Americans seem to be in love with food. I have personally said on various occasions that one of my favorite four letter "f" words is food. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm in love with food, but we're definitely very close friends. Food (like music, see my previous post) is everywhere. Believe it or not, there are actually people in this country who will not go to a movie unless they can accompany it with popcorn, candy, and an extra large Icee on the side. Given this state of the union, it's not a surprise that
America has stopped growing vertically, and begun to grow horizontally. As tempting as it is to veer off and diagnose this increase in American waistlines, the purpose of this post is to take a look at food's role in entertainment.
Recently, food television has seen a steady
increase in popularity. Shows such as Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Good Eats, and Man vs. Food have captured a segment of viewership that tends to find the majority of reality tv loathsome. Many modern food programs
no longer follow the traditional cooking show format, but rather, they take viewers on a journey of various different food experiences, complete with factual information and humorous commentary to boot. This has been a winning strategy for food aficionados everywhere. Food television has become so popular that it has even begun to permeate
pop culture.
The popularity of food television has spilled out beyond simply visual entertainment. Food television has begun to change how people interact and
build relationships through food related enthusiasm. At some point during food television's resurgence in popularity, people realized that there were other people who were as passionate about various different foods as they were. This realization spurred on more food-based interaction in formats ranging from local food competitions, interactive mobile applications, and even food blogs. In addition, this means that more people are talking about food in detail in social settings. Food found in social settings is even getting better as a result of the popularity of better ingredients. Food seems to be at the center of events from birthdays, to weddings, to funerals, and if the quality of our food is any indication, quality of American life is getting better as well.
One of the more positive ramifications of the popularity of food television, is that more Americans are becoming aware of the availability of healthy food options, as well as the consequences of unhealthy eating. When watching food programming, it is fairly common to hear a television personality preach the gospel of whole grains, organic fruits and vegetables, and even grass fed livestock or free range poultry. As these items become more ubiquitous and increase in demand, it is possible that food television could effectively improve the diets of Americans everywhere. While this isn't a silver-bullet solution for the obesity problems in America (moderation is) it is a step in the right direction.
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