For instance, the author analyzes the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (chapter one) and the Atkins diet (chapter two) through the work of the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. The outstanding feature of the book is that popular culture examples such as movies, magazines and novels always support the theories. Therefore, those curious about neurosciences can read the first chapter readers interested on the social and cultural construction of what can be or cannot be eaten can focus on chapter two and three those interested in issues of body shaping can read chapter four readers interested in race stereotypes represented through food in popular culture can jump to chapter five and those interested in culinary tourism can go directly to chapter six.

In fact, portions of the chapters have already been previously published in academic journals and edited books. Issues of consumption form the common thread throughout but, having gone through the introduction, readers can read each chapter independently according to their main interest. The book delves into representations of food in popular culture and is divided into six chapters, looking at the relationship between food and: 1) brain, memory, and senses 2) ingestion, digestion, and refusal 3) politics of production, distribution, and consumption 4) body and diet 5) body and race and 6) tourism. Food studies is an interdisciplinary field into which Bite Me by Fabio Parasecoli fits cozily.