Food as a Status Symbol — Part 2: Main Course

Our obsession with documenting the food we consume is far from a contemporary phenomenon. Instead, we can find its roots dating back to European art, where artists for centuries have meticulously crafted images of food and individuals partaking in meals. These depictions often served to illustrate a message, ranging from the symbolic representation of biblical narratives to interpretations of religious messages. These artistic renditions also subtly, and sometimes overtly, highlighted food as a marker of social status and wealth. If you ever find yourself wandering through the halls of a European art museum, you will encounter an array of such imagery. The paintings feature arrangements of apples or pears, with almost life-like detail. Also prevalent are scenes depicting aristocratic figures indulging in gluttonous amounts of food, where these seemingly innocuous culinary depictions frequently serve as metaphors. They can symbolise the concept of sin, illustrating humanity's inherent struggle with temptation and the profound lack of self-control that can lead to moral transgressions. Floris Claesz van Djick - Still-Life with Fruit, Nuts and Cheese, 1613. Source: The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. Beyond morality, the depicted exotic foods symbolised the subject's elevated social standing, power, privilege, and access to luxuries often gained through colonisation and imperialism, which their religion conveniently overlooked as sin. Thus, eating in art transcended physiology, a visual commentary on human nature, moral dilemmas, and food's role in social hierarchy. The Pre-Instagram Era: Before social media transformed dining into performance art, status through food operated in more intimate circles. Expensive restaurants served as exclusive spaces where business deals were sealed and social hierarchies reinforced. The ability to secure reservations at prestigious restaurants, knowledge of the right wine pairings, or familiarity with certain cuisines functioned as cultural passwords among the elite ( let’s put a pin in this - we’ll come back to it later on) . Restaurant critics, on the ot…