The Taste of Gentrification: Difference and Exclusion on San Diego’s Urban Food Frontier

In a context where culture has become a key determinant of the economic success of cities, food and taste have emerged as symbols of neighborhood transformation and powerful tools of urban renewal. According to Bourdieu (1984), taste reflects identities, reveals differences, and reinforces class positions. Similarly, food distinguishes places, giving some neighborhoods character and value, while stigmatizing others as food deserts or food swamps, characterized respectively by the absence of healthy food or the abundance of so-called junk food (Joassart-Marcelli and Bosco 2018a). In contested places, debates about food and taste—including those taking place online on social media platforms