What Does Vanilla Sex Taste Like & Do Leather Daddies Eat Meat?

“Eating is often a site of erotic pleasure itself, what I call, as a means of signaling the alignment between oral pleasure and other forms of nonnormative desire, queer alimentary… the mouth and the genitals function as coeval sites of erotic intensity… both can be overstimulated, and indeed sensual indulgence at one of those sites inevitably drives the appetitive needs of the other.” (Tompkins, 5)

These words grabbed my attention immediately and provoked an investigation of how the site of the mouth evokes pleasure as well as being a site of queer nourishment. When queer theory enters the conversation, the discussion often revolves around sexuality. When eating is sexualized, the body becomes a material manifestation of the shifting dynamics of class, gender, race, and sexuality. Tompkins argues that what we ingest, where we ingest, and how we ingest informs our identities. With this knowledge, eating then has the ability to challenge how we think about queer identity formations. The term “eating someone out” fetishizes the act of eating genitalia. We classify more innocent sexual acts as being “vanilla”.  If eating creates who we become, then gustatory motifs perpetuate dominant narratives and social constructs. Alimentary and the sexual have fused to eroticize consumption and shifts between the lines of identity.

“In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, writer and activist Michael Pollan describes food commodities as “an economic abstraction,” … instead of buying or selling a particular bushel of corn, traders buy or sell a bushel of corn that meets certain grading standards. Those standards might specify some combination of size, moisture content, level of insect or other damage exhibited, color, or origin. But within those standards, commodities are “without qualities; quantity is the only thing that matters.” (Newman, 11)

This particular passage struck me because it highlights how food commodification does not place a price based on how delicious a product is but valuing large quantity that meets specific standards that do not reflect flavor. I feel there is a major disconnect between how our food is produced, and the quest for quality food that is tasty. Safeway may sell organic carrots, but how can we be reassured that the carrots we throw into our grocery cart will taste sweet with a great crunch? Will they taste soapy and make you wish you had picked out some mouthwash? Can the mass production of agricultural goods ever bring  the consumer fresh produce that is at the height of flavor? How can we advocate for quality food that factors in flavor? What price are we willing to pay for the satisfaction of something pure that tastes exquisite?

News Media:

Looking for healthy fast food? Try Taco Bell

“Taco Bell, the home of a Doritos-wrapped taco, could actually help you keep your New Year’s resolution to eat healthier when you dine out this year.The fast-food chain has made a series of changes over the years, from eliminating artificial flavors and trans fat to the low-calorie ‘Fresco” menu and reducing sodium across the menu by 15% since 2008.”

Taco Bell has found a way to market themselves to consumers who are in search of healthier food options, but willing to sacrifice quality for the sake of convenience and affordability.

Works Cited:

“Looking for Healthy Fast Food? Try Taco Bell.” USA TODAY. Accessed January 18, 2017. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2017/01/05/taco-bell-may-healthiest-fast-food-option-out-there-doritos-taco/96204454/.

Newman, Kara. The Secret Financial Life of Food: From Commodities Markets to Super Markets. New York: Columbia University Press, 2013. Print
Tompkins, Kyla W. Racial Indigestion: Eating Bodies in the 19th Century. New York and London: New York University Press, 2012. Print