How We Eat: Appetite, Culture, and the Psychology of Food [Paperback]

Leon Rappoport (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Tracing culinary customs from the Stone Age to the stovetop range, from the raw to the nuked, this book elucidates the factors and myths shaping Americans' eating habits. The diversity of food habits and rituals is considered from a psychological perspective. Explored are questions such as Why does the working class prefer sweet drinks over bitter? Why do the affluent tend to roast their potatoes? and What is so comforting about macaroni and cheese anyway? The many contradictions of Americans' relationships with food are identified: food is both a primal source of sensual pleasure and a major cultural anxiety; Americans adore celebrity chefs, but no one cooks at home anymore; the gourmet health food industry is soaring, yet a longtime love affair with fast food endures. The future of food is also covered, including speculation about whether traditional meals will one day evolve into the mere popping of a nutrition capsule.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The focus of [this book] is welcome…fun to peruse..." -- Gastronomica

About the Author

Leon Rappoport, is a professor specializing in personality and social psychology at Kansas State University. His research studies on food cognition have appeared in numerous journals, including The American Behavioral Scientist and Appetite. He is the author of The Holocaust and the Crisis of Human Behavior, Personality Development, and Zen Running. He lives in Manhattan, Kansas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550225634
• ISBN-13: 978-1550225631
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but not terribly original or detailed., May 8, 2005

By 

Dylan Gordon (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How We Eat: Appetite, Culture, and the Psychology of Food (Paperback)

This is a fun little volume, written by a psychologist who clearly loves food. Rappoport hits many of the high points in academic research on the subject, from an interdisciplinary perspective. He writes clearly and with an up-beat, entertaining style. As another review mentioned, this would be a good book for a holiday at the beach; and if you're interested in a quick, light read on food, or a nice gloss on the subject of food from academic perspectives, this is a decent choice.

Unfortunately there is not much else to recommend, as the work is mostly derivative. Apparently our author has read Counihan and Van Esterik's _Food and Culture_ reader; a lot of what he mentions comes from essays they included there. Rappoport's summaries of these and other works and thinkers are somewhat lacking in detail and finesse: occasionally he's even downright wrong. He tends to present his findings as bald-faced assertions, lacking nuance, and doesn't provide any particularly interesting or insightful information that hasn't been said, many times before, elsewhere.

A decent read but lacking in detail and originality. On the whole one gets the impression that the author has undertaken a somewhat limited survey of part of the literature in the domain under consideration, and quickly written a book on the results, without the intervention of considered thought in between. A reasonable effort, but with nothing new to report. Not recommended.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Feast for the Mind, February 1, 2005

By 

Dr. Tim Lowenstein "Dr Tim" (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How We Eat: Appetite, Culture, and the Psychology of Food (Paperback)

An excellent read for anyone who eats food. You will gain a greater understanding of the complex relationship you have with food. The author has a wide background and has done extensive work in many fields. But hey, this is not a dry read. Wise humor peppers the pages making this book deliciously entertaining, insightful and helpful. I devoured it and would recommend it for gift giving, your summer vacation or weekend at the beach.
Dr Tim

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting exploration of an under-researched topic, August 19, 2003

By 

Mike - See all my reviews

This review is from: How We Eat: Appetite, Culture, and the Psychology of Food (Paperback)

This book is both thought-provoking and entertaining. As the author argues, despite the large role that food plays in our lives, there appears to be no unifying framework that can explain eating behavior. Despite the complexity, the author does a nice job of blending theory, empirical findings, history, and personal anecdotes. In the end, more questions are raised than are answered- a characteristic of a topic worth exploring.