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Part 1 The Importance of Food
appearing on more menus is kimchi, a fermented vegetable dish from Korea. The trendy
salty-sweet fl avor of salted caramel originated in France.
Another taste trend is the growing number of artisanal products. A truly artisanal
product is one that is handcrafted on a small scale. Locally produced fresh-baked
breads, cheeses, and stone-ground grains meet this description. Such products have
subtle unique fl avors that are rarely found in foods manufactured in large quantities.
Psychological Infl uences on Food Choices
Psychology has to do with how your thoughts and feelings affect your behavior. The
way you think and feel about foods will infl uence what foods you choose. Many of your
thoughts and feelings are based on memories of your experiences. Picture a monthly
dinner at your aunt’s house that always includes fried chicken. If these meals are fi lled
with laughter and fun, fried chicken may make you think of pleasant experiences. You
may choose to eat it at other times because doing so makes you feel happy. If these
gatherings are fi lled with arguments and stress, fried chicken may bring you bad memo-
ries. You may avoid eating it because it brings you a sense of sadness.
Odors as well as events create memories that affect food choices. Odor is a key
part of fl avor and is more likely to trigger memories than any of the other senses.
Therefore, an odor linked with a pleasant memory may lead you to choose certain
foods. For instance, imagine you had a kind uncle who always used mint breath mints.
The smell of mint may bring on happy memories of your uncle, and you may be drawn
to mint-fl avored foods. In the same way, an odor you connect with an unpleasant
memory may cause you to reject some foods.
Psychology affects why you eat as well as what you eat. Food can please the
senses and help meet people’s need for social contact. Therefore, most people
eat partly because eating is enjoyable. See 1-6. However, some people who are
underweight may stop eating because they feel sad or lonely. Some people who
are overweight may eat too much because they fi nd comfort in foods they like. Food
psychologically makes up for such emotions as anger and regret in certain people.
Psychology even plays a role in food preparation. Cooking a meal that tastes
good and looks attractive can give a person a psychological lift. It can also serve as
a creative outlet. The cook who receives praise for a beautifully prepared dish feels a
sense of pride and self-esteem.
Factors That Affect the Food Supply
Many factors affect the supply of foods from which you can choose when you go to
the store. These factors include regional agriculture and the environment. The govern-
ment, economics, and technology also play roles in food choices.
Agriculture and the Environment
Agriculture is the use of knowledge and skill to tend soil, grow crops, and raise
livestock. Successful agriculture requires a suitable environment. Environment refers
to interrelated factors as air, water, soil, mineral resources, plants, and animals that ulti-
mately affect the survival of life on earth.