Food Grammar

As we have seen with the Verma and Williams articles on food and culture and other articles, food can represent more than just nourishment. Food can provide identity and have greater society meanings for different cultures. Food grammar is the way in which these ideas and representations are practiced. In the Douglas article, by saying, "Eating, like talking, is a patterned activity...," she means that we expect eating (similar to language) to have a certain order and at certain times. For example, we expect breakfast to have certain food items such as eggs and to served in the morning before lunch. The Bisogni et al. article expands on this idea by providing eight "episode dimensions" (food and drink, time, location, activities, social setting, mental processes, physical condition, and recurrence) that try to characterize any instance of eating, whether that be a primary meal, a snack, or a special occasion.

Reflecting on the articles, it made me think about the categories that we use for meals and eating in general. There is no real reason why certain food have to be eaten at certain times, like no one would think that mashed potatoes were a breakfast food or that pancakes be served for dinner. Something that stood out was that while meal grammar is shared within a culture or subculture it is not universal. During the cookbook exercise, I read that the French serve salads after the main course instead of before. If this happened in an American restaurant, the diners would think the server forgot their salad because it is always expected to come before a meal. Do we as students stick to an "American" society food grammar or do we have our own "student" food grammar? How and why might we deviate from the food structure that we grew up with?