The shock of the new: a sociology of nouvelle cuisine

In recent years there has been a growth of sociological interest in food and eating. With a limited number of exceptions, this interest has not been translated into research into the cultural dimensions of specialist cuisines or the social context of dining outside the home. This paper offers a sociological analysis of nouvelle cuisine. Nouvelle cuisine presents an interesting focus for the sociologist concerned with the relationship between food and culture. It holds a culinary pre-eminence amongst certain sections of the middle class and is claimed by many commentators to have revolutionized the provision of French haute cuisine in the commercial hotel and catering industry.     

The effect of core menu attribute,green menu background,and gender on consumers’ attitudes toward korean dishes

Given the healthy eating trends and the growing popularity of Asian cuisines in the USA, this research investigates the interaction effect of gender and two types of health cues, namely core menu attribute (perceived healthiness-chicken vs. beef) and menu background color (green vs. white) on consumer attitudes toward Korean dishes. Our findings indicate that pairing a chicken dish with a green menu background leads to highly favorable attitudes among females. Males, on the other hand, exhibit similar attitudes toward chicken and beef dishes with a green background. Such gender differences are attenuated with a white (neutral) menu background.     

Crisis in the meat industry: a values-based approach to communications strategy

Meat consumption in the UK has been falling for almost 20 years and the long-standing link between affluence and meat eating has been broken. In 10 years the proportion of the population claiming to be vegan or vegetarian doubled, while those identified as meat avoiders almost quadrupled with a further 40% now being classified as 'meat reducers' by Gallup. Means-End analysis was used for studying the underlying motivations of three groups: meat eaters, meat reducers and vegetarians. Health was found to be the central issue in food choice, but each group sought different terminal values. The view that meat reducers (and possibly even meat avoiders) are demi-vegetarians is challenged by the finding that their underlying motivations are similar to meat consumers and quite unlike those of vegetarians. Persuading meat reducers to adopt a vegetarian diet would require the difficult task of changing the enduring terminal values that they seek to attain through food choice behaviour. In contrast, persuading them to eat more meat would 'only' be a question of changing their beliefs about the healthiness of meat consumption. This paper reports on a study conducted in the UK and considers the implications of the findings for communications strategy.     

Exploring South African consumers’ attitudes towards game meat—Utilizing a multi‐attribute attitude model

The study explored the use of a multi‐attribute approach, Fishbein’s attitude‐towards‐the‐object model, in finding the differences between the attitudes of consumers and nonconsumers of game meat among South African respondents towards the following attributes of game meat: sensory characteristics; health benefits; game meat production ethics; animal welfare; safety for human consumption; availability; and price. This quantitative study determined the attitudes of 1,096 consumers and 310 nonconsumers of game meat with an online survey. Based on attitudes towards individual attributes, as determined by Fishbein’s attitude‐towards‐the‐object model, respondents classified some product attributes as important in their decision to consume, or not to consume, game meat. Respondents indicated that the availability, sensory characteristics, game meat production ethics and health benefits are considered to be important in their decision to consume game meat.     

Demand Analysis of Meat in Malaysia

One distinct change in Malaysians' food consumption behavior has been the preference toward meat products. Thus it is meaningful to gain insight of meat consumption patterns. As the market becomes increasingly market-led, information on current meat consumption patterns is required to assess how they are likely to change as prices and incomes change. This study attempts to provide a better understanding of demand for meat products in Malaysia. By utilizing data from Household Expenditure Survey 2004/2005, Engel curve analysis was conducted to derive income elasticities of meat products from QUAIDS model. The estimated income elasticities show that current food consumption patterns are showing signs of convergence toward a Western diet, exhibiting tendency for preference toward red meats (mutton and beef) over white meats (poultry and pork). The estimated elastic own-price elasticities indicate that Malaysian consumers are sensitive to the change in prices of the meat products, with other things remain constant.     

Emu

Abstract

People are making food choices based on fat, calories, and cholesterol, while demanding products that are appetizing. Due to such health issues and the convenience of alternative meat products, consumption of beef has declined among American consumers. In this study emu meat and US Select grade beef ribeye steaks were compared for palatability by a 10-member trained sensory panel. Tests for fat (ether) and moisture (vacuum dry) were performed, along with Warner-Bratzler shear tests. Emu meat was rated as more tender, juicier, and more flavorful than the beef ribeye steaks. Wamer-Bratzler shear measurements were consistent with sensory panel findings. Proximate analysis showed the emu steaks contained less fat and more moisture than the beef ribeye steaks. Emu meat is a “red meat” that may ease consumers' concerns about the consumption of red meat. Its potential as a red meat alternative is due to its tender, juicy, flavorful, and lean qualities.     

