Tasting as a social practice: a methodological experiment in making taste public

Abstract

Based on fieldwork in the UK and Portugal, this paper considers the relationships between cultural analyses of taste and the embodied activity of tasting. As part of a wider project on the multiple ontologies of 'freshness', the paper conceptualises taste as an emergent effect of tasting practices. Drawing on evidence from a series of 'tasting events' (where research participants were recorded shopping, cooking and eating a meal with friends and family), the paper explores the multiple dimensions of taste concluding that even the most personal and sensory aspects of tasting food involve a social dimension which we interpret through the lens of practice theory. The paper identifies three specific dimensions of tasting as a social practice involving food's material and visceral qualities; the links between embodiment and emotion; and the contextual significance of family and social relations. Our findings contribute to recent debates about 'making taste public', even in the apparently private context of household consumption.

Vegan food geographies and the rise of Big Veganism

“…This work highlights how food is embedded within habituated regimes that shape the pre-cognitive, emotional and multi-sensory dimensions of eating (cf. Hayes-Conroy and Hayes-Conroy, 2008;Jackson et al, 2020). Such work complicates the assertion made by vegan scholars such as Francione (2016, np) that veganism is a choice all persons 'can make todayright now'.…”

“…Understanding edibility and taste as networked beyond the individual also helps extend work in vegan studies on consumer behaviour. For example, Jackson et al’s (2020) study of taste as something that is publicly shared further highlights the role of supportive environments and peer groups in sustaining commitment to vegan praxis. Moreover, a prominent characteristic of Big Veganism has been the performance of edibility through high-profile and purposefully public tasting events and marketing materials ( Stephens and Ruivenkamp, 2016 ).…”

Edible zombis: fresh fish and the industry of cosmetic corpses

“…We are having dinner at the home of Anabela, who lives in a two‐bedroom apartment in the bustling Arroios neighbourhood in central Lisbon. This is part of an ethnographic experiment which we call ‘tasting events’ (Jackson, Evans, Truninger, Baptista & Nunes 2020). Inspired by Anna Mann et al .’s article ‘Mixing methods, tasting fingers’ (2011), we research meals ‘at home’ and dive into people's domestic relationships with food.…”

The ontological politics of freshness: Qualities of food and sustainability governance

“…Parallel to this, we analysed secondary materials such as technical reports and media commentary in trade and popular press. We also conducted fieldwork with consumers using a range of qualitative methods, including repeat in-depth interviews, observations of shopping and cooking practices, and video recordings of 'tasting dinners' (Jackson et al, 2020).…”

“…They squeeze a fillet to see how firm it is or pick up a sardine by the head to see if its tail stays straight. This is a sensory enactment of freshness, and it is staged as a matter of 'tasting' food with eyes, noses and fingers (Jackson et al, 2020). Elsewhere, the links between freshness and the senses permit marketers and other personnel within major UK retailers to describe tastes and flavours as 'fresh' (despite their colleagues in quality measurement teams not being able to do so).…”