Eating Burgers at Mcdonald\'s Diners

Eating Burgers at McDonald's Diners

In this study, the researcher examined eating styles to determine if outward characteristics, including sex, age, dress, and companionship were correlated to dining style. The subjects studied were diners at a McDonald's restaurant from 12pm-1pm. In addition, all of the diners studied ate hamburgers of some type. Although males seemed more likely to take large bites than females, and females seemed more likely to tear their food into pieces than males, there did not seem to be a correlation between the other variables and eating style.

Anyone whose mother has ever told them to "mind your manners" knows that how a person eats gives outsiders an impression about those people. Therefore, one would expect to find a correlation between eating style and other outward indications of manners, including type of dress, gender, age, and whether one was dining alone or with company. For example, one would anticipate that people who were dining alone would eat food in a less observant manner than people dining with company. In addition, one would expect people in business clothes to be more observant of table manners than people in casual clothing, because the business people are presumably on a lunch break from work while dining. Furthermore, there has been tremendous discourse about the decline in manners, leading one to expect sloppier eating habits in the young. Of course, manners are not the only thing indicated by eating style. Given that there is tremendous gender disparity in this country, one would expect to find differences in how the genders approach eating. Stereotypes would suggest that men would be more aggressive in their eating styles, perhaps by taking larger bites. Likewise, stereotypes would suggest that women would eat in a more timid manner, perhaps by taking smaller bites. Therefore, it seems that outward characteristics, such as sex, age, dress, and companionship would be correlated to dining style.

Discussion

In order to determine whether eating styles were correlated to outward characteristics, the researcher observed people eating lunch at a McDonald's restaurant, during the traditional 12pm-1pm lunch hour. Only people who ate burgers were observed, because different menu items might naturally lend themselves to different types of eating styles. Diners were checked for specific characteristics, including: gender, approximate age, style of dress, whether they were eating alone or with companions, and how they ate their burgers. If gender was not clearly apparent, the person was excluded for the survey. Dress styles were separated into four categories: casual clothing, which included jeans, shorts, capri pants, and athletic clothing; business clothing, which was represented by traditional office attire; and urban clothing, which was casual clothing with more stylish touches, including large jewelry, more risque clothing cuts, or any clothing featuring a musical artist; and princess, which included one child who was wearing a princess dress. Eating styles were examined to see if the diners ate their burgers across or around, and whether they took large or small bites. However, many diners were observed tearing their burgers into small bites and then eating those bites, so that classification was added during the observation.

Overall, females were slightly more likely to take small bites than large bites. Of the 13 females observed, six took large bites, and seven took small bites. Of those that took small bites, three of them tore their burgers into pieces, then ate the pieces. Five females ate their burgers across, five females ate their burgers around, and three of the diners ate their burgers in the aforementioned tearing method. Males were slightly more likely to take small bites than large bites. Of the 12 males observed, seven of them took small bites, while five of them took large bites. Only one male ate his burger torn into pieces, only one ate his burger around, while 10 of the males ate their burgers across.

Age appeared to be correlated to one specific type of eating behavior: tearing the burger into bites. Of the people who tore their burgers into pieces, two of them were very young children. The other two were either older teenagers or very young adults. No person over the age of 20 tore their burger into pieces to eat it. However, age did not seem correlated to whether a person ate a burger across or around. Most people ate their burgers across. In fact, of the 25 people observed, 15 of them ate their burgers across, and the age of those diners ranged from 10 to 65. There did not seem to be an age-pattern with the people who ate their burgers around, either; they ranged from age 10 to age 50.

Companionship seemed to be correlated with the tearing style of eating. Both children who ate their burgers torn into pieces were obviously with adult companions. However, the other two diners who ate their burgers torn into pieces were also with companions; in fact, they were dining together. Therefore, it seems like tearing the burgers into bites might be correlated with dining in a group. However, companionship did not appear to be correlated with whether someone ate their burgers across or around. Of the 15 people who ate their burgers across, three of them were dining alone, while 12 were dining with companions. Of the six people who ate their burgers around, one was dining alone, while five were dining with companions.

Style of dress did not seem to be linked to any particular dining style, though casual style dominated at the McDonalds. Of the 25 people observed, 14 of them were dressed casually, six of them were dressed in business attire, four of them were dressed in urban attire, and one of them was dressed like a princess. Of the six people who ate their burgers around, three were dressed casually, two in business attire, and one in urban attire. Of the 15 people who ate their burgers across, nine of them were dressed in casual attire, two were dressed in urban attire, and four were dressed in business attire. However, the tearing style of eating might be correlated to flashier styles of dress; of the four people who tore their food into pieces, one was dressed in an urban style, one was dressed like a princess, and two were dressed casually.