‘If the Food Looks Dodgy I Dinnae Eat It’: Teenagers’ Accounts of Food and Eating Practices in Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Families

This paper examines how young teenagers living in socio-economicallydisadvantaged families perceive everyday food and eating practices within thehome. From in-depth interviews with 36 Scottish teenagers aged 13-14 years, weanalysed teenagers’ accounts of contemporary ‘family meals’. We found that foodand eating practices were negotiated amidst complex family arrangements withextended, resident and non-resident kin. Parents were often reported to providefood ‘on demand’, a flexible arrangement which seemed to reflect both teenagers’and parents’ lifestyles and personal relationships. Teenagers often contestedthe consumption of particular foods which sometimes reflected and reinforcedtheir relationship with a biological or non-biological parent. Teenagers coulddifferentiate themselves from others through their food preferences and tastesand food consumption therefore helped shaped their identity. Many teenagersclaimed that parents set rules regarding food and eating, thereby creatingboundaries within which their consumption choices had to remain. We discusswhether and how these findings are a reflection of the socio-economic status ofthe participating families and conclude that exploring food and eating practicesis a powerful lens for the examination of family life.