Utility

As I may have mentioned in a previous post, one of the possibilities I'm considering is pursuing higher education in the field of Economics. It was my major in undergrad and I absolutely loved it. I have become obsessed with food and nutrition since then so I am also considering pursuing that, but I realized recently that I can combine those two interests. I could study food marketing and production in an applied or agricultural economics program. It could work out very well... only I know next to nothing about the field.

Anyway... the point of this entry. Economics is a very curious social science that does its best to quantify choices... which can be very difficult to quantify. One of the tools economists use is this very general term known as utility... or the pleasure and individual takes from certain consumption decisions. It seems as though this might be a great way to account for preferences and everything else, but the problem is, who really knows why they enjoy all of the things they do? I've been applying this idea a lot and trying to figure out why I do the things that I do (in regards to food that is) and what motivates me to make healthy decisions while many other people make very different decisions.

Example: Tonight I had an eggplant "curry-like" dish with tofu for dinner. (Contains the following - eggplant, onion, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes, garlic, and indian spices). To be honest, it was kind of tasteless... definitely not bad but definitely not spectacular. Regardless of the finished product, I was so excited to have made it. I told all of my coworkers that I made eggplant curry and I looked forward to reheating the leftovers and tasting the mediocre meal again today. Despite the taste, I took great pleasure from that curry which means that my utility from eating is not derived purely from taste.

Now, this is going to be far from a definitive list, but here's where I think my food utility comes from:

Nutrition - There were lots of different veggies in my curry... meaning I ate a more varied diet this week than I would have without that dish. Plus, there wasn't anything "bad for me" in my curry. That made me feel like I was doing something great.

Exploration and culinary growth - I learned a new way to cook eggplant (roast it in the oven for a while and then scoop the insides into a dish of your choosing)... this makes me feel as though I'm actually becoming a better cook.

Productivity - If I've had a tough day at school, nothing will improve my mood more than making something with my hands. I like being productive; I feel good about myself when I can do that. Cooking is a great outlet for that type of stuff.

Taste - of course I want something that tastes great in addition to all of the above.

I suppose that this is something I need to do some more research on, but the economic concept of utility very complex. The pleasure I take from food is very complex... I can't imagine trying to analyze the pleasure everyone else takes from food. Are there any patterns? Are these innate preferences of have I been shaped by my surroundings? Basically, why do I eat the way I do and why do others eat the way they do?

Research suggestions appreciated.