Sociology and Food is a subject boasting many points of intersection with anthropology and food. Indeed, the non-professional will often struggle to discern differences between the two approaches. Sidestepping an extended discussion of the historical development of the disciplines, a simple functional distinction might be drawn. Anthropology was first seen as a study of human social and cultural behaviour by means of observation and recording undertaken among traditional societies. Although the subjects examined (the gift, marriage, conflict, education) might be universal, there was usually a strong whiff of ‘the other’ or, worse, ‘the primitive’ in published accounts because of the location of the research. Sociology, by contrast, was more concerned with the here and now, with our society, not those of alien peoples, and the ways in which interactions and relations within society influenced or determined outcomes. Sociology has often had a strong emphasis on quantitative evidence: surveys, questionnaires, and so forth. Anthropology works more with qualitative material: narrative impressions and conclusions drawn from close observation.
