A special journal issue presents 13 essays on American foodways and eating habits. The essays examine the sensory aspects and social dimensions of preparing, serving, and eating food and include resources and methods of study. Questions raised in the proloque of this issue concerning food choice, concepts and assumptions, and the ramification of such research, are addressed. While drawing on prior studies on the historical, geographical, and cultural influences on foodways and eating habits, the essays emphasize aesthetic considerations and the uniqueness of behavior in individuals, and show that preparing,serving, and eating food often provide a basis for social interaction and communication and constitute a source of associations and symbolic structures.

The essays essentially focus on 3 themes: sensory-driven practices; the social dimension of eating; and methods used in assessing human selection and food consumption behaviors.