Chapter 1 Food Affects Life
11
Social Infl uences on Food Choices
For many people, preparing and eating food are social activities. Food can bring
people together. It brings family members together at the dinner table. It brings friends
together at parties and picnics. When guests come to visit, the host usually offers
them something to eat or drink. People often transact business over lunch. In each of
these situations, food is part of the social interaction. Therefore, eating habits and food
choices are affected by social infl uences.
Family
Family has a great impact on the foods people eat and how they eat them. Food
choices are often a refl ection of family values. Values are items and ideas that a
person or group considers important. For instance, a family who values the environ-
ment might choose to buy foods that are locally grown and have limited packaging.
Children who grow up in this family are likely to adopt these values. They will probably
continue to make similar food choices as they become adults.
Many food habits are formed around family customs. As mentioned earlier, customs
are typical ways of behaving. In many families it is a custom to eat dinner together.
Holiday meal traditions are another example of family food customs. Adults often
continue to follow the customs they learned at home as children.
Lifestyle is another way families affect food choices and eating patterns. Lifestyle
is the way a person usually lives. Today, many families would describe their lifestyles
as busy. Work, school, sports, and lessons keep family members running in different
directions. This limits time family members have for tasks such as grocery shopping
and preparing meals. Busy families may respond to these time constraints by having
a few family members share these tasks. They may also choose more convenience
food products that require less preparation time. They may opt for takeout and fast-food
items as frequent food choices, too.
Busy lifestyles limit the amount of time family members have to share meals.
However, most families say they want to keep family meals a priority. They realize
mealtime is a great time to build relationships. Sharing a meal gives family members a
chance to relax together and talk about interests and concerns.
Friends
Your friends have an effect on the foods you choose. You may feel peer pressure to
eat the same foods your friends are eating. Peer pressure is infl uence that comes from
people in a person’s social group. For instance, suppose you are in a restaurant with
friends. If they all order pizza, you are also likely to order pizza even if you would really
have preferred a sandwich. See 1-3.
Friends may also encourage you to try new foods or preparation techniques. A
friend might persuade you to sample a food such as squid, which might have little
appeal to you. A friend might convince someone used to eating French fries to try
another vegetable instead.