You are what you eat: the politics of eating in the novels of Margaret Atwood

Nate's subordinate position in his relationship with Elizabeth is epitomized by the fact that he does all the cooking. He even feels an impulse to nourish Elizabeth's lover, Chris. When Chris begs Nate to persuade Elizabeth to get a divorce and move in with him, "Nate wants to give Chris something, some food, what?" (235). However, while Nate is powerless in relation to Elizabeth, he likes to dominate his girlfriends. When he asks Lesje to lunch, she orders "the cheapest thing on the menu, a grilled cheese sandwich and a glass of milk. She listens, eating in small bites, concealing her teeth" (62). Whereas Lesje feels self-conscious eating, Nate voraciously devours his sandwich: "He bites into a piece of turkey, chews; gravy traces his chin" (64). His choice of meat compared to Lesje's choice of cheese subtly suggests his predatory nature. This image is compounded by the way he sits looking at her picking a bread roll to pieces. Nate also insists on paying for the meal. The power he subconsciously reveals in his eating practice is reflected by his financial power. When Nate moves in with Lesje, his domination is signaled by his control over what she eats:

At least she's eating better since Nate moved in. Nate is making her eat better. He brought some cooking pots with him and he usually cooks dinner; then he supervises while she eats. (238)

Lesje is powerless in her relationships with both William and Nate. This is conveyed by the fact that she eats very little and frequently refuses food. She often misses lunch or just has a cup of coffee, and when she does eat she only has sandwiches or bran muffins (usually stale). Whenever food is on offer, "she herself doesn't feel like eating right now" (142). This is epitomized in the dinner-party scene. Elizabeth invites Lesje to dinner because she suspects she is having an affair with Nate. She dominates the evening and deliberately tries to intimidate Lesje, who is so uncomfortable that she is unable to eat anything.

The significance of food in sexual politics is illustrated by the fact that most meetings in the novel take place over meals. The pervasive image of rotting food and the pervading aura of rancid decay it emanates powerfully evoke a sense of the unhealthiness of relationships based on the pursuit of power. The leftover boeuf Bourguinon destined for the garbage can symbolizes the decayed condition of Elizabeth and Nate's marriage, and when Chris, reluctant to accept the termination of his affair with Elizabeth, confronts Nate, he smells of "faintly rotting meat" (234).

Rennie, in Bodily Harm, is another of Atwood's powerless heroines. Rennie is controlled by her boyfriend, Jake, who tries to change her to fit his ideal. He moves into her apartment, decorates it, hangs pictures of naked women over the bed, makes Rennie wear erotic clothes. He physically exerts his authority through sadomasochistic sex. Jake's power is reflected by food.(1) He controls what they eat just as he controls everything else in the relationship. When he leaves, Rennie realizes, "From now on she would have to decide what to eat. Jake decided before: even when it was her turn to cook he decided" (235).