2023-04-27 22:00:33
The advice to lose weight ignores the complex meaning that food has for us, argues Peter-Ben Smit.
Correctly states the comment of Fidelity that before fatshaming should not be a place in the Netherlands (April 21). Nevertheless, the piece ends with the fact that people should be made aware of the responsibility for their own weight. Now that is certainly allowed, but it also entails a risk. You could just start thinking that those who are overweight just don’t take responsibility. That is treacherous and invites exactly the fat-shaming that the editors want nothing to do with.
Culture and wellbeing
We are responsible not only for our health, but also for our social well-being, our cultural integrity, or our small purse. Food is also important in this.
What is the deciding factor when choosing my menu? It’s a lot. Sometimes I want food that’s easy and makes me feel good—comfort food. That usually ends up in something greasy. Sometimes I want to treat guests well – and that ends up with beer, wine and all kinds of cheeses and sausages on the side. In other cases, it’s about celebrating as it should be – and so a large piece of meat with all the trimmings is served on the table.
Of course the word ‘health’ also crosses my mind, but not the only one. You can call anyone who eats like this fat (that’s me too). But you could also say that it is someone who treats himself to treats, looks after his emotional well-being, likes to be hospitable and honors the culinary culture of his country.
Different values
These examples show that when choosing food, very different values are often decisive than what is physically healthy. Taking responsibility for your own weight, as the editors of Trouw would like it to be, is therefore a lot more complex than ‘just starting to make healthy choices’. It also means balancing the different values of food, which requires more creativity than trading chips for radishes.
How can food do social, cultural, culinary and emotional justice to people and help them achieve a healthy weight? This ball is with the government, with supermarkets, with culinary trendsetters, and also with the cooking section of newspapers, because it can stimulate creativity. Have Trouw also mention the calories in such a recipe from now on.
As a professor at VU and UU, Peter-Ben Smit conducts research into food in the context of religion and society.
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