Research Question : The variation in eating habits between male and female students entering a restaurant at lunchtime.
Key Variables
Food: The meals that students prefer to order in the restaurant during lunch hours.
Eating habit: The particular order or combination of meals and beverages that students request on their arrival at the restaurant.
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Hypothesis
Female students are likely to go for French fries and chicken while the males are likely to order steak and boiled potatoes.
Observations
The particular restaurant which I conducted my observation is known as “Eat Well” located near Pace University in New York. Most of the people visiting the restaurants during the lunch hours are students from the university. The hotel is a single large room divided into various sections depending on the type of food. It also has a large cashier area where customers make their orders. The building is located in a strategic position off the main street leading to the university. As a result, this makes it accessible to all the students. Some of the most common types of foods sold in the restaurant include chicken, fries, steak, hamburger, pizza, and barbecue, amongst many others. The students can also buy a wide array of beverages, including soda and energy drinks of different kinds.
I visited the hotel on a typical Wednesday afternoon at around 12.59 PM. The premise was almost full by the time I arrived. From a rough outlook, the average age of the people inside the restaurant was 23 years. Most of them were carrying bags and files indicating that they were students. However, there were few older people scattered throughout the restaurant. The tables were wooden and well-furnished while the chairs looked comfortable from far. Another significant aspect that I noticed was the high number of waiters and waitresses dressed in red and white uniforms. After keen observation, the number of girls seemed slightly higher than that of the boys. In every three girls, there seemed to be either one or two boys. I thus concluded that the number of girls was almost twice that of the boys.
In terms of the race, there was almost a sense of balance. However, whites seemed to have had the edge, especially considering the males. They were closely followed by Hispanics and then the African Americans. I was unlucky not to meet any Asian such as a Chinese or Japanese. Considering the prices of the food, all the persons visiting the hotel were either from the middle or high class. The cheapest food was sausage, and it cost $3. This is comparatively expensive given that in other restaurants, a sausage would go for about a dollar. The quality of the food could be anticipated by the sweet smell emanating from the kitchen. The services were good, and all the attendants were hospitable. I concluded that this is a classy hotel meant for middle-class people who cherish taste and class.
Hypothesis
From the hypothesis, the assumption was that most females would go for French fries and chicken for lunch while the males would opt for steak and boiled potatoes. At exactly 1.20PM, the entire premise was packed to capacity, and this gave me the much-needed impetus to test my hypothesis. I sampled five tables from different corners of the room. Each table had a maximum of two people. Therefore, the total number of people based on gender that I sampled included 6 females and 4 males. 3 out of the 6 females were taking chicken and fries for lunch. The other three took foods other than the fries and chicken. 2 out of the 3 males that I sampled consumed steak and boiled potatoes. Regarding eating habits, females preferred combining their meal with fruit juice. On the other hand, the males went for sodas such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Each gender preferred asking for a dessert which was mainly composed of fruit salad after their main meal. Therefore, these observations supported the main hypothesis of the research.
Sociological Theories
The first sociological theory to explain the food choice is known as the economical household model. According to the theory, price is a significant factor that affects an individual's food choice. People will have a tendency to go for foods which they can comfortably afford. It is in this regard that people will eat in different places based on their financial ability. The second theory is known as the random utility model. According to the theory, “consumers choose the product with the most desired set of attributes from a set of alternatives” (Gorton & Barjolle, 2013). For instance, females went for chicken and French fries because the combination guarantees the best culinary benefits compared to others. The third model is known as the theory of reasoned action (TRA). According to the theory, the behaviors of an individual depend on an individual's pre-set values. For instance, males went for high proteins and carbohydrates because they believe they are energetic and want to remain that way for the rest of the afternoon. The fourth model is known as the food choice process. It takes into account several factors, such as external influences. For instance, girls might want to go for French fries and chicken because it looks girlish. It is an external influence emanating from other girls.
In conclusion, both my inductive and deductive observations are in unison with one another. This is because the hypothesis has been supported by the completed research. Therefore, males and females have distinct eating patterns, as described in the hypothesis.
Reference
Gorton, M., & Barjolle, D. (2013). Theories of food choice. In Food Consumer Science (pp. 15-26). Springer, Dordrecht.
