Food is an important and endlessly fascinating lens for social and cultural analysis - not only for anthropologists, but also for scholars of history, literature, cultural studies, political economy, and public policy. In recent years the enduring significance of food research has been visible in the increasing number of university courses devoted to food. Food is a central idiom for understanding cultural practices and for teaching about culture on many levels. Rather than replicating an anthology of classic writings on food or the anthropology of food, this title brings the study of food to its next level - as a vehicle for addressing larger themes that are emerging in social anthropology: globalization, capitalism, new market economies, and consumption practices. The book offers an ethnographically informed perspective on the ways in which people use food to make sense of life in an increasingly interconnected world.