You are what you eat
This saying seems to have been around for a long time. There is a German version, and the great nineteenth century French cookery writer Brillat-Severin wrote: 'Tell me what you eat and I'll tell you who you are.'
The phrase became popular in English in the 1960s and 1970s as a way of encouraging a healthy diet. It asks you to think whether you want lots of fats and chemicals going through your body. You are supposed, reasonably enough, to decide no, and turn to nutritious whole grains and fruit. Nowadays you might also decide you would prefer organically grown vegetables and meat.
Brillat-Severin's comment, however, is even more insightful. It is true that if you had a list of what someone ate you could guess a great deal about them. Lots of rice - East Asian. Large amounts of beef - North American. Raw fish - Japanese. Chilli - could be Thai or western Chinese. French fries, pizza and Coke - a teenager?
Our food choices tell people who we are, what culture we belong to and probably what age group. Food is very important for the self-identity of some groups of people, certainly the French. Food is also tied to festivals. The taste of mooncake would instantly take your mind to the mid-Autumn festival, and the British cannot see a turkey without thinking of Christmas (though an American would think of Thanksgiving). We are what we eat, and what we eat is who we are.
Shake a leg
