Episode 372: Lustful Appetites

Feb 18, 2025

Rachel Hope Cleves, a history professor at the University of Victoria and award-winning author, delves into the tantalizing ties between food and sexuality. She discusses how women's appetites have been seen as reflections of their sexuality and the historical shift of restaurants from erotic spaces to dining spots. Cleves also explores the unique association of gourmet cooking with gay culture and how cooking has served as a tool for seduction. Plus, she examines the modern social media landscape where food and sex continue to intertwine.

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

Dining and Desire: Exploring Gender and Sex Work

02:53 • 16min

Gourmet Trends in Gay Culture

18:45 • 6min

The Evolution of Seduction Through Cookbooks

24:33 • 3min

Exploring the Tempting Connection Between Food and Sex

28:02 • 5min

In the previous episode, we discussed the history of food and sex, which turns out to be a truly fascinating topic! Today, we’re diving even deeper into the subject. We’re going to explore how diet culture became a way of suppressing female pleasure, how interest in fine food came to be associated with being gay, why French food has a particularly strong association with sex, and more.

I am joined once again by Rachel Hope Cleves, a professor of history at the University of Victoria and a member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada. She is the author of four award-winning nonfiction history books and one science fiction novel. Her latest book is titled “Lustful Appetites: An Intimate History of Good Food and Wicked Sex.”

Some of the specific topics we explore include:

Why did a woman’s appetite for food become a barometer for her sexuality?
When did restaurants shift from being places people primarily went for sex to places people went for food?
Where did the association between gay men and gourmet cooking come from?
How did cooking become a tool for seduction?
How is the connection between food and sex playing out today on social media?

You can check out Rachel’s website to learn more about her work.

Got a sex question? Send me a podcast voicemail to have it answered on a future episode at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology.

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