When I saw this recent photo of my brother in law, I instantly knew that it deserved a spot on my blog. But, in what context?
Men invoking Natural Tendencies
You may recall my Father’s Day post Confident Like a Man where I talked about a gender difference that I apparently don’t possess. But are there gender differences around food? It just so happens that I am hosting a baby shower at my home tomorrow afternoon. The invitations went to a wonderful list of friends and family of the mother-to-be and I’m scurrying about working on centerpieces, cupcakes and the menu. As it turns out, the attendees are all female and my menu? Quiche and salad and white wine and lemonade.
But what if this was a co-ed event or better yet an all-male entourage? What would I be serving and would it be different? The answer is yes. We all know that Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche. Certainly I’d be firing up the grill and while turkey legs find themselves outside of my repertoire, I’d likely be doing heavier dishes and meat. Scouring the internet, I learn that gender differences around food are real and that they are exacerbated by culture. Brian Wansink, director of Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab, says that people are more likely to eat foods that they associate with qualities they’d like to see in themselves. So men who want to be strong and masculine are more likely to eat strong and masculine food such as meat. Women, on the other hand, will go for lighter fare such as salad and fruit and have an endless craving for chocolate – especially once each month – a gender difference but also a hormonal difference.
Oddly, the chocolate divide disappears in Egypt where men and women crave it in equal proportions. And a researcher in Great Britain found that among school age children, it was actually the boys who had a greater propensity for sweets. So what of this gender divide? I’m unwilling to say that it’s an outflow from early cave days where men hunted and women gathered. No, I’m much more likely to take the reasonable approach and enjoy a light lunch even if it means that I’m looking for these qualities of femininity and sensibility in myself.
What are you eating for lunch?
- 1 10-inch pie crust
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 and 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 1/4 lb sliced mushrooms
- 1 sliced medium tomato
- 1/2 tsp salt
- black pepper
- a pinch of thyme
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 4 eggs
- 1 and 1/2 cups milk (I use 1%)
- 2 Tbs flour
- 1 an 1/2 cups grated swiss cheese
- 1 splash hot sauce
Agrigirl's Blog 
Tepary @ GrowFamilyGrow
/ November 13, 2010That is a fabulous picture. Have fun at the baby shower. Today? For lunch, I’m going to make a butternut squash soup, it goes well with my stinking cold.
Tammy McLeod
/ November 13, 2010I’m sorry about your cold. Butternut squash is in season and sounds perfect.
Kevin
/ November 13, 2010Ah, a good time was had by all. We’ll miss you next weekend as we warriors return to conquer turkey legs and beer. Arrrgh. I love you, sis.
Tammy McLeod
/ November 13, 2010And hopefully you’ll have more good photos. Think of me here with crumpets, tea, and oh yeah – chocolate.
kateshrewsday
/ November 13, 2010Well, that’s set me thinking. I wonder why Egyptian men apparently rate chocolate as strong masculine fare? Maybe we should have some of this exotic Egyptian chocolate. I’m off to try and source some:-)
Tammy McLeod
/ November 13, 2010Good luck to you. Please share your find.
milkayphoto
/ November 13, 2010Fascinating! Genetically, men crave protein due to their larger muscle mass. As for sweets…I’ve known men with greater sweet tooths than I as well as men who’d rather something salty!
Lunch today consisted of cheese burgers with the works! We had a rather nice Fall day and it was a treat to fire up the grill and sit outside for lunch knowing these days will be few and far between in the coming months!
I LOVE quiche!
Hope your shower went well! The menu sounds delicious! 🙂
Tammy McLeod
/ November 13, 2010I did read an argument about the bigger muscle mass. Glad you’re enjoying your weather. Our shower was outdoors and lovely.
Kath (Eating for Living)
/ November 13, 2010I definitely agree there are gender differences when it comes to food! But nevertheless I also know men who eat vegetarian or have a weakness for chocolate, and women who are real meat eaters.
