Final answer:
Spices improve the taste and appeal of foods by enhancing natural flavors and offering health benefits. While debates on sustainability favor reducing meat consumption, meat pleasure is a strong factor in consumer habits.
Step-by-step explanation:
Foods taste better with spices, such as salt, pepper, and other seasonings, because they enhance the natural flavors of food and may stimulate appetite. In addition, spices like pepper can induce sweating in tropical climates, helping to cool the body down, and may have had historical uses for preventing the growth of microorganisms in food.
For example, fruit sauces and jellies, beverages, baked goods, cured meats, oils and margarines, cereals, dressings, snack foods, fruits, and vegetables often contain added spices or seasonings to improve their taste and appeal. Spices like pepper, chili, and ginger not only enhance flavor but also offer potential health benefits and have been used since ancient times for their preservative properties.
In terms of meats, while some advocate for a vegetarian or vegan diet for sustainability and ethical reasons, meat remains a highly valued food category. Studies by Lusk and Norwood have highlighted how much pleasure humans take in consuming meat, and it's an important consideration in conversations about food sustainability and consumer habits. Dishes like the Philly cheesesteak, though high in fat, are part of our food traditions and demonstrate our sometimes complex relationship with high-fat foods, which we need in moderation for good health.