When Was The Last Time You TREATED Yourself?

Although not restricted to food, I would argue that the majority of ‘treats’ are food based. However, in M&S ad style, this is not just food, this is treat food. The OED has no actual definition for “treat food” but has many variations on the word “treat”, one of them being: “Something highly enjoyable; a great pleasure, delight, or gratification.”. This suggests that it is a ‘one’ off. But the idea of the treat food interests me immensely, when did food become a ‘treat’ and not an essential part of our lives? For this post, I would like to focus on the idea of the treat and the idea that something is “especially for you” and argue that this food is, frankly, integral to us staying sane.

The idea of the treat food seems to be almost banned from the vocab of any diet and yet there are always the ‘healthy treats’ (let’s be honest, they’re never the same as a slice of cake). However, regardless of how hard we try, the idea of a ‘treat yourself’ society is ever growing and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. I have come up with a few suggestions as to why this is a new ‘trend’ and what it could mean for our idea of the shared dish. First, society has more money, as we know society has grown significantly and for this reason most families have more disposable income, and therefore more money to treat themselves. With the population’s family size decreasing that means we can use the money we have left over to treat (ahem, spoil) those that make the cut. When speaking of the change in the homemade versus eat out meals, Burnett argues: “Thirty years on, the way we eat now has been reshaped by a series of social changes. A fundamental shift has taken place in household formation towards smaller size, so that in 1999 the average household contained only 2.4 people – half what it was in 1900... Meals which were formerly geared to a large number of mouths to be fed, especially in poorer families… It has also been argued that a family meal in a restaurant for parents and children, as well as representing a treat, helps to promote family solidarity in a period when this is under threat. (13). Therefore, it appears that the treat, to be treated and to treat is fundamental to the connection between both family and relationships and perhaps it is not about the family becoming weaker through individualist ideas, but about the idea of the time spent together while having these newly available treats.

Therefore, due to ever changing societal norms, it appears that the wave of the treat isn't going anywhere fast, so we might as well all enjoy it while it lasts!