Sociology on the Menu is a comprehensive introduction to the sociology of food. Highlighting the social and cultural dimensions of the human food system, from production to consumption, it encourages us to consider new ways of thinking about the apparently mundane, everyday act of eating. The main areas covered include:
* The origins of human subsistence and the development of the modern food system
* Food, the family and eating out
* Diet, health and the body image
* The meanings of meat and vegetarianism.
Sociology on the Menu provides a comprehensive overview of the literature in this field, and it focuses on key texts and studies.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203428714

Sociology on the Menu is an accessible introduction to the sociology of food. Highlighting the social and cultural dimensions of the human food system, from production to consumption, it encourages us to consider new ways of thinking about the apparently mundane, everyday act of eating. The main areas covered include:
* The origins of human subsistence and the development of the modern food system
* Food, the family and eating out
* Diet, health and the body image
* The meanings of meat and vegetarianism.
Sociology on the Menu provides a comprehensive overview of the literature, particularly helpful in this interdisciplinary field. It focuses on key texts and studies to help students identify major concerns and themes for further study. It urges us to re-appraise the taken for granted and familiar experiences of selecting, preparing and sharing food and to see our own habits and choices, preferences and aversions in their broader cultural context.

In this volume contributors examine the assumptions normally made about the elderly and offer differing sociological perspectives on becoming and being old, and on the concept of age itself. Instead of seeing the elderly in terms of needs, they offer alternative analyses in light of class, gender and race. Examining the life-cycle perspective on old age, they show how retirement from the workforce is only one aspect of becoming old, and arguably one which is important for only a minority of the ageing population.