At Holiday Feasts, More Memories--And More Vegans

AT HOLIDAY FEASTS, MORE MEMORIES--AND MORE VEGANS -- Maybe tofu turkey won't do for Grandpa or Aunt Mary, but, as more and more people eschew eating meat for moral or health reasons, family cooks are apt to think even more carefully about what they serve on their holiday tables. That's a trend away from how humans have historically eaten, says Temple food psychologist Thomas F. Shipley. "People have shared meals for as long as they have cooked, and they would generally eat the same foods," says Shipley, who teaches an undergraduate course on the psychology of food. "Rules of what one can and cannot eat have historically served to keep groups together and separated from others. In part, that's because what one eats has moral implications about the eater." While family chefs have more challenges than years ago, menus still don't vary much--and that's by design, says Shipley. "Holiday meals tend to be the same from one year to the next. Mostly, that's because having the same foods brings back emotional memories of earlier happy occasions--happy because they were likely childhood memories and happy because the foods eaten during the holidays contain chemicals that may alter moods for the better."