Foodies: Democracy and Distinction in the Gourmet Foodscape Contributor(s): Johnston, Josee (Author), Baumann, Shyon (Author) |
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ISBN: 1138015113 ISBN-13: 9781138015111 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $190.00 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: December 2014 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Sociology - General - Social Science | Popular Culture - Social Science | Customs & Traditions |
Dewey: 306.4 |
LCCN: 2014022736 |
Series: Cultural Spaces |
Physical Information: 0.69" H x 6" W x 9" (1.19 lbs) 276 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: This important cultural analysis tells two stories about food. The first depicts good food as democratic. Foodies frequent 'hole in the wall' ethnic eateries, appreciate the pie found in working-class truck stops, and reject the snobbery of fancy French restaurants with formal table service. The second story describes how food operates as a source of status and distinction for economic and cultural elites, indirectly maintaining and reproducing social inequality. While the first storyline insists that anybody can be a foodie, the second asks foodies to look in the mirror and think about their relative social and economic privilege. By simultaneously considering both of these stories, and studying how they operate in tension, a delicious sociology of food becomes available, perfect for teaching a broad range of cultural sociology courses. |