The Postmodern Condition and the Commodification of Cuisine

In the postmodern condition and the commodification of cuisine, the theory of Jean Francois Lyotard is used to define the postmodern condition. Using the seven common themes found in postmodernism, a textural analysis of cultural artifacts is undertaken of the equal representation, multiplicity and simulacra found in the lives of three chefs (Charlie Trotter, Wolfgang Puck and Alice Waters), within restaurants and through menus. The study is based on the combination (fusion) of independent theories established by Pierre Bourdieu regarding cultural capital and habitus, Jean Baudrillard regarding sign/symbol and simulacra and Fredric Jameson regarding media reality and simulacra. Using the three independent theories, the study looks at how postmodern society struggles in its acquisition of image enhancing cultural capital, in the conspicuous and vicarious consumption of commodified forms of postmodern cuisine