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I've got an idea for a Louis Theroux type documentary in America about food
another food thread, I hear you cry. Well, tough shit, vegans.
The States is a weird country. Very diverse. No more so than in it's attitude to food. You can go from one extreme to the other.
For the gorging side of it, you'd probably talk to the chap from Man v Food and what this programme does. In a sense it's kind of a notion like 'conquering' hunger or somesuch. I could probably explain this better but the idea of someone going around eating ridiculous meals to the sound of whoopin' and a'hollerin' crowds that it isn't about the eating food, which was the important bit before, but eating more than the last guy.
Then I'd probably visit this place. www.heartattackgrill.com just to ask the question...why? Why do people come here? What is the appeal? It's almost like a caricature, taking pride in it's unhealthiness. Someone collapsed eating a burger there in April, ffs.
And then you could look at fast food obviously but that's been done a bit...it would probs avoid the corporate MONSTER bit (been done) and more focus on why we've come to devour so much fast food.
On top of that you could look towards fine dining, and how attitude to food at top restaurants is different. Maybe looking into the idea that food can be art, that somehow it is a symbol of (heightened) social status.
It would then be interesting to look a look into vegetarian/vegan societies and their attitudes. I'll be honest that although I know there are a few soceities out there (AVS/NAVS) I haven't researched this bit properly yet.
Then you could look at places where for some people food is still the necessity it was when America first kicked off. This could involve going to soup kitchens, talking to various charities like Feeding America (http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-facts/hunger-and-poverty-statistics.aspx) and generally trying to get my head around how a singular nation can have so many different perceptions of what food is.
I just think it'd be interesting to chart our changing relationship with food, you know.
Has this been done before? Probs.
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