Another 'food' related topic. I have, as I mentioned in a previous post, been thinking quite a bit about food lately. I am interested in the changing eating habits of our societies. The issue of ill-health, growing obesity, allergies, etc. seem to be shifting our consciousness towards food, and drink. Pepsi have just launched a new product in the UK--Pepsi Raw, a 'natural' version of their famous soft-drink. I don't drink soft-drinks, well, the occasional Orangina, but generally don't like them, but in our world, the soft drinks business is unbelievably strong.
This is what the blurb about the new product declares,
"Traditionally, Pepsi contains fructose corn syrup, sugar, artificial colourings, phosphoric acid, caffeine, citric acid and natural flavours.
In comparison, Pepsi Raw has only natural ingredients including apple extract, plain caramel colouring, coffee leaf, tantaric acid from grapes, gum arabic from acacia trees, cane sugar and sparkling water.
It is paler in colour and less fizzy than other cola brands."
Over here in the US, you can now get coke infused with vitamins, coffee and just about everything else. This new trend towards 'healthy' drinks seems to be emerging in the face of growing concern over health issues and over artificial ingredients--the long-term effects of which are largely unknown. I always find it bizarre that a statement about a products negative effects on laboratory rats would be something we would consider putting in our bodies!!
The ads for the Pepsi Raw are predictable--lots of nakedness--physical abandon, post-coital connectedness...one more time that sex sells, or they hope it does. I wonder if there is a theology of food ready for discussion here--we've had theologies of play, joy, liberation, gender, etc. why not food, it does feature pretty heavily in judeo-christian religious experiences?
