More than a difference?! Fast food versus slow food

U. Spiekermann, Goettingen

Most people think, that fast food and slow food are fundamentally different ways of eating and that it is necessary to judge on them in different ways. This position is quite comfortable, but does not really help to analyze the cultural significance of the debates on fast food versus slow food.

To do so, we have to stop this kind of contradictory debates and analyse this difference from a cultural point of view, too. First, the paper stresses the long history both of fast and slow food in Germany, which has always been a history of debating on the value of food and dishes. Secondly, it analyses the cultural differences between European and American style of eating. But we must also recognize the similarities of fast food and slow food: From an economic point of view – the third field of argumentation –, they must be understood as two segments of one market. Fourth, the analysis shows, that main terms of discussion, especially the term "health", are not very helpful. Those, who use such terms, do not only argue in a scientific, but also in an ideological way. The paper ends with an plea for a more realistic discussion of eating culture.

Keywords: Fast food / slow food / eating culture / restaurants / cultural differences / health

Sie finden den Artikel in deutscher Sprache in Ernährungs-Umschau 09/03 ab Seite 344.