The Way Americans Consume Foods Depicts a Culture of Consumerism - Essay Example

America’s way of consuming foods depicts a culture of consumerism Introduction Typically, food is a crucial aspect of any culture of every society across the world, and food does, to a great extent, reflect the lifestyles of societies; in that case, the way the Americans eat their food can reveal a great deal of information on America’s large cultural values. In this essay, I will explore the relationship between the manner in which the Americans consume their food, from the grocery store to the plate, and America’s larger cultural values; I will seek to establish how the way the Americans consume their food reflect America’s large cultural values drawing conclusions from own observations and experiences eating in the American culture. I will draw from my observations from WinCo foods and Whole foods to highlight the different food markets in the US and the manner in which these two groceries are marketing to the U.S. consumers while pinpointing who the Americans are and what they really want. As noted before, the Americans have a persistent habit of consuming their food directly from the grocery store to the plate, and this reflects directly on America’s larger cultural values of seeking convenience and cost-effectiveness at all times. Today, Americans are remarkably unhealthy since their diet consists mainly of excesses of cheese, sugar, starch, and red meat and hardly do they ever eat fruits and vegetables (Pollan). When it comes to food choices, many Americans opt for the convenience of ready to eat meals to cooking and enjoying meals at the dinner table as a family; families increasingly prefer the convenience of microwaveable dishes that one can consume at their own leisure. Consequently, more Americans are increasingly “cooking less and eating processed foods more (Malene 6); this highlights a critical point concerning the American culture, where individuals prefer tasks to be as easy and as cost effective as possible rather than arduous and expensive. Similarly, the American eating habit of consuming food directly from the grocery store reveals that the Americans prefer instant gratification, and that the American society has generally lost meaning of the true importance of food. Unlike the French who typically eat less but really enjoy eating their foods, the Americans eat heavily but often do not take time to enjoy their foods since they eat in a rush; I have observed that the American’s do not even have the time to chew and taste their foods. Generally, I have noted that the American culture is majorly characterized with fast-paced madness and individuals rarely have the luxury of just slowing down and savoring the moment because they are always on the move. Other crucial aspects of the American culture that are revealed through their eating culture are the American cultural ideals of bigger and more for less; the American food culture tends to highlight a cultural perspective of America as a land of plenty; a vast majority of Americans are “attracted by pricing/value factors” (Mangaraj & Senauer 1) I have observed that the Americans simply eat whatever is fastest and easiest to prepare without paying any particular attention to traditions as well as expectations that would be expected at mealtimes. In that respect, the American food culture has deteriorated gradually that they no longer have any distinct food culture but a new eating trend that pays no regard to traditions and quality of food. Chain stores are increasingly “producing bigger portions for less money” (Filipovic), especially because the inflow of immigrants to the US has mainstreamed the cultural identity of America as a land of plenty as reflected in the super-sized food portions and eating habits; any Americans flock into the large-plate, low-cost restaurants since they resonate with the American cultural values of bigger, more for less. The American capitalistic cultural ideal is further reflected in their eating habits as most people remain “deferential to the interests of big companies, too invested in a corporate-serving narrative of personal responsibility with no parallel requirement of social responsibility, and too culturally wedded to a food model of quantity over quality (Filipovic).” The explosion of large food restaurants in the US has had a devastating impact on the local cultures while erasing the traditional eating habits of the Americans. The McDonald’s have totally edged smaller food stores out of business with their homogenous plate offerings since they have the advantage of economies of scale, which enables them to entice the American consumers with their large plate offerings at lower costs. The American cultural aspects of individualism and independence are also reflected through their eating habits; the capitalistic nature of the American society has turned individuals into machine-like beings that they have completely lost connection with food. Americans are increasingly approaching foods as a means to an end rather than an end in itself, thus they no longer place much value to the quality of the foods they consume; food is no longer a social activity that nourishes one’s body, heart and soul, but just a step to help them pursue far more important goals. The very fundamental social interactions as well as connections with family and other people have been undermined with the increasing trend of microwaving single-serving meals or eating out alone at restaurants. The U.S. food Markets The U.S. has different food markets including the fresh produce food markets as well as the processed foods market; Whole foods and WinCo are leading grocery stores for high quality perishable or fresh produce. Whole foods maintain high quality standards as its marketing strategy to the American consumers; they offer locally sourced foods and a wider range of choice of foods among other premium services. The food store also emotionalizes the shopping experience through shop designs and structure thereby giving their customers a friendly, accessible and welcoming atmosphere. The store also capitalizes on the American cultural ideal of bigger offers as its marketing strategy to appeal to shoppers, and this leaves them feeling valued and treated nicely. Similarly, WinCo’s cost-saving business practices make it so competitive in the U.S. fresh food market since it offers very affordable prices for its super-sized offerings (Slachter); additionally, the company prides itself for having the most stable and loyal workforce since it is partly employee-owned thus offers excellent customer service as a marketing strategy. Even in these grocery stores, I have observed that most Americans do not go for perishable fresh produce due to cost implications and not many food stores have the incentive to venture into the fresh food industry due to the high risk of business involved. This speaks a lot concerning the large cultural values of the Americans in general, as a society that values convenience, quantity, as well as cost-effectiveness, thus the stores have to ensure that they offer the best deals in terms of size, convenience of access, as well as cost, to attract their customers. “The American food system has for a century devoted its energies and policies to increasing quantity and reducing price, not to improving quality (Pollan).” Conclusion Overall, the way the Americans consume their food, from the grocery store to the plate, reveals a great deal of information on America’s large cultural values; firstly, the American way of consuming food reveals that the American’s seek convenience, quantity, and cost-effectiveness to quality. Similarly, the way Americans consume food indicates that they prefer instant gratification, and that the American society has generally lost meaning of the true importance of food, thus, does not place so much value on food preparation and consumption; Americans flock into the large-plate, low-cost restaurants since they resonate with the American cultural values of bigger, more for less. I have noted that the American culture is majorly characterized with fast-paced madness and individuals rarely have the luxury of just slowing down and savoring the moment because they are always on the move. The American individualistic cultural ideal and capitalistic nature of the American society are also revealed through their manner of eating as the very fundamental social interactions as well as connections with family and other people have been undermined with the increasing trend of microwaving single-serving meals or eating out alone at restaurants. Works Cited Pollan, Michael. “Unhappy Meals.” Nytimes.com. 2007. Web. 18th April, 2014. Filipovic, Jill. “The way America eats is killing us. Something has to change.” Theguardian.com. 2013. Web. 18th April, 2014. Slachter, Barry. “WinCo brings more low prices to hyper-competitive grocery market. Star-telegram. 2014. Web. 18th April, 2014. http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/02/05/5543938/winco-brings-more-low-prices-to.html#storylink=cpy Malene, Devon. Accessorizing with Food: Cooking Shows and Cultural Values. 2011. Web. 18th April, 2014. Mangaraj, Sandeep & Senauer, Ben. A segmentation analysis of U.S. grocery store shoppers. 2001. 18th April, 2014. Read More