SUPERFOOD ME: NEGOTIATING AUSTRALIA’S POST-GOURMET FOOD CULTURE Katherine Eulynn Kirkwood BMassComn BMedia&Comn(Hons) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Digital Media Research Centre | School of Communication Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology 2021 Keywords Animal products Big Food Culinary culture Culinary media Ethical consumption Food culture Food media Food television Food System Exposé Meat Post-Gourmet Strategic Impact Documentary Super Size Me Sustainable consumption That Sugar Film Vegetarianism Veganism Waste Superfood Me: Negotiating Australia’s Post-Gourmet Food Culture i Abstract Australian food culture has arguably adopted a more health-conscious and ethical stance. This position is also reflected in contemporary food media, which is emerging in a post-broadcast environment. This thesis examines these developments in food culture and food media, positing that Australia is in the midst of what I call a post-gourmet phase. It argues that consumers are increasingly aware of the industrial food system’s consequences and that such concerns are manifested in the adoption of ethically and sustainably focused food practices. A key way in which the machinations of the industrial food system have entered mainstream consciousness is through a genre of texts I label Food System Exposés (FSEs). I argue that although these non- fiction books—like Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma—and documentaries—like Super Size Me—have existed for decades, their recent proliferation warrants recognising these texts as a key genre in shaping contemporary food discourses. These changes are brought to light in this thesis through two methods. Semi- structured in-depth interviews were conducted with members of 13 households, as well as eight participants from the food and food media industries, all of whom were based in Brisbane, Australia. Textual analysis of FSEs—including Super Size Me and That Sugar Film—complements the interview findings, highlighting not only industrialised food’s impact on consumer health, animals, workers, and the environment, but also how the industry’s obfuscating tactics make it difficult for everyday households to make informed food choices. These developments in culinary culture have led to a renegotiation of what constitutes culinary capital. One caveat on these findings are social bonds between friends or family that are exercised over food. Social connections ii Superfood Me: Negotiating Australia’s Post-Gourmet Food Culture tended to override participants’ appreciation of gourmet, healthy, or ethical food. Together, these findings set out the Australian culinary scene in the mid-to-late 2010s and foreshadows the future direction for food culture and media in this country after three decades of lifestyle-oriented food media. Superfood Me: Negotiating Australia’s Post-Gourmet Food Culture iii Table of Contents Keywords .................................................................................................................................. i Abstract .................................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents .................................................................................................................... iv List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... vi Statement of Original Authorship .......................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... viii Previously Published Works by the Candidate Integrated into this Thesis ............................. xi Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 Hypothesis: Post-Gourmet Australia ........................................................................................ 5 Thesis Outline .......................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter Summaries ................................................................................................................ 15 Chapter 2: Cultural Shifts Towards the Post-Gourmet ....................................... 21 Tensions in Culinary Culture ................................................................................................. 26 Foodies ................................................................................................................................... 33 Omnivorousness: The New Snobbery .................................................................................... 34 Everyday Foodies ................................................................................................................... 46 Everyday Realities: Supermarkets, Processed, and Fast Food ............................................... 48 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 56 Chapter 3: Themes and Trends in the Development of Food Media .................. 57 Before: Contained platforms and genres ................................................................................ 58 Current and Emerging: Blending genres, Blending platforms ............................................... 69 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 73 Chapter 4: Research Approach and Methods ....................................................... 75 Methods .................................................................................................................................. 79 Limitations ............................................................................................................................. 90 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 91 Chapter 5: Social Food ............................................................................................ 93 Calling Australia Home .......................................................................................................... 94 New Food Communities ....................................................................................................... 100 Friendly Food ....................................................................................................................... 105 Food and Family ................................................................................................................... 115 Challenging Gender Stereotypes in Household Food Preparation ....................................... 122 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 126 Chapter 6: Everyday Food Media Engagement in the Post-Broadcast Era ..... 129 iv Superfood Me: Negotiating Australia’s Post-Gourmet Food Culture The changing foodscape: domestication, polymedia and serious leisure .............................. 131 Food on the Screen ................................................................................................................ 134 Food on the Page ................................................................................................................... 139 Food on the Web ................................................................................................................... 143 Food on the Web: Consequences as Observed by Industry .................................................. 146 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 150 Chapter 7: Big Food ............................................................................................... 153 Existing Conceptualisations .................................................................................................. 156 The Texts .............................................................................................................................. 160 The Beginning: Super Size Me .............................................................................................. 161 A Different Bad Guy: That Sugar Film ................................................................................ 168 Need for a Local Perspective ................................................................................................ 174 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 178 Chapter 8: Winning Friends with Salad: The Rise of Ethical and Sustainable Consumption ........................................................................................................... 181 Definitions and Contestations ............................................................................................... 183 Applications in Food Culture ................................................................................................ 186 Evolving approaches to Meat and Animal Products ............................................................. 193 Beyond Saving the Animals 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