An epidemiological study of injury in mines: implications for safety promotion

The role of various factors in coal mine-related injuries was investigated using a case-control design. The study setting was two neighbouring underground coal mines in India. Cases comprised mine workers (n = 150) who had sustained a prior mine-related injury from a population of 1000 underground workers. Controls were selected from those mineworkers with no history of a prior mine-related injury using frequency matching (n = 150) from the same source population. Data were collected from the cases and controls using a structured survey questionnaire. Based on the responses of the participants, each factor was grouped into three categories. High-low plots and Chi-square tests were conducted to explore the differences between the cases and controls. Bivariate logistic regression was run to estimate the crude odds of injuries, while multivariate logistic regression estimated the adjusted odds of injuries to the workers for the various variable categories. High-low plots and the Chi-square test clearly revealed that the cases and controls significantly differed in their responses for the variables studied. Accident-involved workers take more risks, are negatively affected, job dissatisfied, feel more production pressure, job stress, work hazards and are less job involved and are more dissatisfied with safety environment and social climate of the mines compared to the controls. The multivariate odds of injuries to high risk taking, negatively affected and job dissatisfied workers are 1.21, 9.34 and 2.00 times more compared to their lowest counterparts. Similarly, workers satisfied with the overall safety practice and safety equipment availability and maintenance are 1.5 and 3.12 times less likely to be injured than the workers with little or no satisfaction with the above factors. It is therefore concluded that negative affectivity and job dissatisfaction are the two major personal level factors that contribute more towards accident/injury in the mines studied. Identification and elimination/reduction of negative attitudes are of utmost importance.     

浅议语义和交际翻译在川菜菜名翻译中的运用

目前关于川菜菜名研究的文献已经很多，这对四川文化的传播起到了极大的促进作用，但还需进一步深化研究。依据川菜的特点，川菜菜名可分为三类。分别采用不同的翻译策略：非文化莱名，由于其直截了当地传递菜肴本身的信息，因此适用语义翻译；容易引发误解的莱名，由于菜名中合有很多西方人的禁忌，因此可运用交际翻译法，适当地选词和意译，使西方人能够最大程度地理解；有文化内涵的菜名，这一娄菜名，因本身表达较为含蓄，故适宜先用交际翻译将菜肴本身的特色翻译出，后用语义翻译，解释名称中所包含的文化内涵。     

Is an Increase in Organic Consumption Accompanied by A Healthier Diet? A Comparison of Changes in Eating Habits among Danish Consumers

Several studies have shown that consumers with a high organic consumption often have dietary habits that include more fruit and vegetables but less red meat. This paper takes a novel approach by investigating whether changes in consumption of organics and improvements in dietary habits also are related. The results show that many consumers seem to improve their diet while increasing the organic consumption. Further, the study suggests that some households already have a relatively healthy diet in terms of fruit, vegetables, and meat consumption, when they start buying organic food. When organic consumption reaches a certain level, further increases in organic consumption are more likely to take place at the same time as dietary habits are improved. References to health and climate considerations seem to be the most important motivations for reducing meat consumption, while higher availability of organics is the most important reason for increasing organic consumption.     

A characterization of peanut consumption in four countries: results from focus groups and their implications for peanut allergy prevalence

Rates of peanut allergy in the Western world have increased over the last 30 years, although it is unclear why. While eating behaviours are likely to be connected to allergy prevalence, the precise relevant factors are uncertain. This study aimed to investigate dietary differences and changes in dietary habits in peanut consumption (in apparent and hidden forms) in four different countries (Bulgaria, Poland, Spain, UK), specifically chosen because of their different ‘peanut experiences’. Focus groups revealed a common perception that dietary habits have become less healthy, with more consumption of processed foods and an increase in snacking. In addition, ethnic cuisine was perceived to have had an important impact on European eating habits, while participants identified an increase in consumption of more ‘exotic’ forms of peanuts and their products. These findings point to an increase in exposure to peanuts, particularly in hidden forms, that superficially parallels increased prevalence rates. However, it was also clear that participants lacked knowledge about the composition of food and non‐food products. The dietary trends identified here thus warrant further quantitative investigation, particularly in the context of differential national patterns of allergy prevalence – data on which is currently being gathered within the EC‐funded EuroPrevall project.     

