8/20/2019 Close Reading of Mintz – The Changing Roles of Food in the Study of Consumption

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Close Reading (title your post “Close reading: [name of the author(s)]”):

Identify one of readings that interests you or puzzles you; briey summarize

the author!s argument; e"plain ho# or #hy it interests you or puzzles you;

and pose an open$ended dis%ussion &uestion that might help your fello#

%lassmates follo# your inspiration or address your %on%ern'

Close Reading: intz *he Changing Roles of +ood in the ,tudy of

Consumption

-' ,ummary of the author!s argument

intz argues that %hanging %onsumption patterns in -.th$-/th %entury 0urope

%an indi%ate the %ontemporary transition of the %ontinent into modernity'

,he loo1s in parti%ular at %ertain stimulating %ommodities sugar2 tea2

%o3ee2 and toba%%o and e"plore #hy these substan%es rather than others

be%ame so popular amongst “the masses” in a period that is %onsidered a

“turning point” in #estern history' ,he o3ers t#o terms to %onsider #henloo1ing at the importation of %ommodities: intensi4%ation (imitation and

emulation of pra%ti%es that a%%ompany %ommodities) and e"tensi4%ation

(independent de5elopment of meanings6pra%ti%es)'

7' 8hat ma1es this interesting9

intz managed to su%%in%tly remind me of the fundamental importan%e of

food to human e"isten%e2 and ho# foodstu3s %an %arry a range of meanings'

I 4nd the &uestions that she proposes throughout the %hapter parti%ularly

interesting and useful if used in other %onte"ts: ho# do %ommodities

be%ome e5eryday; #hy do %ertain substan%es be%ome so desired rather

than others; ho# are imported %ommodities %onsidered by lo%al

%ommunities2 and appropriated a%%ording to their o#n 5alues and

%onditions' *he idea of “respe%tability” and ho# it relates to food is &uite

interesting as #ell' I found the se%ond half of the %hapter2 in #hi%h she loo1s

at modern %onsuming patterns in meri%a2 less interesting'

'

8/20/2019 Close Reading of Mintz – The Changing Roles of Food in the Study of Consumption

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@' =o# useful is it to loo1 at indi5idual tastes2 rather than the general

tastes of “the masses”9