“I AM COLD LUNCH”: An anthropological perspective on children’s cultural identity and understanding of food through an ethnographic study of food and eating in public elementary schools

摘要

Children face a constant barrage of advertising- at home, on sports fields, in playgrounds, on the street, and in school. Nationwide we are faced with rapidly increasing health problems in children, such as obesity. This study investigates how children understand the cultural constructions of food in consumer society through an ethnographic study of food and eating in public elementary schools. In my research I have focused on the effects of the new American foodways- the beliefs and behaviors surrounding the production, distribution, and consumption of foods- on children by examining how advertising in schools as well as how the food served in schools facilitates the development of food preference. This thesis asks the question “How do children understand the cultural constructions of food in consumer society, and how does their understanding effect their cultural identity?”