“Rather uncharacteristic of an Englishman to criticise plain food”: Invoking category entitlements in food assessments

Discursive psychologists have shown how food assessments serve a variety of functions during mealtime interactions. Anthropological studies attest to the cultural significance of food and eating practices as reported through interviews and ethnographies. This study extends these literatures by studying food assessment in small talk on a social media platform. The data comprised 53 posts selected from an extended discussion on Twitter of a traditional south Indian dish which provoked a furore of media responses. Conversation and discursive psychological analysis showed how the initial food assessment was warranted and challenged by mobilising category-related knowledge and entitlement. In addition, cultural categories and humour were used to dismiss the permissibility of making an assessment. We conclude that the cultural significance of a particular food and the entitlement to assess it are practically accomplished, and that online small talk provides a useful context to study how and thereby make a novel contribution to the literature.