Mauvais à regarder, bon à penser: food porn between tastes and disgust

Abstract

The “gastromaniac” era is characterised by a process of diffused aestheticisation. Such a process has extremely extended the boundaries of classical iconography, which was already rich in references to the food universe. As a result, both exaltations and blames of good – or rather bad – tastes have progressively become the keystone of most gastronomic experiences. Hence we need to investigate the ways and forms of such a process, as well as the aesthetics and forms of life that it promotes. Furthermore, it is interesting to explore how it de- and re-semantises the food act, sometimes even denying it – that is, de-constructing it in order to rewrite its syntagms and paradigms, as well as its passional configurations and valorisations. Drawing on existing literature and the analysis of relevant case studies, this paper deals with different forms of representation of both taste and disgust in order to identify the new forms of actoriality and community ties promoted by the so-called “food porn”. Ultimately, it aims to describe the effects of meaning of such processes and their consequences on everyday gastronomic experiences.