Of Palates and Politics: New York City as a Case Study

Extract

Is it possible that despite the many studies of political leadership that social scientists have overlooked the most obvious determinant of politicians' behavior?

Right under their noses all along, so to speak, was what I shall call, for want of a better descriptive title, the Food Connection. You are what you eat, health food people say, and this aphorism may disclose an entirely new area of study, a new subfield for political science. It certainly merits investigation.

The possibilities are tantalizing. Is there a correlation between gastronomical and political style and success? Does digestion determine decision-making? What, in fact, is the connection between a politician's head and stomach.

Consider the importance of such psychology of food. American presidents have already been analyzed as psychological types. Now astute observers could also arrange them into epicurean categories. If food input does affect political output, a study of their eating habits could increase our understanding of their performance in office.