Consumption, Food and Taste

Book excerpt: This book provides an incisive evaluation of current theories of consumption. It uses food as a case study of consumption and the expression of taste, and provides a structural analysis of changes and continuities in the representation and purchase of food. Alan Warde outlines various theories of change in the late 20th Century and considers the parallels between their diagnoses of consumer behavior and actual trends in food practices. He argues that various dilemmas of the modern predicament and certain imperatives of the culture of consumption make sense of food selection. He suggests that contemporary consumption is best viewed as a process of continual selection among an unprecedented range of generally accessible items that are made available both commercially and informally. Consumption, Food, and Taste will be essential reading for students and academics in the sociology of consumption and the sociology of food and eating. It will also be of interest to academics and students in sociology, cultural studies, home economics, and consumer behavior.