Description
Discover core concepts in the anthropology of food and food studies by exploring a fascinating array of food competitions and contests around the world.
From pepper-eating contests to televised culinary battles between celebrity chefs to the Course des Cafes in France, in which waiters must run a 2 kilometer course without spilling their trays, cultures around the world have found a myriad of ways to face off over food. This book uses food competitions – those contests in which food is a central force as motivator, medium, or reward – as the lens through which to understand social and environmental phenomena. After an initial deep-dive into what competition is, the many forms it can take, and what it does for us as humans, readers can explore competitions through chapters that mirror the lifecycle of food, from growing to preparing to eating to, ultimately, dealing with waste. Examples of competitions are culturally and geographically diverse. A collection of interviews with contestants supplement the main text, offering insights into participants' motivations and experiences.
Accessibility Information
Additional accessibility information
- PDF/UA-2, 1.4
- accessibility@bloomsbury.com
Hazards
The publication contains no hazards
Support for non-visual reading
Has alternative text descriptions for images
Navigation
- Page list to go to pages from the print source version
- Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
- All or substantially all textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order
Table of Contents
Preface
1. What are Competitions?
2. Producing
3. Preparing
4. Eating and Drinking
5. The Afterlives of Food
Conclusion
References
Index
About the Author
Product details
| Published | 12 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (PDF) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 272 |
| ISBN | 9798765130667 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 15 bw |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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