Tabak Tasarımı ve Tüketici Yemek Davranışı İlişkisi: Kuramsal Bir Model Önerisi (The Relationship of Plating and Consumer Food Behavior: A Theoretical Model Proposal)

Abstract

Since the first taste starts in the eye before the mouth, the aesthetic properties of food directly affect the consumers' food perceptions. The moment a meal comes to the table, an idea is formed in the mind of the consumer about both the taste and the liking of the food based on its appearance, without tasting it. Moreover, together with the food, elements such as the service containers, the tableware used, and the feeling of the environment on the person also play a determining role in how consumers' food behavior will be shaped. Is it enough to explain this situation only in terms of external appearance? How do these perceived visual properties affect consumers' food perceptions? This study, which sprouted with the power of such questions, advocates the existence of a number of theoretical approaches in shaping the consumer food behavior with the model it puts forward. In this sense, when the empirical and conceptual studies on the subject in the literature are examined, some theoretical approaches such as (i) artistic inspiration, (ii) transfer of senses, (iii) environmental psychology, (iv) neophobia and (v) culture come to the fore. This background, which is dealt with separately in the literature, is addressed with a holistic approach in this study. As a result, it is aimed to establish the theoretical basis of the exciting relationship between visual aesthetics and consumer food behavior and to develop the relevant literature.