What is Food Porn?

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Quoted from http://psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/what-is-food-porn

Food Presentation as Sexual Substitution

Mar 13, 2010 Sarah Coggrave

Food porn refers to the presentation of food in an arousing manner, a practice which depicts food as an object of lust.

A broadly-used term with a plethora of applications, "food porn" primarily refers to imagery or words that describe food in a way that is deemed sexual by implication. Food porn is seen by many as a rebellion against the diet food industry in which high calorie, high fat treats are portrayed in a seductive manner, while activities such as cooking and eating are presented as substitutes for sex.
Origins of Food Porn

There is some disagreement as to where the term "food porn" originated.

Whilst it is widely attributed to a column in the Nutrition Action Healthletter ( Center for Science in the Public Interest) in January 1998, there are reports that the term was first coined by chef and owner of Sullivan Street Bakery and Co. Restaurant Jim Lahey in 1996. The concept of food porn has since been popularised through different channels.

The term food porn is sometimes used synonymously with junk food such as sweets, fast food and other high calorie but nutritionally poor options. Furthermore, food porn might also be used to describe actual pornography, in which food plays a part in sexual games and intercourse.
Popularisation of Food Porn

Food blogs in particular have capitalised upon the concept of food porn, with many bloggers writing about and photographing food in an erotic manner. The posting of such material to evoke and satisfy viewer lust has led to a vast array of online communities who have united in their appreciation of particular types of food. For example, culinary styles such as veganism, and cuisines from specific parts of the world have stimulated discussion and inspiration that is centred around photographs, writing and a shared love for the food in question.

The media, and in particular television, has popularised the notion of food holding sexual connotations. Japanese television show Iron Chef has become famous for its spectacular culinary presentation. Famous food personalities such as TV cookery presenter Nigella Lawson have sexualised the processes of cooking and eating using flirtatious approaches and erotic undertones in their presentation styles.

Conversely, food porn has also been associated with eating disorder communities, and in particular, the controversial pro-eating disorder movement, which promotes eating disorders as lifestyle choices rather than a medical condition. In said groups, food is presented lavishly as a forbidden pleasure that can only be enjoyed vicariously via consumption of words and images.
Food and Sexual Associations

Food porn is used to describe the erotic presentation of food, cooking and eating as substitutes for sex. The term has been popularised via different channels in recent years, most notably the internet, through which it is shared within online communities in the form of exotic and erotic words and imagery. It can have many different uses, according to the form it takes and where it appears, and sexual undertones may vary between contexts and individual consumers.

References

Davis, Simon (2000). "Unhealthy eating is new fad in US". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2000-05-12. http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0038mb. Retrieved 2010-01-03.

Probyn, Elspeth (1999). "Beyond Food/Sex: Eating and an Ethics of Existence". Theory, Culture & Society 16 (2): 215–228.

Bourdain, Anthony (2001-11-04). "Food Porn: Lust for the gastronomic--from Zola to cookbooks--is nothing new, but maybe it's time to shelve it". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2001/11/04/RV201066.DTL. Retrieved 2010-01-03.

Center for Science in the Public Interest. http://www.cspinet.org/nah/1998index.html. "April '98 Right Stuff vs. Food Porn". Center for Science in the Public Interest. http://www.cspinet.org/nah/april98back.htm.

Sands, Sarah (2006-12-01). "I don't want to be some kitchen blow-up sex doll". The Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=420003&in_page_id=1879. Retrieved 2010-01-03.

Duff, Oliver (2007-07-20). "Davis awaits 'chat' with researcher's lawyers". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/pandora/davis-awaits-chat-with-researchers-lawyers-457957.html. Retrieved 2010-01-03.

Gaudron, Melissa (2007-11-20). "Nigella Feasts". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv-reviews/nigella-feasts/2007/11/20/1195321761821.html. Retrieved 2010-01-03.

Read more at Suite101: What is Food Porn?: Food Presentation as Sexual Substitution http://psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/what-is-food-porn#ixzz0oHJ8tRCn
 
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