ANTHMETH Anthropological Methods

Session 2 Exercise: Participant Observation

14.10.2022

Food Etiquette at UCL Refectory

Write up

- Research setting and methods used

- Observations
- Analysis
- Conclusions

Consumption is the goal in the UCL refectory; in the case of both money and food. Having
loaded up my baked potato with tuna, cheese and sweetcorn, I proceeded to the altar of
payment. I had made a mistake. Cheese and tuna fit the category of ‘potato toppings’, but
sweetcorn was ‘salad’. The cashier was very patient and charged me for another topping,
but didn’t hesitate to explain that I should have been charged almost four times the price.
Nonetheless, payment was the last apparent barrier to entry into the space, and I was
handed my napkin to show my right.

Due to the consistent inflow and outflow of people, it feels as if there is a time limit to your
eating period. The impression is one of quick turnaround of lots of paying customers; it is a
financial endeavour. This is at odds with most people’s priorities in the space, which is not
just eating, but socialising. Typically, people were sat with friends or colleagues and
conversing throughout their meals. The pressure comes once the meal is finished, and the
question arises of how long you can stay with no food on your plate.

Many eating habits were observed, from eating over the plate and keeping your mouth
closed as you eat, to the type of cutlery you use. The presence of the cutlery and plate imply
that one should be sat at a table, and the way people use and hold their cutlery varied
widely. In some cases it appeared to merely depend on the food they were eating, in others
it seemed to be a personal preference. There is an awkwardness over spilled food – peas
being followed around a table to reinstate them back in their rightful place on the plate and
a muttered apology from the participant.

Most food etiquette, in a British context, seems to be based around not wanting to seem
rude. It is about being courteous and respectful, but also about not being obscene or
unhygienic. Further to this, certain manners seem to have a functional root, such as eating
with your mouth closed to avoid spreading germs, whereas other manners are less clear,
such as how one holds cutlery, which is seemingly more rooted in cultural norms than
functionality. Etiquette is therefore a kind of language, one that displays that you belong, or
makes clear that you do not.