Moments at the table: an overview of eating and commensality practices among university students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29147/revhosp.v22.1207Keywords:
eaten practices, commensality, hospitality, young students, qualitative analysisAbstract
Commensality transcends the act of eating, involving cultural and symbolic practices that reinforce identities, sociability, and socialization. Considering contemporary social changes, understanding its new configurations and practices becomes relevant. This study investigates the practices of commensality among university students in the urban context of São Paulo. The goal is to explore food choices, offering a broader view of this phenomenon. This is an exploratory descriptive study based on qualitative empirical research consisting of focus groups, using Bardin's (2011) categorization method for content analysis. This study outlines a general overview of the food practices of university students, separated into four categories: everyday, hedonic, individual commemorative, and collective commemorative practices; the criteria for choosing practices include routine compatibility, company, price, and food preparation. Establishing categories for further in-depth analyses. It was concluded that the trend toward the individualization of eating practices was observed in the group of university students studied, despite commensality practices being maintained and valued, especially during hedonic and commemorative moments.
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