26 - Designing meal environments for ‘mindful eating’

Abstract

Young people's representations of a meal are examined as well as their memories of their childhood foodscapes in order to better understand the features and aspects of the spaces within the home where food is prepared and consumed that can promote ‘mindful eating’. Using quantitative survey methodology, the pleasure young consumers derive from different types of meals is examined and the features or characteristics that define or make a meal for them are explored. Drawings of childhood's foodscapes submitted by participants were analyzed. These surprisingly rich renditions reveal a number of important themes and dimensions of their childhood foodscapes. These include the centrality of the kitchen as a prime domestic foodscape; the repeated articulation of the significance of the main meal as a family-based activity, often completed without distractions such as television; and the importance of the kitchen table as the most concentrated component of the domestic foodscapes.