By Caroline Knapp, Prose, Buhler And Schwennesen

Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to picking what to eat. Some may go for fast food burgers, while others prefer home cooked meals. People tend to eat differently all around the world and some things that are viewed as normal to one group may seem foreign to another. Some people struggle with food, while others are food junkies. Each person’s taste may vary but everyone has one thing in common: the foods they choose to eat are influenced by their culture and their environment. The way in which people eat is a mix of both individual preference as well social influence. Knapp, Prose, Buhler and Schwennesen all relate how and what people eat to different parts of society.
One thing most people can agree on is their eating habits are influenced, whether slightly or drastically, by society. Whether it is a fad diet or a new restaurant opening up, people are intrigued by what’s going on in society. In Caroline Knapp’s essay, “Adding Cake, Subtracting Self-Esteem”, she talks about the media’s idea of
It influences what people eat in order for them to maintain a certain body type that society finds ideal. Knapp and Prose both refer to this relationship with food and body image in their essays. Knapp shares her personal struggles with anorexia while Prose speaks of the way religion and prejudice views are drawn into overeating. Society also influences how and what people are eating by imposing ethic reasons to eat, or avoid eating, certain foods. Buhler and Schwennesen both share their different opinions on why eating certain meats, such as roadkill and animals from small farms, should be seen as ethical. Although people still form their own opinions on all of these topics, it is obvious to see that society and culture play a huge role in the way people eat. Throughout the “How We Eat” chapter, these different authors relate the ideas of food and society in very provocative