Which came first, the Big Mac or a consumer culture built on the need for immediate gratification in super sizes? In How We Eat: Appetite, Culture, and Psychology of Food, Leon Rappoport unveils social, psychological, spiritual, and political motivations for eating behavior. He initially became interested in the topic when he was learning the practices
The McDonaldization of Society
The McDonaldization of Society was first proposed by sociologist George Ritzer in an article for The Journal of American Culture and expanded in his 1993 book of the same name. Ritzer suggests that in the later part of the 20th century the socially-structured form of the fast-food restaurant has become the organizational force representing and extending the process of rationalization into the realm of everyday interaction and individual identity. McDonald's of the 1990s serves as the case model. The book introduced the term McDonaldization to learned discourse as a way to describe a social process which produces "mind-numbing sameness", according to a 2002 review of a related academic text.
McDonald's: you can sneer, but it's the glue that holds communities together
When many lower-income Americans feel isolated and empty, they yearn for physical social networks. All across US, this happens organically at McDonald’s
The Unique Horrors of A.I. Food Slop
Why does it feel so unsettling when restaurants use generative A.I. to create their menus and promotional materials?
A History of Menus is a Menu of History
What do America’s earliest restaurant menus teach us about America?
Confessions of a professional taster: How one woman discovers problems in food factories, one bite at a time
Elspeth Copeland in a professional taster in high demand among major food companies in Canada and the U.S., because she can identify what’s going wrong in their factory, or their supply chain, or their formula, just by trying the product.
Medium and Twitter founder: ‘We put junk food in front of them and they eat it’
Ev Williams on feedback loops, giving a home to publishers, and finding critical mass
Why restaurants are facing backlash for fake food pictures | CNN
Generative AI is being used to advertise food around the world to the disdain of many beholders. But there are real reasons why consumers are repelled by the sometimes bizarre-looking meals.
Inside the food industry: the surprising truth about what you eat
Think you eat only healthy, unprocessed foods? Think again. Joanna Blythman went undercover and discovered that even your fruit salad is not what it seems
Feed Logic and the Failure to Thrive
Two disquieting works of fiction I encountered this spring feature the same menacing figure: a young girl that refuses to eat. In Ben Lerner’s novel Transcription (2026), doctors inform a couple that their waifish, picky-eating daughter is, in fact, “failing to thrive,” suffering from ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food
British food was complex, multicultural and flavourful in the 18th century – despite what you might think
The King’s table was full of flavours from the British empire and beyond.
British food was complex, multicultural and flavourful in the 18th century – despite what you might think
The King’s table was full of flavours from the British empire and beyond.
The art of simple food : notes, lessons, and recipes from a delicious revolution
ix, 405 p. : 25 cm; Here you will find Alice's philosophy on everything from stocking your kitchen, to mastering fundamentals and preparing delicious, seasonal inspired meals all year long. Always true to her philosophy that a perfect meal is one that's balanced in texture, color, and flavor, Waters helps us embrace the seasons' bounty and make the best choices when selecting ingredients.--From publisher's description; Subtitle from cover; Includes index
Family Style — Oakland Public Library
Family Style — Pham, Thien, — "Told through the lens of meaningful food and meals, this graphic novel chronicles the author's childhood immigration to America, where food takes on new meaning as he and his family search for belonging, for happiness and for the American dream."--
