The book seeks not to present a detailed history and discussion, but instead is intended to provide the student with an appreciation of the idea that all cuisines of the world have something unique to offer to a menu. The author strongly believes that foods of other nations (and even other areas of the United States) are too often given short shrift by culture-bound students and chefs, and that every attempt should be made to open their minds to the unlimited possibilities available. The word foodism is introduced to refer to biases against foods outside your culture."

This volume represents a range of disciplines - linguistics, psychology, cognitive and computer science, and acoustics. The contributors offer a spectrum of viewponts on the possibility that aspects of speech may apply to language learning.