A model for understanding the meal concept in academic writing Karin Höijer•Anna Bryntorp•Andreas Håkansson•Maria Nyberg•Viktoria Olsson•Elisabet Rothenberg•Hanna Sepp•Karin Wendin Research Environment MEAL – Food and Meals in Everyday Life, Kristianstad University, Sweden
Conclusion According to the proposed two dimensional matrix model,‘meal’ is commonly defined by being equal to intrinsic properties, specifically food composition or type. The model can be used for understanding ‘meal’ in academic writing.
Background University level education rests on science and proven experience (1). Within the scientific area Food and Meal Science, defining the word ‘meal’ has been in focus. The ‘meal’ is a concept frequently used by scholars in academic research both with and without clear definitions. There has been discussions as to what a ‘meal’ actually entails (see for example 2, 3, 4), illustrating how complex the concept is.
that are commonly expressed as sets of oppositional categories or classifications (7). Relevant scientific databases was searched for English peer-reviewed articles and reviews published 2004-2015, and 78 articles were found to define ‘meal’. All articles were read through several times and the definitions of ‘meal’ was coded in Atlas.ti, classified and sorted into a matrix.
Aim
Results
The purpose was to explore how the meal concept can be used and understood in academic writing within three areas identified within Food and Meal Science: Food Culture and Communication, Food Science and Health and Nutrition.
Based on the analysis we suggest a two dimensional matrix model visualizing both how ‘meal’ is either defined by what it is equal to or what belongs to it by specifying either intrinsic or extrinsic properties. ‘Meal’ was most commonly defined by being equal to intrinsic properties, specifically food composition or type. Definitions by food composition was most common in the areas Food Culture and Communication and Food Science while type was most common in the group Health and Nutrition.
Methods This study builds on a previously presented material (5). Our investigation started with a traditional structuralist approach for sorting data, understanding ‘meal’ as enduring social patterns and rules (6)
Extrinsic properties
Intrinsic properties
‘MEAL’ defined by… …what it is equal to
…what belongs to it
Food composition
A specific portion, size, kcal or energy needs. A specific combination of foods, eg. ‘proper food’.
The different foods it is composed of, eg. meat, steak, potatoes, vegetables, chicken, brown sauce, bread, fruit, nuts. Sometimes a whole dish, eg. spaghetti, soup, salad.
Type
A specific type of meal, eg. cold meal, hot meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner, ready meal, starter.
The different parts it is composed of, eg. appetizer, first course, main course, dessert. A ‘meal’ can f.ex. consist of two courses or have a ‘preload’.
Social functions
Its social functions, eg. constructing school or families.
Social functions and meaning, eg. development of social relationships or interactions enhacing the meal into something extra.
External associations
Food eaten at a specific location, eg. hospital, school, home.
Circumstances surrounding the food, eg. table setting, company, sitting.
When it is consumed or a specific meal plan, eg. morning, midday, evening.
A certain pattern, eg. the number of cold and hot meals per day.
Time, frequency and pattern
Referenser
1. Lag (1993:792) om tillstånd att utfärda vissa examina, (1993). 2. Meiselman HL. Dimensions of the meal. Journal of Foodservice. 2008;19(1):13-21. 3. Yates L, Warde A. The evolving content of meals in Great Britain. Results of a survey in 2012 in comparison with the 1950s. Appetite. 2015;84:299-308. 4. Douglas M, Nicod M. Taking the biscuit: the structure of British meals. New Society. 1974;30:744-7. 5. Bryntorp A, Håkansson A, Höijer K, Nyberg M, Olsson V, Rothenberg E, et al. Exploring the meal concept: an interdisciplinary literature overview. The IX International Conference on Culinary Arts and Sciences (ICCAS). New Jersey: Montclair State University 2015. p. 69-75. 6. Guptill, A. E., Copelton, D. A., & Lucal, B. (2013). Food and society: principles and paradoxes. Cambridge: Polity. 7. Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). Introduction: the discipline and practice of qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (pp. 1-33). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Contact:
[email protected]
