title: Cultural specificity in food choice - The case of ethnography in Japan.
abstract: Previous studies examining food choice from a cross-cultural perspective were based primarily on quantitative research using the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). This study suggests ethnography as a complementary research method in cross-cultural food choice studies. While use of the FCQ resulted in findings of cultural differences in food choice processes, within a preliminary motive list, ethnography allows the exploration of new, possibly culture-specific motives for food choice. Moreover, ethnography allows a deeper understanding of the cultural background of food choice processes in a studied culture. Using Japan as a case study, this research demonstrates the use of ethnography to argue that variety is a primary motive for food choice in contemporary Japanese culture. Variety is hence regarded here as a part of a larger food culture attribute, an "adventurous palate," which can also provide a background for previous FCQ findings (Prescott, Young, O'neill, Yau, & Stevens, 2002).
authors.affiliation: The Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: irithf@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Irith
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Freedman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D002648:Child; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D012107:Research Design; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cross-cultural research; Ethnography; Food choice; Food variety; Japan