Tammy McLeod
/ November 13, 2010Yes, I have seen both too!
nursemyra
/ November 13, 2010I wish i could limit my chocolate eating to once a month
Tammy McLeod
/ November 13, 2010And I.
Hannah
/ November 13, 2010Oh heavens, the sociologist in me absolutely can’t countenance any kind of biological or hunter/gatherer explanation for a gender divide in food. Gender itself is a social construction, so different food tastes are too! 😀 But I don’t want to let myself go on about that, so instead I’ll answer your fun question… lunch today is canned sardines on buttered toast sprinkled with white wine vinegar and cracke black pepper, with a side of broccoli. Don’t know it ’til you’ve tried it 😉
Tammy McLeod
/ November 13, 2010Oh no! That actually sounds good to me.
Sally Mom
/ November 13, 2010Tammy, I love and look forward to all your blogs but this one amused me because….you touched on some fonder spots.
My brother and sister Val came and helped tile the hearth today, gathered firewood and wild mushrooms and lunched on “turkey vegetable soup and shrimp salad. Pear pie with ginger icecream, on a rainy day. Nick munched truffles inbetween .
You are absolutely on target with gender differences but we enjoy combining the food factors and sharing the joy.
I know the shower was beautiful, fun and yummy.
Thanks for all your words of wisdom coming our way. I walk and talk it and love it!!!!!
L
Sally Mom
Tammy McLeod
/ November 13, 2010Pear pie with ginger ice cream sounds wonderful!
Cindy
/ November 13, 2010Very interesting, and a wonderful photograph.
Your quiche recipe is great.
(I’m feeding bother genders today, so lunch is peanut chicken wraps.)
Tammy McLeod
/ November 13, 2010The quiches turned out well. I did four all together; one tomato basil, one arugula and sweet pepper, one arugula on it’s own and one with mushrooms like the recipe.
Tess The Bold Life
/ November 14, 2010Tammy
Are there any left overs? What time should I arrive;)
Tammy McLeod
/ November 14, 2010We did a good job of eating but I can always whip something up.
jessiecarty
/ November 14, 2010Love this! It would be fascinating to read about other studies regarding gender differences in food, but I wonder how you would tell whether that was taste preference or cultural? 🙂
Tammy McLeod
/ November 14, 2010I think it’s a combination of both. One article that I read said that the “excessive meat and ale” tastes are typically held by men in countries where they’ve not experienced starvation. That’s a unique perspective.
gnoegnoe
/ November 14, 2010OH! That sounds GOOD! Might try this recipe real soon, thanks for sharing 🙂
Tammy McLeod
/ November 14, 2010Thanks for stopping by.
Rosa
/ November 14, 2010I’m lucky to have a boyfriend who is willing to eat anything I prepare (vegetables, quiche, vegetarian dishes, grilled meat, steamed fish, etc…). And he is still a real man…. ;-P
A lovely recipe.
Cheers,
Rosa
Tammy McLeod
/ November 14, 2010Yes! That is likely because you are a fabulous cook.
Nessa
/ November 14, 2010Those are definitely some manly men.
Tammy McLeod
/ November 14, 2010Yes they are!
bermudaonion (Kathy)
/ November 14, 2010I love the photo! I definitely think there are differences in food preferences for men and women – at least around my house there are. After a while, it makes it hard to cook!
Tammy McLeod
/ November 14, 2010Thanks Kathy. There are differences in my house too and it does make it difficult after a while.
OysterCulture
/ November 14, 2010I love the thoughts on the gender differences and suspect culture plays strongly here as well, as evidenced by your Egyptian and chocolate example. My hubby is definitely much more vegetarian than me (he grew up in CA) and I grew up in MN where if you did not have a protein and a starch on your plate something was wrong.
Tammy McLeod
/ November 14, 2010I grew up in a house like that too and my hubby likes chocolate more than me.
Todd Pack
/ November 14, 2010I like the theory about food being aspirational, that at some level we really do think we are what we eat, and I think it’s great that you quoted a Cornell professor saying it. You always do your homework, Tammy, and that’s one reason your blog is always such as pleasure to read!
