Introduction
Various fast food (FF) outlets have gained popularity across the globe, and some people dispute that the public’s tendency to favor FF can be explained by its flavor. For instance, Mohiuddin notes that an individual is likely to feel the desire to consume FF because of a specific taste created by the combination of added fat and sugar (1).
Nonetheless, in her article about incorporating tomatoes in Indian recipes, Sucharita Kanjilal argues that flavors are consumed and reproduced due to an interplay of factors rather than simply one reason (2). Kanjilal’s arguments do not support the statement that FF outlets are widespread because of humans’ longing for fat and sugar, as the author explains that taste can be characterized by three different components.
Taste and Power
The first element partially associated with the production and changes in flavor is its relationship to power. In contrast with the idea of people’s biological appetite for sweet and fatty meals, Kanjilal declares that taste emerges together with ideological forces and political economy (3). A particular flavor is an element within a web of structural linkages and can both change under authority systems or resist them (Kanjilal 3). Notably, there seems to be a lack of scholarly papers on FF and political or economic regimes. Nonetheless, it appears that FF consumption is rapidly increasing in developing countries despite being first introduced in the US (Khalid et al. 6). The popularity of FF’s taste can be partially explained by the specifics of power in an area.
Taste and Mediation
The next component correlated with the reproduction of flavor is mediation. Kanjilal states that taste is a structural phenomenon that is collectively negotiated (3). As a result, a new taste must be understood within and circulated through the given cultural context (Kanjilal 2). In the modern world, information is disseminated through newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, and online social media platforms, with each offering various types of messages about flavor (Kanjilal 4). For example, one of the most prominent FF chains, McDonald’s, has shared on the Internet a commercial depicting a girl who grows up into an adult woman while ordering the corporation’s meals (Wohl). Accordingly, the advertising has transmitted information about the role of McDonald’s FF taste at different points throughout one’s life (Wohl). The production and changes in flavor are associated with how it is mediated within society.
Taste and Effect
The final element that is important for the generation of taste is effect. Kanjilal declares that flavor is not limited to biophysiological perception and is never fully sedimented in the body (5). Instead, the taste is affective, being deeply entangled with individuals’ subjectivities, and is a resource that gets under a person’s skin and induces action (Kanjilal 5). Flavor entangles intersubjective negotiations between the feelings of craving and aversion alongside interest and indifference (Kanjilal 6). The dissemination of taste is associated with its ability to affect.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Sucharita Kanjilal’s reasoning fails to substantiate the claim that FF outlets are popular due to humans’ yearning for fat and sugar since she explains that flavor is represented by three diverse components. Kanjilal differs in demonstrating that the reproduction of taste depends on more factors than a simple response of the body’s receptors. According to Kanjilal’s discussion, fast food chains are widespread because the flavor of FF is correlated with ideological alongside political, mediatized, and affective influences.
Works Cited
Kanjilal, Sucharita. “Beyond Bourdieu: What Tomatoes in Indian Recipes Tell Us about ‘‘Taste.’’” Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies, vol. 21, no. 3, 2021, pp. 1-12.
Khalid, Hania, et al. “Exploring inside the Box: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Stimuli Affecting Fast Food Addiction.” British Food Journal, vol. 121, no. 1, 2019, pp. 6-21. Web.
Mohiuddin, Abdul Kader. “Fast Food Addiction: A Major Public Health Issue.” Journal of Nutrition and Food Processing, vol. 3, no.1, 2020, pp. 1-9. Web.
Wohl, Jessica. “A Girl Grows Up with McDonald’s in Rewards Program Push.” AdAge. 2021. Web.