Food as an Insitution

In "Toward a Psychosociology of Contemporary Food Consumption", Roland Barthes, the author, conveys food not as just something to be consumed, but as an "institution". By labeling food as an institution, Barthes targets the all-encompassing themes that food inherits, including religion, society, history, and education. Subsequently, he points out that the study of food in this sense is often perceived as "trivial", or is often discussed indirectly by scholars. Through this piece, however, Barthes clearly demonstrates food's potential as a main topic.

To begin with, Barthes states that all food is inherently the same: an energy source. However, external situations have transformed and divided food into a group with subunits and sub-subunits, which Barthes portrays as analogous to a literary framework. Food is a form of communication, while its diction is a bearer of binary connotations. These connotations are both physical and abstract in nature, and give food a significance beyond that of physical sensation/necessity. Ultimately, food conveys a more substantial meaning now that its necessity has grown more structured.

Examples of this structure branch out into many topics, like history, tradition, festivities, gender, and nutrition. For instance, as our knowledge of nutrition becomes more precise, so does the energy that is generated. "Energy", therefore, is specified to be "alert", or "relaxed", as Barthes puts it. Likewise, the way in which one prepares food can set a setting, as demonstrated when comparing bread to pain de mie.

All in all, Barthes' piece on changing food habits portrays the manifestation of food in all aspects of our lives. As the human race has grown more structured, so have our food, and its significance.