Abstract

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the French Government imposed a strict lockdown from March 17^th to May 11^th 2020. These extraordinary times challenged the social norm of commensality, a practice that is particularly strong and engrained in France. How has lockdown impacted meal-sharing habits? How have the rules and norms of commensality withstood the weakening of social bonds caused by lockdown? Based on a qualitative study of 20 socially diverse households, this essay proposes a typology of adaptive commensal eating patterns: 1) Eating together can provide reassurance by reproducing ordinary routines or by enacting food traditions; 2) Tinkering with lockdown rules leads to creative new forms of commensality, or to an ersatz of commensality; 3) Sharing every meal with the same people can trigger the rejection of commensal practices. These patterns may also represent possible phases in the experience of lockdown, since some individuals shifted from one pattern to another. The final part of the paper discusses the very nature of the social link highlighted through the lens of commensality.

摘要

在Covid-19大流行期间，法国政府从3月17^日至5月11^日实施了严格的封锁2020年。这些非凡时期挑战了礼仪性的社会规范，这种习俗在法国尤其盛行并根深蒂固。封锁对用餐共享习惯有何影响？礼貌的规则和规范如何抵御锁定造成的社会纽带削弱？在对20个社会不同家庭的定性研究的基础上，本文提出了一种适应性的共有饮食模式的类型学：1）一起吃饭可以通过重现常规习惯或制定饮食传统来提供保证。2）修改锁定规则会导致创造性的礼仪新形式，或导致礼仪的摆布；3）与同一个人共享每顿饭会引发拒绝礼仪行为。这些模式也可能代表锁定经验的可能阶段，因为有些人从一种模式转变为另一种模式。本文的最后一部分讨论了通过礼貌的视角突出显示的社会联系的本质。