Everyone Eats: Understanding Food and Culture

by E.N. Anderson

“Plenty of cultural insights and background history lend to a survey particularly recommended for college-level students of anthropology and social science.”—The Midwest Book Review  “Anderson’s book is a solid introduction to the anthropology of food for students and general readers. It is clear, well-written, spiced with interesting examples, and illustrated with many evocative photographs taken by the author.”—Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute  Everyone eats, but rarely do we investigate why we eat what we eat. Why do we love spices, sweets, coffee? How did rice become such a staple food throughout so much of eastern Asia? Everyone Eats examines the social and cultural reasons for our food choices and provides an explanation of the nutritional reasons for why humans eat what they do, resulting in a unique cultural and biological approach to the topic. E. N. Anderson explains the economics of food in the globalization era; food’s relationship to religion, medicine, and ethnicity; and offers suggestions on how to end hunger, starvation, and malnutrition. This thoroughly updated Second Edition incorporates the latest food scholarship, most notably recognizing the impact of sustainable eating advocacy and the state of food security in the world today. Anderson also brings more insight than ever before into the historical and scientific underpinnings of our food customs, fleshing this out with fifteen new and original photographs from his own extensive fieldwork. A perennial classic in the anthropology of food, Everyone Eats feeds our need to understand human ecology by explaining the ways that cultures and political systems structure the edible environment. E. N. Anderson is Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus, at the University of California, Riverside. 

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Food History, Cooking, Cultural, Textbooks

366 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2005

About the author

Eugene N. Anderson

Reviews

[David Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introductory discussion .... Lack of discussion of racism and sexism limits strength of the work; needed to move discussion beyond individuals as it replicates neoliberalist discourses. Also while book focused on consumption, the absence of a sustained discussion of labor and exploitation limits it's potential. Good introductory text

[James]

Everyone eats, but rarely do we ask why or investigate why we eat what we eat. Why do we love spices, sweets, coffee? How did rice become such a staple food throughout so much of eastern Asia? Everyone Eats examines the social and cultural reasons for our food choices and provides an explanation of the nutritional reasons for why humans eat, resulting in a unique cultural and biological approach to the topic. E. N. Anderson explains the economics of food in the globalization era, food's relationship to religion, medicine, and ethnicity as well as offers suggestions on how to end hunger, starvation, and malnutrition. Everyone Eats feeds our need to understand human ecology by explaining the ways that cultures and political systems structure the edible environment.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to nutritional (or food) anthropology, E.N. Anderson takes you from our evolution as omnivorous mammals to an in depth look at the current world food production and distribution network. Anderson covers a lot of very interesting facts and analyzes a great deal of data, presenting it in such a way that it is beneficial to both layperson as well as academic, with a very exhaustive and detailed works-cited section. Anderson does a great job in detailing not only the practical side of food anthropology, but also the theoretical without becoming too obscure or resorting to a great deal of specialized jargon. A great read for those interested in food studies specifically or anthropology generally, especially as cultures can be studied through food-ways and conceptions.

[Michaela Lazarou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stand by what I said before. It slaps. And on a personal note, it makes me feel very secure in my humanity. Understanding food and people enough to stay alive in any circumstance is a huge life goal, and this book has brought me closer to achieving that. Read it if you a freak like that

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly moralistic, but a lot of good information, and quite enjoyably written.