Gentrification refers to the process where middle and upper-class citizens start inhabiting urban and under-developed neighbourhoods, thus rendering the area “popular” (Anguelovski 2015:1210). This leads to increased rent and living costs which consequently forces former and poorer residents to leave their homes and communities. This situation usually applies to the inflow of white citizens and the outflow of minority residents. These underprivileged residents become displaced because they can no longer afford to live there. One might think that gentrification ends here but more than one type of gentrification exists. It no longer just applies to the domain of property but the recently, the world of cuisine; and it is called food gentrification. The notion of…show more content… This creates an increase in demand for the products, and per the laws of supply and demand, the price also increases. Therefore, a previously affordable staple food, that was traditionally affiliated to and consumed by a specific group of people, is suddenly financially inaccessible. This research paper will be a development of my Pecha Kucha argument surrounding why hot dogs are an example of food gentrification. The rebranding and transformation of hot dogs to gourmet hot dogs incorporate elements related to food gentrification, specifically foodies, omnivores, authenticity, exoticism, democracy, and distinction. Ultimately, food gentrification is sociological because at its core it creates a significant social impact; it is a phenomenon that results in the inequality of a particular group through the intentional or unintentional food practices that benefit another. Hot dogs are a lower and working-class product that was rendered “trendy” and turned gourmet by middle and upper-class persons that comprise the foodie
