Professor Josée Johnston was recently featured in a CBC Radio Ideas documentary The Restaurant: A Table Divided. Produced by Michelle Macklem and Zoe Tennant, the documentary examines how the institution of the restaurant reflects the nature of our social world. Along with food historians and restaurateurs, Professor Johnston weighs in on the role of the restaurant in today's society. Professor Johnston is a specialist in political and cultural sociology and is, together with Professor Shyon Baumann, author of Foodies: Democracy and Distinction in the Gourmet Foodscape. In the podcast, she discusses the impact of economic inequality on displays of status in today's restaurant culture. Listen to an excerpt below and the full episode here.
"Inequality has become so extreme that there is a backlash to people who display their wealth and status too overtly."