Choice Cuts
Choice Cuts investigates the social constructs of gender as they are informed by Western food traditions. The production, preparation and consumption of food is uniquely informed by identity. Through the
examination of local cuisine, we can determine economic and social structures as well as the political leanings of a community. Looking beyond the nutritional aspects and traditions of regional recipes, Choice Cuts questions who prepares the food and who is at the table. Sherrie Inness defines “kitchen culture” as “the various discourses about food, cooking, and gender roles that stem from the kitchen but that pervade our society on many levels,”. Phenomenon such as the gender coding of particular food items, colloquial terms like “breadwinner”, and targeted advertising solidify hierarchical power structures that relegate females to domestic spaces and males to industry. The drawings in this series examine how food traditions reinforce these traditional gender roles.