Masterclass 8: Caroline Niebling & Erika Marthins
Discussion about the difference between delicacy and disgust. What makes us like something or feel disgusted by something. This avoidance to certain foods is called the Psychology of Disgust. Dr Paul Rozin, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on human disgust, says that the barriers against certain foods are psychological: disgust is a revulsion response, a basic biological motivational system. It protects us from getting sick, since – as Darwin posited – food that tastes bad is also bad for one’s health. Today, our reluctance is still controlled by this conditioned defense mechanism, which is often no longer biological but is created by our culture. Or as Rozin puts it: «Disgust evolves culturally, and developed evolutionarily from a system to protect the body from harm to a system to protect the soul from harm.» But if it is edible, delicious and nutritious, why won't we eat it? We ate efficiently in the past, and our current culture is making us pickier and less efficient. The future sausage is a metaphor for the possibilities that lie ahead; it should revive creativity and curiosity in our eating habits. Let us not be wary of food, but explore and appreciate it instead.
Team:
Caroline Niebling
Erika Marthins
Room:
NN
Language:
English
