Moments of Hospitality: rethinking hospital meals through a non-representational approach

Abstract

Hospital meals have increasingly become part of the political and scientific agenda of the welfare discussions in Denmark and other European countries. This article employs nonrepresentational theory to analyse hospitalityscapes in order to explore opportunities for adding value to the hospital meal experience. By drawing on performative ethnographic research carried out in two Danish hospital wards, this article explores how hospitalityscapes are socio-materially constructed. The research strategy was based on performative participant observations, visual ethnography and semi-structured interviews. The empirical data reveals how the daily atmosphere could be changed by social activities such as a dancing nurse, or through artefacts such as meatballs or napkins in disruptive micro-events, creating a possibility for different hospitalityscapes manifested in cultural, humorous or social performances. The article suggests that a focus on disruptive micro-events might create opportunities for hospitalityscapes and add value to future hospital meal experiences.