Language and Culture of Food

Food is a major component of culture across the world.  Different areas are well known for their unique tastes and dishes.  These distinctions can also be seen through one type of food in one area.  Freedman and Jurafsky took two mediums; food and language, that can both vary through different class, location, race and culture throughout the world and attempted to relate the two. They used quantitative research methods that were less biased than what I had expected.  Using methods to discover how common and easy to read each chip bag was, their research found that language in advertising of more expensive chips was more extensive and informative than those of less expensive chips.  

While advertisers always seek to target a particular audience, this is especially interesting because it seeks to do so by changing the language used to speak to the audience rather than making the actual product more appealing.   It was found that all the chips were of similar size and flavour.  The more expensive brands were found to negate and compare themselves negatively to other brands, attempting to make their brand more elite.  Health, another indicator of class, was also brought up more in the expensive brands whereas historicity was mention more often in the less expensive brands.  These areas are often highly regarded in each economic state.  

These techniques in advertising could be used throughout the food advertising world.  Restaurants have already used this method in advertising.  Fast food joints frequently speak simply and bluntly about their deals and food. They want people to eat here because it is fast and cheap.  A sit down restaurant is more likely to spend time to speak more eloquently of where their food was attained and how healthy it is, though they might also talk simply about their deals to attract both ends of the spectrum.  More expensive restaurants often describe their menu in other languages, fancier and longer words that would leave a less educated person feeling exempt.  The goal here is to attract an elite crowd.  

Language is a clear indicator of culture and moving that resource over to food and food advertising could be a large benefit to those companies in reaching appropriate audiences and hopefully clients.

Pics from: Authenticity in America: Class Distinctions in Potato Chip Advertising Author(s): Joshua Freedman and Dan Jurafsky