THE kind of research Valerie and Gerald Mars undertake gives food-lovers plenty to swallow. They study culture and society by what and how people eat.
''Food has always defined society. It can be used to separate people or control them,'' said Gerald Mars, a British anthropologist.
Gerald and his wife Valerie, an historian, were in Hongkong recently to give a lecture and seminar at Hongkong University. She lectured on food, and he on cultural theory. Gastronomy is their vocation.
She's in the middle of writing a magnum opus on the dining habits of Victorians. ''In upper-middle class Victorian society, food was used to control children,'' said Valerie. ''Since children are unpredictable and parents didn't want something unexpectedto happen, they forced children to learn manners before they were invited to the dinner table with adults. Victorians structured everything.'' Gerald collaborated with his wife on a recent project - a year-long study of 37 families in urban and suburban London. She wanted to learn how people in the same income bracket regarded food and dining.
He applied research methods and classified people into four groups according to the way they related to food and mealtimes: the enclavists, traditionalists, the competitive eaters and fatalists.
Enclavists. Vegans belong to this group. They are people who are almost defensive about food. They are anti-authority and believe the world is against them. Seating at mealtimes is random and there's always a place for everyone.