We Are What We Eat Analysis

“We are what we eat” is something that is often used amongst many in the field of food studies. In order to better understand this phrase that defines who we are, we must start off by analyzing the important role that gender and social classes play in the realm of food studies, and the way they shape the cultures around us. Firstly, gender differences have shaped our foodways from many different perspectives; firstly from the role of women in a domestic setting. From the writing by Alice P. Julier on “Eating Together: Food, Friendship, and Inequality” , we can see how the setting of a dinner party can vary between the roles that each women play. In the writing, we can see how the women was tasked with buying and producing the food for the household …show more content…
Besides eating for the sake of nutrition and hunger, food can embody a greater context and meaning through its ability to portray cultural capital. From the reading “The high and the Low” by Jack Goody , we can see how class separations can be formed amongst the ranks of the Chinese society, and that the notion of frugality can serve as a social factor that can define the difference between these classes. For the poor, staying frugal was seen as way of living, providing them with the necessary amount of food to eat thus using food as a function of life. Whereas for the rich, frugality was seen as a voluntary component of their lifestyle, this difference changed the way classes viewed food through the importance of it for survival. A simple act and notion of frugality not only serves as a separation between the classes but it could result in the bigger picture of identity, whereby identity can be formed through the type and amount of food that one eats. “We are what we eat” through social class can therefore be seen as a way to differentiate one from another. Lastly, “We are what we eat” can be seen identified through the social status that one tries to represent, this can be seen most prominent in the movement towards organic and pure food, mentioned in the article “Pure Food: The Status Symbol Of The Decade; Who Buys It? The Affluent And The Aware” by Marian Burros . In the article, the headline affluent clearly shows us how status and cultural capital can be tied together with the way one tries to identity themselves through food. The well educated and affluent are shown here spreading their cultural capital through embarking on food products that are pure and different as compared to those at regular supermarkets. This segregation of status through investing in food products that were seen