Tammy McLeod
/ November 14, 2010Thank you Todd. I was hoping that you and some of my male readers would be by to validate!
tasteofbeirut
/ November 14, 2010I totally agree with that study; I can tell usually if a blogger is male or female by the recipes they post. As for myself, I fit the stereotype and could eat chocolate endlessly and nothing else!
Tammy McLeod
/ November 15, 2010I like it too but I am interested in the cultural aspects. If I can ever get my hands on the actual study I would be interested to see what the actual implications are.
Diane E. D'Angelo
/ November 14, 2010After 25 years of mostly vegetarian eating, I switched back to meat in 2001. I’ve noticed a distinct calming effect when I eat beef; in fact, when I have a particularly stressful day or haven’t slept well the night before, I find eating beef is quite grounding. That said, there’s a distinct peer and cultural pressure around women’s eating habits. No wonder some of us gorge at home alone when no one’s watching….
Tammy McLeod
/ November 15, 2010Great point on the bingeing Diane. I bet you’re right about that.
Tes
/ November 15, 2010I absolutely agree that there are such things like men menu and women, menu….
Men really love meat, aren’t they?
For some reason I think women eat lean and light food becuase of the weight issue… 🙂
Tammy McLeod
/ November 15, 2010I think that could be part of it but I also think it’s a complicated issue. As Diane points out, there are social pressures. Some of it is cultural too.
Lisa H
/ November 15, 2010When cooking for a mixed crowd of men and women, I definitely plan on dishes that are different than if I were only cooking for women. After some thought, I’m not sure if it’s a cultural thing, or if it is just that I know what the men in our particular circle prefer. Like you, I would be interested in reading more about the study.
As for lunch, I had a wonderful spiced pumpkin soup with a healthy dollop of sour cream stirred in at the end. Perfect for our fall weather which has finally made it to Phoenix!
Tammy McLeod
/ November 15, 2010Yes, I have a pumpkin sitting here that needs to find it’s way into the oven tonight.
Kristen (swanky dietitian)
/ November 15, 2010First off, that picture is hysterical!!!
I do agree that men typically more the meat and potato eaters.
I do think women will eat lighter foods (salads, etc) due to the taste factor but largely due to women constantly monitoring their weight.
Tammy McLeod
/ November 15, 2010I agree Kristen. I buy into the weight argument.
Simply Life
/ November 15, 2010ha, that is a pretty funny picture! 🙂
Tammy McLeod
/ November 15, 2010Yep
LL Cool Joe
/ November 15, 2010I don’t really believe in gender differences myself. I believe there are differences, as in so called “male traits” or “female traits” but I think those traits, (and tastes in food) and can be found in bio men or women.
Tammy McLeod
/ November 15, 2010ok, bio men or bi-men? I don’t think there is any rule and agree that all traits can be found in both sexes – just not universally.
bethfishreads
/ November 15, 2010I love the Moosewood cookbooks — the newer books are less fatty but all are good. I loved the photo and thought that photo alone would make a great Weekend Cooking post. I was chuckling so much, my husband had to come by and see what was so funny.
Tammy McLeod
/ November 15, 2010That’s the way I felt about the photo too Beth. It captured so much without a single word.
sweetlife
/ November 16, 2010have fun at the baby showers, how funny I always crave a men menu…but I do think women always think twice about what they eat..men they just go for it…love that pic, wish I was munching on a turkey leg for lunch…a simple chicken soup istead
sweetlife
Tammy McLeod
/ November 16, 2010I DID get that impression from your last post!
Sophie
/ November 16, 2010A grand & lovely picture,..ahahahahahaha!! My husband & I differ a lot in food tastes. He is a true meat person & I am not so. But we eat vegetarian 3x/week & he loves it!
Tammy McLeod
/ November 16, 2010Sometimes I can say the say but tonight my husband is not pleased with the okra curry. He wants wings!
