research on food, Alan Beardsworth and Teresa Keil, in "Sociology on the Menu, demonstrate that constructing a sociology of food and eating requires "deliberate eclecticism" and flexibility about traditional disciplinary boundaries."
-Alice P. Julier, Smith College
