Overview

Eating Culture chews over the continuities and changes in human food consumption, from hunter-gathering to ultra-processed foods, to digest the ramifications for people's identity-work, health, and long-term cultural distinction. The new edition uses the concept of cuisine to trace humanity's relationship with food, thematically explored through health, sociality, and identity. It evaluates dietary change, decent meals, and food commodification, alongside threats to security and health. Drawing on ethnographic examples, dietary transitions are situated in changing political, economic, and social circumstances, presenting a critical approach necessary to explore our current global food system. Chapters on cooking, recipes, and eating-in and out offer relatable examples, underlining the significance of everyday life and incorporating an ethnographic approach that extends into practical exercises aligned with each chapter's themes, to highlight the relevancy of our own experiences. Vividly illustrated, the book explores dishes from various global cuisines, offering insights into people's culinary traditions and enriching our understanding and appreciation of food as a fundamental aspect of culture in our daily lives. Ultimately, Eating Culture presents a critical examination of how deeply food is entwined with our identity.

Full Product Details

9781487543730

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Now in a welcomed third edition, Gillian Crowther’s Eating Culture serves up a comprehensive, informative, and engrossing feast of information on the myriad ways food has shaped the human experience from the deep past to the present and uncertain future. A must for courses on the anthropology of food, Eating Culture can also serve as a superb introductory textbook for cultural anthropology in general."" -- John Barker, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of British Columbia ""Eating Culture provides a comprehensive overview of anthropology’s unique insights into the intersection of food and society, along with explanations of the methods anthropologists use to produce them. From defining food across time and place, to analyses of the role of foodways in structuring social life, Crowther’s text is full of details and tools that make this an ideal introduction to the study of food and culture."" -- David I. Beriss, Associate Dean and Professor of Anthropology, University of New Orleans ""Crowther presents a compelling and informative treatment of the rich cultural components of food and nourishment. Her book is a pleasure to read and to digest."" -- Stephen Wooten, Associate Professor of Global Studies, University of Oregon

Author Information

Gillian Crowther recently retired from Capilano University after teaching anthropology for over twenty-five years.

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