On Perceptions of Food

Our opinions about food go beyond personal preferences for taste, smell, appearance, texture, and even sound (whether this includes the food’s name or the way it squelches between our teeth).  Culture also sways our perception of a food’s appropriateness to a season, meal, or our bodies.

How interesting that certain foods evoke certain seasons or seem “wrong” to various people when offered out of that season!  I suspect this perception arises in part from regional growing seasons and in part from historical times when produce had to be consumed during certain seasons before it spoiled.  Similarly, the lack of thermostats in temperate and frigid regions made warm foods preferable in winter and cool foods preferable in summer.  However, now that we have such achievements as quick transportation between northern and southern hemispheres, greenhouses, freezers, central heat, and AC, we can easily enjoy pumpkin pie in June and iced lemonade in January should we so desire them.  

Yet despite our technological advancements, some old-fashioned ideas about seasonality persist, catered to by producers and retailers who naturally must adjust their supply to profit from popular trends--and whose ads even contribute to the stereotypes.  Oddly, some of these stereotypes are grounded more in holiday traditions than in seasonal availability.  For instance, when I decided to make pfeffernusse some weeks ago, I found that Walmart only carries anise oil during Christmas time, but I know of no seasonal reason for this restriction.  This inconvenience means that cooks must stock up months in advance--or find a non-seasonal supplier on the internet--to obtain certain unseasonal ingredients.

Seasons aren’t the only mental restriction we place on food; we have similar ideas about meal-specific dishes.  Some people, for instance, feel a mild shock when they hear about others consuming pizza for breakfast or pancakes for supper.  (Joel and I enjoyed pumpkin pancakes for dinner not too long ago.  Pumpkin goes well with our Belgian pancake mix!)  We all have some cultural rationale for our conceptions: some people cannot bear the thought of heavy food or even a great quantity of light food on an empty stomach in the morning, while others prefer it to help them last through the day.  Others like lunch to be their biggest meal of the day, while others prefer a small salad or granola bar--either in an effort to diet or so they don’t grow sleepy during the workday.  Supper, in turn, is in some cultures the large family meal and a time for the cook to show off, while in other places, people eat a small, quick meal alone or in the car before their evening activities.

Likewise, culture and habit also affect our perceptions of desert--both timing and content.  Dessert cakes in some cultures are so dry and bland that most Americans with our sweet tooths would never consider them true desserts.  As another example, I remember feeling cheated as a kid when the long-awaited dessert turned out to be “just some fruit,” which at that time I considered more of a snack or appetizer.  This perception has changed as I’ve gotten older, and I now feel that canned peaches in particular make an excellent desert!

            I haven’t even begun to mention our ever-changing nutritional perceptions--affected by fad diets, media sensationalism, and new or competing research.  The “experts” continually debate whether certain foods are healthful or harmful and whether certain combinations are beneficial or hazardous.  This has left us with some very confused and irrational consumers, some of whom make certain restrictions or suggestions nearly a crusade.  However, I say leave it to the health boards to make dangerous foods illegal, and let people eat whatever they darn well please regardless of the season or meal time or others’ opinions about the food--I only recommend people partake moderate portions of a variety of (preferably unprocessed) items from each food group: whatever tastes delicious, gives energy, and causes no subsequent discomfort.

Joel prepares to eat an Asian-inspired meal back in May of 2011: 

nikumanju (meat buns), carrot kinpura, and edamame.