Sneaky Signs

PUB SIGNS

Have you ever noticed that you can be completely oblivious to something before you actually start to look for it? 

Today, I stopped to notice all the signs that can be seen in Camden on the walk from the tube stop and where I'm housing for the semester, which takes only about 10 minutes. Most of them advertise food.

Not surprising, since Camden is a bustling hub of bars and restaurants. What's really interesting is the rhetoric that these cute and seemingly harmless pub chalkboards and menus were using.

As I snapped some pictures, I realized the deeper meanings these food ads were communicating. Some establishments boast their "famous" fish and chips, all-you-can-eat buffets, bigger portions for less money, free wi-fi, good service, good times...the list goes on. 

In other words, these signs make strong associations that exist beyond just the customer and the food. Within the space of one small sign, they're drawing a definite correlation between the quantity of food you eat and the quality of friendships you'll have. They imply your restaurant experience will lead to a greater life experience, if only for the time you spend at the pub.

The beginning of my investigation has me contemplating how interdependent food is with other aspects of our lives. If we didn't have the basic necessity to eat or drink, I wonder what would take the place of social gatherings based around food. Would we watch more TV? Be on our phones more? God forbid, go outside?

People are social creatures. Do these sneaky signs add a sort of cultural pressure to eat more, have more friends, and go out more? Am I going to be sad when I get back to my room and eat hummus with a spoon alone in my bed? Both are burning questions on my mind. 

Here are some of the pictures I captured along my walk...

Bucks Head Pub, Camden

Reads "Famous" above Fish and Chips

& "Cask Marque Approved" below Real Ales

The Oxford Arms, Camden

Suggests a mutually constitutive relationship between a good pub and a good life

Technology-integrated Eating

Top: "21 Day Aged British Beef"

...much better than 20 Day Aged, obviously 

Oriental Buffet, Camden

The paper on the door reads:

"Special Offer on Larger Container"

A Blog About Eating

Welcome to Chicken Fingers For The Soul, a blog about EATING!



I decided to do something I've fantasized about for a while now: take my maiden voyage out of the country. And what better way to try something new than to blindly invest thousands of dollars in it for five months? I landed in London last month, ready to hit the ground running.

During all the time I have in between, I wanted to start a blog about something I also frequently fantasize about: food. I don't want to talk about my favorite foods, or your favorite foods (though I'd love to hear what those are). I want to explore all of the reasons why we eat. 

You may be thinking, "We eat to avoid a painfully slow death, Laura!" True, but there are certainly other reasons that we mere mortals seek the eating experience. Say you have a research paper on a Russian novel due in two hours. If you're like me, chances are you haven't read the book yet. If you're really like me, then chances are you haven't purchased the book yet either. Food can feel like a quick and magical release—the second something salty, sweet, crispy, or warm touches our lips, it can feel like salvation from the outside in.

But where does the connection between food and emotions even come from?  I'm pretty sure Tolstoy never tried a Big Mac, which is a greater tragedy than even he could write. Could a part of the reason be the constant influx of food messages we're receiving?

It seems to me that I'm in a pretty lucky position, coming from the US to the UK. Having spent my whole life in the States, I know that McDonald's tells me "I'm Lovin' It," Burger King sways me by telling me I can "have it my way," and Subway, a restaurant full of processed and salted meats, claims I can "eat fresh." Are food advertisements so resonating (and inaccurate) in the UK, too?

Since I like to consider the US the rebellious teenaged offspring of the UK, perhaps the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

...Let the binge (of information) begin!