“The Gentleman who pays the Rent” Pork and Its Role in Defining Cultural Association
Colm Folan

Introduction
Food is life, and life can be studied through food. (Counihan and Van Esterik) There is no doubt of how important food is to society. Our very civilizations are based on the search for food, shelter and security. Anthropologists have studied food as a social construct, as a means of observing social relations within and without the household or social structure. The growing of food or the seizing of food supplies was the foundation of many civilisations. Food is the commonest denominator, in every society, food reaches everyone, it is a mark of who we are, and a means of how we see, identify and differentiate ourselves1. Our age, ethnicity, regionality, and our families, habit and custom, determine what we eat. It is also determined by what we earn, our social scale, our religious belief, and in modern times, more and more by mass media.

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