The Tastes and Politics of Inter-Cultural Food in Australia

Book excerpt: In the 21st century, an accelerated pace of global movements of people, goods, capital, technology and ideas has led to ambivalence regarding cultural identity for individuals, as well as collectives like neighbourhoods and cities. While the preparation, availability and consumption of diverse foods have become symbolic of the very openness of a place, there are concerns that this is only reflective of a superficial and consumerist form of middle class cosmopolitanism. Using food-oriented case studies centred on Australian cities and media, Bonding Over Food argues for a processual understanding of cosmopolitanism. Such an approach helps us understand various kinds of social bonds formed over food as ‘convivial’ practices that are potentially ethical and/or reflexive as opposed to being driven by ‘othering’ discourses.