Nostalgic Cooks

Another French Paradox
Erscheinungsjahr 2005
ISBN: 978-90-04-14346-3
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 97, 314 Seiten, Format (B × H): 162 mm x 241 mm, Gewicht: 585 g

Reihe: International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology

Why is it that in France, a country renowned for its gastronomy, chefs tend to develop a nostalgia syndrome? Having been taught how to work in the most prestigious restaurants, they soon discover another reality in everyday restaurants or cafeterias: chefs have to cope with family constraints and are often forced to accept positions in standardized organizations that leave little room for daily inspiration. Feeling the burden of their professional commitments, these chefs are considered as having made an egotistic professional choice, both by society and the French educational system. With this in mind, their identity is distorted, regardless of possible improvements in working conditions. This book analyses vocational identities in French foodservices in their different stages and diversity, using international and inter-industry comparisons in the sociological field of professional groups.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Weitere Mitwirkende

Mériot, Sylvie-Anne

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Wirtschaftssoziologie, Arbeitssoziologie, Organisationssoziologie
• Technische Wissenschaften Sonstige Technologien | Angewandte Technik Sonstige Technologien

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
Introduction

1. Historiography of Foodservices and the Food Industry
The History of Cooking: a Skill That Originated in the Home
The Birth of Restaurants During the Revolution
Restaurants and Foodservices in the 19th and 20th Centuries

II. A Cook's Place in Today's Foodservices Industry
Sectorial Characteristics in Foodservices
Subcontracting and Self-Operated Management: the Two Facets of Institutional Foodservices
The Cook's Location and Employment Status

III. Professional Identity: Beyond the Skills Required
Modes of Apprehension for the Skill-Identity Relationship
Roots of Professional Identities
The Methodology of Analyzing Dominant Professional Identity

IV. Identity Formation and Personal Paths
Building Identity: Domestic and Social Experiences
The Educational System's Efforts to Preserve What They Call the Trade of Cook
Other Forms of Learning and Social Recognition for Cooks

V. A Conflicting Secondary Socialization
Status and Image of the Professional Branches of Foodservices
Jobs and Development of Labor by Type of Organization, in the Foodservice Industry
Identity Construction within the Activity in Foodservices

VI. The Dominant Identity of French Cooks
Identity Positioning Between Situations and Representations
Critical Analysis of Sociological Models for the Analysis of Professional Identity

Conclusion

Appendices
Appendix 1: Foodservice Work Contexts
Appendix 2: Survey Methods
Appendix 3: Glossary

List of Tables, Graphics and Text Boxes

Bibliography
Books and Theses
Reports
Reviews

Index of Terms and Professional Organizations

Über Autor(innen)

Sylvie-Anne Mériot, Ph.D. in Sociology (2000), EHESS Paris, is a Research Sociologist at Céreq (Centre d'études et de recherches sur les qualifications) in Marseilles, France. She has worked on several government projects, and has played an important role in various reforms, especially in the French education system.