Leisure and Food

Leisure and food seem to be a natural fit, but the recent, unprecedented focus on all aspects of food has not been reflected in the field of leisure studies. This book is the first to combine these vital aspects of human interest by exploring the interface between leisure and food in a number of areas. For example, it examines sports nutrition products, which straddle the boundary between junk and food. It also looks into hosting sustainable meals, and what eaters can learn about sustainable food choices and food citizenship. It visits ethnic restaurants and inquires about the authenticity of eatertainment experiences from both the supply and demand side. And it takes up gardening, while investigating questions of food security, social capital, gardening narratives and the role of place. The book concludes with a dynamic reflection that sums up these leisure and food practices and sites, and challenges us to continue these debates.

This book was published as a special issue of Leisure/Loisir.

Heather Mair teaches in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada. Her research interests include critical investigations of leisure in the context of community-building, which includes food, sport, and tourism.

Jennifer Sumner teaches in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at OISE/University of Toronto, Canada. She has co-edited Critical Perspectives in Food Studies, writes about food and learning, and teaches a course called The Pedagogy of Food.