Conceptual differences between meals

Abstract

This study follows up prior research findings indicating that people employed evaluative and social-emotional criteria in significantly different ways when asked to conceptualize their recent morning, midday and evening meals. A convenience sample ( N=157) of males and females ranging in age from 18 to 87 rated their most recent and their “ideal” morning, midday and evening meals on a series of evaluative and social–emotional scales. Analysis of the combined recent and ideal meal ratings showed that regardless of the variable meal contents, morning meals were generally seen as significantly less expensive, more casual, convenient and lighter than other meals, whereas evening meals were seen as more unusual, elderly, masculine and happy than other meals. Comparisons between recent and ideal meals revealed that the latter are seen as significantly better liked, less convenient, happier, heavier, and more unusual than the former. Moreover, older women stood out as rating both their recent and ideal meals as healthier than all other respondents. Additional factor analytic results showed substantial structural differences between the patterns of evaluative and social–emotional ratings applied to recent morning, midday and evening meals. Pending further research with a larger, more representative sample, it is concluded that there are important conceptual and social–emotional differences between morning, midday and evening meals.