New book on food porn – and the food culture of our time
Food porn is not just about attractive food photos – it is a debate on the right and wrong ways to cook, eat, present, and appreciate food. In his new book “Food Porn”, Örebro researcher Jonatan Leer examines the subject to better understand what it reveals about today’s food culture.
Journalist Alexander Cockburn wrote about the idea of “gastro porn” as early as 1977 in the New York Book Review. He discussed a series of cookbooks that presented a more colourful version of French cuisine. He likely chose the word “porn” because it was provocative, but since then, there has been debate over whether it was the right choice of words.
Read more about the book “Food Porn – Food Aesthetics in a Digital Age”
Social media has long been filled with pictures of food, often beautifully arranged on the plate. There are over 300 million images tagged #foodporn on Instagram alone.
Jonatan Leer, professor of Food Science at Örebro University, explores the topic alongside Stinne Gunder Strøm Krogager, researcher at Aalborg University.
A new way of saying grace
They find inspiration in a 25-year-old project where Ellie Harrison took a photo of herself and her food at every meal for a year – a novel and original endeavour at the time, before mobile phones had cameras.
“We can see that a lot has changed since then. What was once an experimental piece of art is now a common occurrence. A new way of saying grace – where some take a moment just before eating to celebrate their food,” says Jonatan Leer, and continues:
“If we want to make a difference on broader issues like sustainability and health, then we need to understand food aesthetics in people’s everyday lives.”
Researchers in fields such as neuroscience and psychology have, for example, investigated the link between the promotion of unhealthy food and obesity.
Prioritising pleasure above health
“We have noted, and with some concern, that algorithms in our social media tend to prioritise pleasure over health. The most popular posts are those featuring cakes, meat, white bread and large portions,” states Jonatan Leer.
In the book “Food Porn”, they examine food in relation to gender, sexuality, and equality. What does it mean to bathe in food, dress in food, and how can a mackerel sandwich spark debate? They analyse discussions about everyday food on social media and how politicians utilise food.
We want to understand conflicts related to food in order to explore its social and cultural importance.
Would you like to learn more about the topic? Make sure to check out the Food Porn Symposium at the School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Meal Science
During the afternoon, researchers, chefs, and food communication experts will come together to exchange knowledge through lectures, panel discussions, and practical workshops.
Jonatan Leer will be there to sign books. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover flavours they never knew existed, put together food-porn-inspired displays to photograph, and explore the relationship between taste, smell, sight, and touch.
Everyone is welcome!
Text: Linda Harradine
Photo: Jesper Mattsson
Translation: Jerry Gray