Authors

• Finnish Literature Society. Archive

Keywords

cooking, culture, customs and traditions, dietary habits, everyday life, food, food and nutrition, food preparation, lifestyle and health, shopping, special diets

Abstract

The data consists of diary texts of Finnish people in which they describe their food-related choices and experiences on Friday 21 April 2023. The food diaries provide information on what is part of Finnish food culture and culinary tradition in the 2020s. The food diaries included information on, for instance, what food they bought, made and ate on that day. The food diaries often reflected the current debate around food.

The writings included what the respondent or his or her family ate and drank at different meals on that day, at what time and with whom. Respondents described what ingredients and foods were purchased from the store and the reasons for their choices. Respondents also frequently reported which foods they avoided or preferred as part of their diet, and which foods they prepared themselves on the day of the study. Respondents were also able to point out if they encountered any discussion about food in the media or discussed it with someone during the day. In addition, the respondents described the perceptions, thoughts and feelings that food evoked on the day. In their writings, respondents discussed issues such as food price, quality, health, weight control, ethics of food production, availability of food ingredients, special diets and the importance of food. Finally, respondents often assessed the typicality of that day's meals compared to other days. Respondents were also asked to mention in their text if they took part in the 'What did I eat today?' call for entries in 2013. If they so wished, they could also reflect on whether anything had changed in their eating habits in the last ten years.

Background information included the respondent's gender, year of birth, occupation and place of residence. The data were organised into an easy to use HTML version at FSD.