Food as a Marker of Cultural Identity and Social Class in Contemporary Multicultural North American Literature

How are food habits shaped by cultural background and social class position? And what do these entanglements of food, class, and culture reveal about the status and integration of ethnic minorities in Canada’s and US-America’s multicultural societies? Applying a comparative North American perspective to the innovative field of literary food studies, this insightful analysis argues that food’s connection to issues of class and cultural identity makes it a prime arena for crystallizing social hierarchies and questions of belonging in multicultural North America. Taking a critical look at food producer and consumer constellations, hierarchical perceptions of cuisines, and popular designations of mainstream North American vs. exotic foods, this study highlights how matters of class, race, and culture manifest themselves in the North American culinary world. An in-depth analysis of six novels and one short story by Chinese and Black North American authors shows how Canadian and American writers draw upon food themes to illustrate their characters’ class and cultural identities, and how they use these connections between food, class, and culture to paint a critical picture of the acceptance of diversity in Canada and the United States.