Autoethnographical Writing Concerning Eating Habits

It is often pointed out to me when eating out with friends just how selective I can be when it comes to food. This may be true, but when it comes to foods I refuse to eat, it often has very little to do with the actual taste of it. For example the only meats that I will happily eat are; Chicken, Beef Pork, Lamb and Turkey. In addition to my selective tastes I will also only eat certain parts of an animal, avoiding any organs such as the Liver. Any other animal that I am offered, I will flatly refuse. I find it difficult to even be in the presence of those eating such animals, that as far as I am concerned are not meant to be food. For example I recently refused to go with my brother and his friends for a meal to celebrate his 18^th birthday, simply because they had chosen to go to an Australian restaurant, simply for the fact that it sold Kangaroo meat, which the thought of eating I refuse to entertain.

I believe that there are two main factors that contribute to my attitudes towards which animals I will or will not eat. The first factor is if there is a possibility that I will encounter this animal face-to-face, for example it is unlikely that I will encounter a live chicken in my everyday life, but there is quite a chance that I may encounter an animal such as a duck or rabbit, and so I would refuse to eat them. The second factor that I believe to influence these eating habits, is if the meat in question is commonly available in restaurants or supermarkets, continuing with the example of Kangaroo meat, it is not a common option and as a result is not something I would even remotely consider trying.

My Areas of Interest and Module expectations

After studying Sociology for three and a half years now (two years of A-level, and currently into the second year of my degree), I have developed particular interests in a variety of area of social life. The most prominent of these interests are the studies of Religion, Media, Sexuality and other sites of Social in equality, such as Gender, Ethnicity and Class. In addition to this I also study criminology alongside sociology, as I find crime to be an extremely interesting social phenomenon.

After having a teacher at A-level who placed a great emphasis on research methods, I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge through looking at new areas within the subject and expanding my understanding topics I have previously covered. One thing that I am excited about during this module is the assessments, well as excited as one can be about such things. But the methods of examination in this module are different from anything that I have encountered so far in my degree or outside of it, and I feel that this will allow me to adapt to a new challenge instead of battling through another dull essay.