Nudging using the ‘dish of the day’ strategy does not work for plant‐based meals in a Danish sample of adolescent and older people

Adequate nutrition is an important factor for health and well‐being in adolescents and later years. Fruits and vegetables are part of a healthy diet as important source of nutrients, but their intakes are lower than the recommendations in European countries. This study aimed to compare the choices made by adolescents and older people between three similar dishes, one based on meat, one on fish and one on vegetables, in two different conditions: a neutral (control) situation and an intervention situation in which the vegetable‐based meal was designated ‘dish of the day’. The comparisons of choices will be made within the same age group (adolescents in the control group vs. adolescents in the intervention group; older people in the control group vs. older people in the intervention group). A quasi‐randomised field trial design was used with a sample of 94 adolescents (aged 10–19 years) and 97 older people (aged ≥65 years), who were randomly allocated to intervention or control groups. In the control situation participants were asked to choose between three similar meals, one meat, one fish and one the VeggiEat dish. In the intervention, the VeggiEat dish was labelled the ‘Dish of the day’. All dishes were provided free of charge, displayed side by side in the same order and served in same portions. The dish choices showed no differences between the control and intervention groups in both age groups, and no differences were found among the other variables analysed. This nudging strategy, ‘dish of the day’, seems not to work for the Danish sample of adolescents and older people. Future nudging studies with these populations are needed in order to find the best strategy to move adolescents' and older people's food habits toward a healthier pattern.     

Australia's Gone Chicken!

Abstract

The gross value of Australia's agriculture industry in 2001/2002 was A$38.4 billion with 65% allocated to exports. The major exports markets are South East Asia, Japan, USA, and the EU. Products include wool, beef, wheat, cotton, sugar, and wine. For Australia there have been significant changes over time in markets and production arrangements in the international arena. This is also true of the domestic market especially in the area of meat products. Australians, once dominant red meat eaters, have now “gone chicken.” The total yearly consumption of meats averages around 110 kg per person. Beef up until recent years has always been the dominant player. However, in the last 30 years chicken consumption has risen from being a marginal food item to being a product that is expected to eclipse beef consumption in the very near future. This paper explores the trends and examines the changes as they are reflected by the behaviour of consumers and market chain drivers. The paper provides suggestions that could be gainfully employed at the consumer behaviour levels for other meat producers.     

Free Trade Areas in East Asia: Discriminatory or Non‐discriminatory?

The debates on regional trade arrangements in East Asia focus on whether the RTAs can be net trade creating or diverting, and whether they impede multilateral trade liberalisation or not. This paper attempts to answer these questions by quantitatively estimating the economic impact of possible East Asian free trade areas based on a bilateral gravity model, and evaluating the main characteristics of the proposed FTAs. We find that the trade creation effect expected from the proposed East Asian FTAs such as a China‐Japan‐Korea or an ASEAN plus three (China, Japan, Korea) FTA will be significant enough to overwhelm the trade diversion effect. We also judge that East Asian FTAs will likely be a building block for a global free trade.     

A Comparative Assessment of Consumer and Non-Consumer Preference for Beef Cuts Consumption in Malaysia

Malaysia is currently enjoying an economic revival, resulting in a rising per capita income and an increasing urban population. There are consumers whose taste buds have become more accustomed to international cuisines, including meaty Western food, to satisfy their quest for diversity in their new lifestyles. This group of consumers in Malaysia plays an important role in shaping the rising trend in the consumption of meat products, and this changing attitude calls for empirical research to clarify factors shaping it. The results also indicate that there are three factors (attributes of beef cuts, quality and safety, and the variety of Malaysian dishes) that greatly influence the preference for beef consumers toward their consumption of beef cuts. It was also determined that four factors that influenced the preference for non-beef consumers are price of beef cuts, lifestyle, risk associated with beef cuts consumption, taste, and preferences influencing non-beef consumers.     

Structural Change,Economic Crisis and International Labour Migration in East Asia

Increased international labour migration was one important dimension of structural change and globalisation in East Asia from the mid 1980s. Large international movements of mainly unskilled contract labour occurred in response to widening wage gaps between more and less developed countries in the region as the former experienced rapid structural change. Labour importing countries increasingly relied on unskilled migrant workers in less preferred jobs, in both export‐oriented and non‐tradable goods industries. The Asian economic crisis dramatically influenced the context in which international labour mobility had occurred in the pre‐crisis period. Important issues included a possible reversal in role of international migration in structural change, both among unskilled contract workers and more skilled migrants, and replacement of migrants by unemployed local workers. The paper argues that the Asian economic crisis did not reverse the fundamental trend toward greater reliance on unskilled migrant workers in agriculture, manufacturing and service industries. Business and professional migration remained significant and even rose in some countries during the crisis. However, several countries were forced to develop a more coherent policy towards migrant workers, in light of the social impact of the crisis.     

