ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author describes how several of the food practices emerging are informed not just by the pleasures and corporeal experiences of food, but also by distrust, societal anxiety and the expressed desire for healthier lives. During the course of eight months in 2016, the author conducted participant observation on food walks, at street food markets, in restaurants and at middle-class homes. She interviewed a wide range of people, from street food vendors and organic shop owners to people who enjoy cooking and exploring new food experiences. Several have suggested that ‘middle classness’, used as a social marker, involves practices of distinction, the wish for visibility and desire to belong to a ‘world class’. The author presents two vignettes that illustrate some of the ways in which bodily discipline and culinary nostalgia combine to transform these practices. These two vignettes show how relationships to food are changing during this time of rising concerns about health, society and environment.
