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Articles on Tastes of a Nation

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Food tattoos run the gamut of knuckle tattoos to cake mixers. Peter Woodman/Flickr

Kitchen ink: foodies, chefs and tattoos

From images of knives to cupcakes, foodies are increasingly etching their identity on their skin. And for chefs, tattoos are markers of non-conformity, self promotion and resilience, as a new book testifies.
Is ‘voting with your wallet’ an ethico-political act or an illusion? Shutterstock

The limit of labels: ethical food is more than consumer choice

Food labels aren’t just nutritional information anymore: they’re moral statements about everything from fair trade to palm oil. But let’s not confuse shopping with effective political action.
We talk about food with moralising – and judgemental – language. Shutterstock

Tastes like moral superiority: what makes food ‘good’?

Locavore, freegan, kangatarian, flexitarian … what we eat has become a moral minefield. Religions have long enforced food-related prohibitions, but in a secular context we could do with a little less moralising at the kitchen table.
Mike Segar/AAP

Dude food vs superfood: we’re cultural omnivores

Two very popular – and seemingly contradictory – food trends are gripping Australia at the same time. Ultra healthy and extravagantly indulgent eateries are actually fulfilling the same elite-driven desire for food that’s creative, hand-made and rare.
How many Australian children know what meat is before it shows up on their plate? Shutterstock

‘Mummy, where does steak come from?’ How Australian families talk about meat

We’re a nation of meat eaters but city dwellers may have trouble discussing the origin of a steak with their offspring. And though there are programs teaching children how vegetables grow, there aren’t too many that involve raising an animal for food.
Non-Indigenous Australians have been ignoring native food options for hundreds of years. David Gray

Can we be Australian without eating indigenous food?

Australians will happily eat boat noodle soup with beef blood stirred through it or stinking tofu – but not quandongs or akudjura. Yet overcoming ‘food racism’ and eating native produce could be a powerful act of culinary reconciliation.

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