Parental work status and children's dietary consumption: Australian evidence

This study investigated associations between parents' work status and the dietary consumption patterns of Australian children, and whether such associations vary by parental education and usage of nonparental childcare. Data from the longitudinal study of Australian children at two waves from ages 2–3 years (n = 4601) to 4–5 years (n = 4381) were analysed. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios of children consuming (≥1 times/day) fruit and vegetables (FV), high fat foods (HFF), high sugar drinks (HSD), as well as evaluating the incidence of breakfast consumption. This was analysed against the employment status of parents including full‐time, part‐time and unemployed. Children of part‐time employed mothers were more likely to consume breakfast, and less likely to consume HSD compared with children of full‐time employed mothers. Children of part‐time employed fathers were less likely to consume FV and breakfast, and more likely to consume HSD compared with children of full‐time employed fathers. Children of nonemployed mothers were more likely to consume HFF, whilst those of nonemployed fathers were more likely to consume HSD and less likely to consume breakfast compared with other children. Amongst less‐educated parents, children of unemployed and part‐time employed parents were more likely to consume HFF and HSD and less likely to consume FV and breakfast compared with children of full‐time employed parents. Amongst highly educated parents, children of unemployed and part‐time employed mothers were less likely to consume HSD compared with children of full‐time employed mothers. Children of part‐time employed mothers who used family day care, day care centres and grandparent care were less likely to consume HSD and more likely to consume breakfast compared with children of full‐time employed mothers. Children of part‐time employed fathers and unemployed parents who used day care centres and grandparent care were less likely to consume FV and more likely to consume HFF compared with children of full‐time employed parents. Future studies should pursue a better understanding of the mechanisms for the adverse effects of parental work status on dietary consumption to develop and enhance specific interventions targeting these groups.     

Exploring the influence of family on adolescents’ seafood consumption choices

Seafood in the adolescent diet has many benefits, yet a number of adolescents do not consume the recommended levels. Despite this the consumption of seafood by younger consumers has received scant attention in the extant literature. Previous studies on adolescents’ food‐related behaviour tend to focus on general choice mechanisms or perceptions of food and mainly relate to fruit and vegetable intake. The present study seeks to address this gap through investigating the impact of family upon the consumption of seafood by younger consumers through exploring adolescents’ attitudes and behaviour in regard to eating seafood. Utilizing an exploratory qualitative methodology, seven focus groups of adolescents aged 13–19 years were conducted at two schools in South West England. Discussions covered a range of issues related to adolescent seafood consumption. The use of thematic content analysis found that the family, and parents in particular, exert high levels of influence over adolescents’ consumption of seafood both at home and when dining out. The parent who does the shopping and cooking has the greatest role. Sibling preferences and dietary choices also influence whether seafood is served in the home. Of value to researchers and management are the insights gleaned into the influences on adolescents’ attitudes towards and behaviour in regard to eating seafood. In particular, encouraging seafood consumption will rely upon interventions aimed at both parents and children and need to take into account adolescents’ diet and lifestyle preferences, while also acknowledging the influence of peers and the school food environment.     

Financial versus Monetary Mercantilism: Long‐run View of Large International Reserves Hoarding

The sizeable hoarding of international reserves by several East Asian countries has been frequently attributed to a modern version of monetary mercantilism – hoarding international reserves in order to improve competitiveness. From a long‐run perspective, manufacturing exporters in East Asia adopted ‘financial’ mercantilism – subsidising the cost of capital – during decades of high growth. They switched to hoarding large international reserves when growth faltered, making it harder to disentangle the monetary mercantilism from the precautionary response to the heritage of past financial mercantilism. Monetary mercantilism also lowers the cost of hoarding, but may be associated with negative externalities leading to competitive hoarding. From this viewpoint, this paper makes three observations on the East Asian reserve accumulation. First, the recent large hoarding of reserves in Japan and Korea occurred in the aftermath of the growth strategy that combined export promotion and credit subsidisation (financial mercantilism). Second, whether the ultimate motive is mercantilist or precautionary, the ongoing reserve hoarding in Asia contains an element of competitive hoarding, which is likely to have negative externalities among countries involved. Finally, China's hoarding of reserves partly reflects the precaution against the financial fragility that is likely to follow the slowing of economic growth.     

藤椒油品质评价方法的研究

藤椒油目前是区域特色调味品中最耀眼的新星,已被广大馆派川菜及其他菜系所使用。但是,目前对藤椒油研究报道极少,更没有对藤椒油品质评价方法的系统研究。基于此,采用感官评价和理化检测相结合的方法进行藤椒油品质评价方法的研究,确定作为藤椒油品质评价的关键衡量指标。为藤椒油生产标准化和工业化提供理论依据,对提高藤椒油品质有应用价值。