Food, between Taste and Nutrition: A Comparative Discourse Analysis of Food Experts in Cuba and Puerto Rico

• In Event: Food Systems, Nutrition, and Culture in the Spanish Caribbean: Landscapes and Discourses

Abstract

Eating habits and preferences are formed and preserved through interactions between individual, community and societal factors, including local and global food systems. Nutrition and culinary experts are both embedded and influencing factors in the interactions shaping individual and community level food preferences and habits. These experts serve as links between food production and consumption. Culinary experts’ advice bring culture, flavor and pleasure to our plates, whereas nutrition experts address how specific foodscapes affect population health and nutrition in the country. While both have the power to influence food choice and consumption, their discourse, more often than not, is in conflict, especially when dealing with taste enhancing foodstuffs (namely salt, sugar, and fat). These foods are prominent in traditional diets, and are ever more important as a result of their increased consumption through industrially-processed foods and foods eaten away from home. This paper is a comparative analysis of expert discourses in relation to food, juxtaposing the culinary and the health values of food. Nutrition expert discourse is taken from current dietary guidelines, while culinary discourse is analyzed through iconic cookbooks and recent culinary trends. This is done using Cuba and Puerto Rico as contexts of interest, considering their contrasting foodscapes and sociopolitical environments to further assess how discourses are influenced by these contexts. The paper concludes discussing these differences as a reflection of current situations in Puerto Rico and Cuba as well as exploring potential applications and practical linkages between food, pleasure and health.

Author

• Melissa Fuster, NYU Steinhardt School