Carnivorous heterotopias: gender, nostalgia and hipsterness in the Copenhagen meat scene

Abstract

The past years have seen an upsurge of burger-and barbecue restaurants in a Copenhagen gastronomic scene otherwise dominated by trends towards sustainability, 'wholesome', local and organic food. In these new spaces, meat is glorified and consumed materially and symbolically (through design and decorations), appeasing a presumed masculine appetite and conveying ideas about masculine, carnivorous bonding/community and a masculine, heterosexual, middle class gaze. This article examines two manifestations of these celebrations of meat and masculinity: the hotdog restaurant Foderbraettet ('The Bird Table ', opened in 2014 and elected as the 2014 Best New Restaurant in Copenhagen) and WarPigs, a Texas-inspired barbecue opened in 2015.We discuss negotiations of masculinity in these meatscapes that challenge contemporary ideals for (sustainable, moderate, wholesome) food consumption and gender performances. We argue that these spaces of consumption express nostalgia and longing for authenticity that are simultaneously articulated as progressive and emancipatory. Consequently, these sites represent middle class masculine counter-spaces-masculine, carnivorous heterotopias where archaic, working class modes of doing masculinity (such as commodification of female bodies and excessive meat consumption) are appropriated, legitimized and sought transformed through irony, hipness and nostalgia.

Understanding the Meat-Masculinity Link: Traditional and Non-Traditional Masculine Norms Predicting Men’s Meat Consumption.

“…Our results also support the connection previous scholars have drawn between heterosexuality and meat consumption (Buerkle, 2009;Lapina & Leer, 2016). To present a heterosexual image, some men avoid engaging in behaviours associated with femininity (Hunt et al, 2016;Wilkinson, 2004).…”

“…Meat consumption has also been linked to male heterosexuality, with scholars observing the glori cation of meat consumption in stereotypically heterosexual masculine popular culture and social settings (Buerkle, 2009;Lapina & Leer, 2016). Homophobic comments questioning heterosexual vegetarian men's sexuality also reveal that some people expect heterosexual men to eat meat (Bogueva et al, 2020;Mycek, 2018).…”

To Eat or Not to Eat—A Qualitative Exploration and Typology of Restrictive Dietary Practices among Middle-Aged and Older Adults

“…Meat with its highly symbolized and changing social meaning is a prominent example of this [36,54] and also was as a central object of restraint in our study. While meat used to be a privilege of the upper class, it became a mass-consumed product since WW2, but (high) meat consumption-especially in view of discourses on climate change and health orientation-has increasingly become negatively connotated [55]. Thus, in certain milieus, such as the middle class, as in our sample, refraining from meat signifies social distinction.…”

Listen to Us: Perceptions of Animal Voice and Agency

“…Whether we are involved directly in the killing or paying someone else to kill, Griffin and Griffin (2021) argued that because animals are social beings and part of our social world, our violence towards animals is a social harm affecting not only animals, but also humans and the environment [108]. These harms include but are not limited to the documented harms associated with slaughterhouse work and meat consumption, but also harms that correspond closely with what Adams (1990) identified as the underlying sexist and patriarchal devaluation and feminisation of compassion for animals and nature [164,165]. Brooks Pribac (2016) furthermore noted how caring for animals is invalidated as a form of weakness or even seen as pathological-and how the associated systemic processes of dissociation not only contribute to obscuring animal suffering but may also lead to the dismissal of those who advocate for them as over-emotional, or it may even lead to the victimisation of the "perpetrators" (farmers and consumers) (p. 56).…”