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APPENDIX 1. Topics in Food-Centered Life Histories
- University of Texas Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
Food-centered life histories are tape-recorded semistructured interviews with willing participants, focusing on experiences and memories about food production, preservation, preparation, cooking, distribution, and consumption. Main topics are listed below schematically; actual questions tend to be more informal, and may lead to further topics. How and by whom are foods produced, processed, and prepared? Who procures food, by what means, where, when, and at what cost? Is there home gardening, canning, drying, freezing, brewing, baking, and so on? Describe the garden, layout, plants, labor, yearly cycle. Is food exchanged or shared? Who cooks and with what principal foods, ingredients, spices, and combinations? What are some key recipes? What are people/you/your family eating? What is the quality of food? How does your family handle the food division of labor? Other families ? How are male and female children being raised vis-à-vis food chores? Describe the kitchen, place in the home, appliances, cooking tools, and technology. Do you eat out? When, where, why, with whom? Describe the most important holidays and the role of food and commensality . How do you feel about eating and your body? Do you know anyone with fussy eating habits, eating disorders, or body image issues? A P P E N D I X 1 Topics in Food-Centered Life Histories A T O R T I L L A I S L I K E L I F E 202 Do you know anyone suffering hunger, malnutrition, or food-related health problems? Describe healing with foods. Describe food during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Aversions ? Cravings? Describe beliefs and practices of infant feeding. Describe outstanding food memories, good or bad. Describe symbolic foods and their meanings. Describe food uses in religion or ritual. Describe food uses in popular culture, literature, films, art, advertising, music, and so on. ...