Joanne
/ November 16, 2010Interesting thoughts on the food divide among genders. I love quiche and the only time I’ve seen my hubby eat it is when I don’t serve anything else.
Lunch: I love my salads, with a little rice and protein of some sort (fish or veggie burger). Nothing varies much when it comes to lunch.
Tammy McLeod
/ November 16, 2010I have taken to scrounging around the office! Today, nuts, mashed potatoes and sauteed veggies. Not bad.
Sharon
/ November 16, 2010Ha, ha, love the photo!
I have to agree with Hannah that food is social, cultural and acquired.
Tammy McLeod
/ November 16, 2010Yep and there’s research to support it.
nancy at good food matters
/ November 17, 2010First of all, the photo made me laugh so much, I had to come back later to read the post. But it reminded me of a funny experiment I did, when I had a cafe, and we were trying to entice a crew of construction workers, working long-term in our neighborhood. It was semantics really. They thought our food was too chi-chi, or girly, but when we renamed certain dishes
i.e. Boeuf Bourguignon became Beef Tips, Chicken Mushroom Chardonnay became Chicken Supreme Casserole
the men lined right up and dug in!
Tammy McLeod
/ November 17, 2010Aha! Good field investigative research! I love it and I did not know you used to have a cafe.
bucklandfarmtoday
/ November 17, 2010That is a nice photo—but if we eat food with characteristics we’d like to associate with ourselves, why am I always reaching for the nuts?
Tammy McLeod
/ November 17, 2010Ha! ha! I guess I can’t comment on that.
shrinkingthecamel
/ November 18, 2010Great photo!
I have a hard time believing in food-gender differences, since my wife is a huge meat and potatoes woman, and I love a good quiche and have a big problem with craving chocolate and sweets and cakes. The bottom line is we both love food, of all types. Including quiche.
But it’s an interesting idea… You could also look at advertisers to see how they handle the marketing of food, if certain foods are advertised with a more feminine (yogurt) or masculine (beer) approach. Then again, I like yogurt and don’t touch beer.
Tammy McLeod
/ November 18, 2010I don’t think these things are universally applicable but I think they are interesting to think about and the point you raise about marketing is a good one. Nancy at Goodfoodmatters seems to have some experience from her cafe-ownership years when she changed the names of various entrees and found that it had an effect on who ordered them.
A S
/ November 18, 2010Interesting post. I have never observed such differences in India. Both genders eat the same kind of food. Only thing – women who primarily cook and serve food in India tend to serve their men larger and better portions. Other than that, not much of a difference. I think you will find this to be true not only in India (and Egypt), but in most other Asian countries. Not sure about the African countries…
Americans seem to be much more conscious of gender differences in food and also drinks. Wonder why…
Tammy McLeod
/ November 18, 2010I thought about mentioning the gender differences of drinks a bit more as I did find some interesting stuff about it. I think that Bradley summed it up in his comments about marketing and then Nancy was able to test some stuff out in her cafe. All fascinating stuff and really fascinating for me since I was trying to find something to write about to support a photo. It’s a good exercise.
isathreadsoflife
/ November 19, 2010Chocolate and Swiss cheese;) ? That sounds like home to me ! I will try your recipe definitely, thanks again for all the goodies you share with us. In this country chocolate is eaten almost as much by men and women. You should see our stores just now, weeks before Christmas… just too much of it. Like everything else. What I ate today was a local Winter salad : cooked potatoes, carrots and beets, olive oil and lemon juice, I added some cumin, coriander and curcuma, salt and pepper and I ate it with some mackerels. Strange ? Delicious, I tell you 🙂
Tammy McLeod
/ November 19, 2010Your salad sounds good to me. I haven’t had mackerels in a very long time.
Posky
/ December 4, 2010In what context?
Seems like the crazy kind just based solely on the photograph.
Tammy McLeod
/ December 4, 2010certainly the photo is an extreme representation but apparently there is some research to support the concept. And with anything, there are thankful exceptions.