sad.

Rozin, Paul. 1999. “Food is fundamental, fun, frightening, and far reaching.” Social Research 66: 9-30. :

So, in modern life in the food world, we have many more opportunities for pleasure, and many more perceived opportunities for harm. Food is both a pleasure and a poison. In the balance of these beliefs lies much of the quality of life, and something of the quality of health, as well. It is my perception that the American upper and upper-middle classes have gone too far toward the poison end of the dimension, in their excessive worries about body weight, calories, the presence of toxins in foods, and the proper diet to maximize health. Every bite, for some people, is fraught with conflict. Many Americans, especially women, would seem to be willing to give up eating, one of our greatest pleasures. rather than face the battle between pleasure and poison with every bite. This is less illustrated by the explosion of anorexia and bulimia among American women, than by their “normative discontent” (Rodin, Silberstein, and Striegel-Moore, 1985) about weight, body image, eating, and food. Thus, for example, in a recent survey of college students on six campuses across the United States, over 10% of women claim that they would be embarrassed to buy a chocolate bar in the store, and about 30% say they would be willing to opt for a nutrient pill, safe, nutritionally complete, and cheap, as a substitute for eating (Rozin, Catanese, and Bauer, 1999). These American phenomena are primarily expressed in individuals of upper-middle and upper classes, and serve to further increase class differences among Americans; we are creating a health as well as wealth aristocracy (Leichter 1997).

And in the Just Part of Why I Love the French Dept., the same paper reports some preliminary results of a survey on food attitudes conducted in four countries: U.S., France, Flemish Belgium, and Japan. While the Americans led the pack in concern about food and health and modifying their diets, the French reported themselves as healthier eaters. They are. And their food is better. Oh, yes their food is better… Also interesting:

Another interesting difference between French and Americans emerges from an analysis of medical practice (Payer, 1988). French medicine conceives of disease as some kind of internal imbalance, as a weakness in what is called the “terrain.” American medicine is more inclined to think of disease as caused by harmful external influences, such as germs or toxins. As a result of this distinction, American medicine prescribes more antibiotics, while the French are much more inclined to suggest rest, vacations, or a stay at a spa.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Leichter, H. M.,”Lifestyle Correctness and the New Secular Morality,” In Morality and Health, Brandt, A. and Rozin, P., eds. (New York: Routledge, 1997), pp. 359-378.

Rodin, J. Silberstein, L. R., and Striegel-Moore, R. H., “Women and weight: A Normative Discontent,” In Nebraska Symposium on Motiva- tion: Vol. 32. Psychology and Gender, Sonderegger, T. B., ed. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1985).

Oh hi. I’m still here and have some things to post, but on Monday my advisor and I set tentative dates for my comprehensive exams and dissertation proposal. This has me a bit nervous, so I’ve been in workworkwork mode.

A new thing I’m doing, however, is skimming/reading a “fun” article while eating breakfast. This issue of Social Research is all about food.

Related posts

• No related posts.