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      Commodified Identities: The Myth of Italian Food in the United States

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      Journal of Communication Inquiry
      SAGE Publications

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          Abstract

          This study approaches the phenomenon of ethnic food—in particular, Italian food—from a semiotic perspective, keeping in mind the notion of food as communication. The restaurant chain Fazoli’s is used to exemplify some of the communicative strategies employed to promote the association of a company and its products with Italy. These communicative strategies serve the ultimate goal of commodifying the Italian ethnic identity and promoting its symbolic consumption. Through a semiotic analysis, the article identifies a core group of seven themes that constitute the basic structure of the myth of Italian food in the United States. The analysis highlights an unobtrusive use of stereotypes, a mass phenomenon of identity construction, and the depletion of a cultural capital. At the same time, it is recognized that the myth has some positive aspects—namely, the celebration of personal relations (romance and family) and the enjoyment of a more expressive and slow-paced lifestyle.

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          Most cited references28

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          Consumer culture and postmodernism

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            World Development Indicators 2002

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              Image, Music, Text

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Journal of Communication Inquiry
                Journal of Communication Inquiry
                SAGE Publications
                0196-8599
                1552-4612
                October 2004
                July 21 2016
                October 2004
                : 28
                : 4
                : 307-324
                Affiliations
                [1 ]University of Kentucky, Lexington
                Article
                10.1177/0196859904267337
                febda5f3-c04a-4223-9a9c-9c919ccfd1f1
                © 2004

                http://journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license

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                Genetics
                Genetics

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