EE1 - Dining Out

Eating Out: America’s Food Culture

On the news we always here about how obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are plaguing the American population as a result of out eating habits. Michael Pollan talks about the American Paradox of eating about how Americans are obsessed with health, yet we are among the most unhealthy people in the world. How can it be that, people that care greatly about health and nutrition be so unhealthy? For me that answer was a matter of what we were eating and why we were making choices that dictated what we ate. In our modern way of life, we live are lives very actively and quickly. Everyone is always in a hurry to do or go somewhere, whether that is to work, school, or a meeting. People are taking less time to prepare a meal for themselves and are instead choosing to eat out more often. In particular, taste, cost, and convenience have come to play more of a role in what we eat than the actual nutritional value of the food and meals we eat.

            The reason that we are not eating better or healthier is because we are always focused on other factors related to food instead of nutritional value. We may be worried about the nutritional value of food, but the current state we are in concerning obesity and health related issues do not show we care enough. Mueller goes on to ask himself

if Americans are in fact eating better, but comes to the conclusion that we only do if two requirements are met. He goes on to claim that we eat better, “Only if it’s easy and it tastes good (Mueller, 1).” Mueller’s claims then go on to be supported by research done by Glanz et. al. In their article Why Americans eat what they do, they came go on to say that, “Our results suggest that nutritional concerns per se, are of less relevance to most people than taste and cost (Glanz et. al. 1118).” Thus, the taste and economics greatly influence how Americans decide what to eat.

After reading an article on American eating habits, by William Mueller, I came to realize that we as a society say that we are focused on eating healthy, yet our actions do not reflect those feelings. Mueller hits the nail on the head when he says, “When it comes to eating, American often say one thing but do another… (Mueller, 32).” As Americans we are always trying to decide what to eat, our minds or always occupied with thoughts of the next meal. Our preoccupation plays a huge role in our food decisions. Mueller continues on the topic of American food choices by saying:

Americans claim to be concerned about nutrition, but demanding lifestyles and hunger pains are more likely to determine the foods they eat. This fact has brought continued profits to the fast-food industry, and it has spawned enormous number of new junk foods. Now a new niche is beginning to be exploited by manufacturers: Food that gives Americans what they want and what they need. (Mueller, 1)

Thus, Americans say we want to eat healthy, yet the way we our lives greatly affects the food choices we are going to make. In particular, it has been the fast food and restaurant industry that has come to profit from relationship that Americans have with food.

            Convenience and cost is truly at the core of how Americans choose their food because it is the easy thing to do. It is for this reason that on average, Americans will eat out four or five time per week (Bogue, 1). This number just goes to show how prevalent eating out is in out culture. As a teenager, I would always eat at home because my mother had dinner prepared by the time I arrived from school. My meals would consist of chicken enchiladas, corn on the cob, grilled steak and onions, or on special occasions even homemade lobster dinner. My mom was a stay-home mom, so she always had time to prepare meals for my father, brother, and I. However, once I made my transition to college, I become a lot more independent because I wan in charge of obtaining my own meals as well as deciding when and what to eat. Now that I live off campus in a home with a kitchen I have even more responsibility. I have to buy my own groceries. A lot of thought has to go into this process because I have to be mindful of how much the food costs, what meals I will want to make, as well as how long those meals will take to cook. On top that, I also want to buy food that I will find tasty and enjoyable to eat. All of this information is very mentally draining and consumes a lot of time.

            It is this relationship between cost, convenience and taste that most, if not all, Americans must be mindful of. We have so many food choices, yet at the same time to many worries, “No wonder we have become, in the midst of our astounding abundance, the world's most anxious eaters (Pollan, 4).” It is through this anxiety that we often opt out for the easy solution, eating out. This is because, “For many of us, grabbing a burger or pizza is part of our everyday routine. Fast Food can be inexpensive, easy, and good tasting (Bogue, 1).” Eating out covers all of our worries about having to decide what to eat. Cost, taste, and convenience are but a call or a short drive away. It is for this reason that more Americans are choosing to eat out, but it is also for this reason that more Americans are facing health issues.

            Being able to eat out at restaurant is a very easy thing to do, but only provides a very short-term solution to a very large issue. Going to a restaurant can be nice every now and then, but going to often can result in negative health consequence. This is because, “The average restaurant meal contains almost an entire day’s worth of calories and fat (Bogue, 1).” Most of us usually do not think about the nutritional value of the foods we eat at restaurant, or other eateries, because it is not the purpose for which we are there. For instance, when one makes the decision to “upgrade” from a small regular soda to a large soda, one can expect to consume over 450 calories as well as 35 teaspoons of sugar. The “upgrade” may have only been 50 cents more, but the health issue associated with obtaining that many calories from just a drink is astounding. Thus, eating out is a matter of give and take. Even though we may not know it, we are putting our health to certain health risks in order to have access to cheap and quick meals.

            Having studied abroad in France and traveling across Europe I was able to see the cultural differences between the United States and Europe. In accordance with Pollan’s article on “America’s eating disorder”, I saw that people in Europe to do tend to eat out very often. Eating out is only reserved for very special occasions, and being able to prepare food for oneself and family done daily. However many Europeans do not worry much about what they consume, unlike their American counterparts. Pollan continues his explanation of the differences in food culture between the French (and other European countries) with Americans:

The French eat all sorts of ''unhealthy'' foods, but they do it according to a strict and stable set of rules: they eat small portions and don't go back for seconds; they don't snack; they seldom eat alone, and communal meals are long, leisurely affairs. A well-developed culture of eating, such as you find in France or Italy, mediates the eater's relationship to food, moderating consumption even as it prolongs and deepens the pleasure of eating. (Pollan, 4)

Our relationship with food is one of caution and distance, while other countries seem to have a more intimate relationship with food. One of the main differences between American and the rest of the world is the ability of self-control. As Americans we care about cost, taste and convenience, but we are also very impulsive with eat. It is through these impulses that we tend to eat out more because we may feel to lazy to cook for ourselves.           

            For me, it was particularly clear that part of the issue related to many of our current health problems in the United States was associated to how much we eat out. As a society, we tend to eat out because it is an easier option than cooking. Cooking takes time and effort, thus it is something that not all people can afford to do. Our busy lives, make it seem like we don’t have enough time to cook or make ourselves a decently healthy meal. It is for this reason that we tend to opt for a quick fix to our hunger by choosing to eat at restaurant and fast-food establishments, and as a result, we tend to get food that is not the best option for out health.

Works Cited

Glanz, Karen, Michael Basil, Edward Maibach, Jeanne Goldberg, and Dan Snyder. "Why Americans Eat What They Do: Taste, Nutrition, Cost Convenience, and Weight Control Concerns as Influence of Food Consumption." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 98.10 (1998): 1118-126.

Horwitz, Jamie. "Eating at the Edge." Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture 9.3 (2009): 42-47.

Mueller, William. "Are Americans Eating Better." American Demographics 11.2 (1989): 30-33.

Pollan, Michael. "Our Eating Disorder." The New York Times, 4 Oct. 2004.