The way that we prepare, serve and eat food is a powerful reflection of our way of life. It involves social ritual as well as aesthetics, technology and functional issues. Every step of the process is shaped by design - from the way that food is presented to the utensil used in its consumption. This text examines the different aspects of design involved in the obsession with food, with illustrated essays devoted to such issues as the design of supermarkets, the rise of the designer restaurant, the design of the kitchen, and the semantics of food.