Monday, October 5, 2015

Food Habits and Personal Experiences

It seemed like a lot of what was said in the articles related back to the idea of comfort food and how our emotions and experiences can shape our relationships with certain dishes. When we talked about comfort food earlier in the semester, we often came back to the idea that it was our association with the food that made it comforting, and that these foods were different for everyone. With food habits, we see how experiences, in this case parenting, can influence what foods we do and do not like. I thought it was pretty unsurprising that people who were forbidden from eating certain foods would grow up to want those foods more. I also wasn't surprised that being forced to eat certain foods had such an adverse effect. Perception plays a huge role in what we eat, and being forced to eat something can negatively impact someone's opinion on it. Once, when I was little, my mother forced me eat fish (when in reality it was just chicken and she was just messing with me) but when I ate it, I thought it was disgusting because my I thought it was going to be a food I hate.

I still won't eat fish to this day, but I will eat many of the fruits and vegetables I used to be forced to eat on my own free will. I wonder if I would still eat these foods as often as I do if I'd been given a choice when I was younger to decline, or if being forced to eat them and being exposed to these foods led me to get accustomed to them and eventually like them.

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