Culture Wars on Food: How Political Identity is Shaping the Way We Eat

On a balmy Sunday afternoon at SXSW, Hans Schrei, one of the two men behind the Austin-based Wunderkeks cookie company, and Andrea Hernandez, the Honduras-based food-industry doyenne of Snaxshot fame, sat down to talk about how political identity is shaping the way we eat.

Andrea Hernandez and Hans Schrei gab knowingly about food, culture, identity, and the dialectic of yum (Courtesy of BRNNR)

And they talked up a knowledgeable storm, these two culinary movers-and-shakers, bringing their insider knowledge and human perspective to the topic, noting the way that food choices – especially when conspicuously consumed – can be markers of a person’s social tribe, political leanings, economic class, and other things beyond just I’m-eating-this-because-I’m-hungry-and-it-tastes-good-to-me.

“This session,” as the Festival notes pointed out, “will explore the question, ‘How do more socially progressive brands thrive or survive in a conservative environment’?”

By giving consumers – the younger ones just coming up, in particular – what they want in the way of overall effect, is at least one of the answers. By offering products that, in addition to imparting flavor and sustenance, are less harsh to the environment, are sustainably produced, and are from companies that are good corporate citizens. Especially by offering products that might or might not be particularly healthy but are transparent in their intent – without trying to sucker a person in with promises of, say, full body detox or adaptogen-fueled nirvana.

The trend of “functional food” promotion, Hernandez said, has already fallen out of favor with the younger generation. (Note: If anyone knows what’s fallen out of favor with the younger generation, it’s probably this passionately frank Queen of the Snaxbois.) Because food is food – it’s not medicine. Because, like, sometimes a potato chip is just a potato chip, right? It doesn’t need to potentially prevent COVID or lower the risk of some form of cancer, but it’d still be great if the chips were sourced as locally as possible, with fair labor compensations, and also had some hella cute packaging.

Food, ultimately, as food.

“Where it comes from and how it’s made is important,” said Schrei. The people are important and the ingredients are important, as is the way it’s all marketed. “But, at the end of the day – and, yes, I make cookies for a living – sometimes you just want a good cookie.”

Culture Wars on Food: How Political Identity is Shaping the Way We Eat

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