Social Identity Through Food in "True Enough"

Manjoo brings up a very interesting point when discussing a survey that the Committee on Food Habits conducted. The results showed that, “people’s feelings about food were tied up with their social identities—with what they thought was appropriate for “us” to eat” (50). I was not surprised at all with this outcome! As someone who has always eaten what my mom has put in front of me, college was a total eye opener. Manjoo even points out that families are used to eating what their mother’s and wives put in front of them.  I have no shame in going into Mather and diving into the sautéed summer squash because I know that although it looks strange, I like squash! While I may have no problem doing this, I have seen plenty of students who are embarrassed to get what they really want to eat because they think people will judge them for taking too much food, or will make fun of them for getting something that looks weird. People are always nervous to be looked down upon if what they really want isn’t “socially acceptable.” Manjoo continues on and points out that, “what we understand to be acceptable for us—and in a sense what we understand to be the “truth” around us—is defined through our interactions with other people” (52). I completely agree with this statement and can see how social beliefs on what is or is not “socially acceptable” to eat can have a major impact on what ends up on your dinner plate.