Junk Food in Literature and Art (Symbolism, Representation)
The Symbolism of Junk Food in Postmodern Literature: Emptiness or Comfort?
In postmodern literature, junk food often symbolizes the superficiality, mass production, and perceived emptiness of consumer culture. Conversely, it can represent fleeting comfort, nostalgia, or a character’s inability to find deeper meaning, serving as a complex, often ironic, motif.
In Don DeLillo’s White Noise, the characters’ consumption of brand-name junk food in the gleaming supermarket aisles highlights both the comforting familiarity of consumerism and a deeper, underlying spiritual emptiness. The colorful packaging masks a hollowness, a common postmodern theme.
Analyzing Still Life Paintings Featuring Junk Food: A Modern Twist on a Classic Genre
Contemporary artists create still life paintings featuring junk food (candy bars, soda cans, fast food) as a modern twist on the traditional genre. These works can explore themes of consumerism, disposability, nostalgia, or the tension between high art and low culture.
Liam viewed a still life painting, not of fruit and wine, but of a half-eaten burger and a crumpled chip bag. The artist used the classic format to comment on modern consumption, transforming ephemeral junk food into a subject worthy of artistic contemplation, a true modern twist.
How Junk Food Represents “Americana” in Novels and Short Stories
Junk food items like Coca-Cola, apple pie (often the fast-food version), hot dogs, and hamburgers are frequently used in literature to symbolize “Americana”—a nostalgic or critical representation of American culture, identity, consumerism, and its global influence.
In Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, the characters’ consumption of apple pie and ice cream across diners nationwide isn’t just about food; it’s a taste of pure, unadulterated Americana, a symbol of freedom and the quintessential American experience, often tinged with a hint of melancholic searching.
Pop Art and Junk Food: Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans and Beyond
Pop Art, emerging in the 1950s, embraced imagery from popular and commercial culture, including junk food. Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans and Claes Oldenburg’s giant soft sculptures of hamburgers elevated everyday, mass-produced items to the status of high art.
Sarah studied Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s Soup Cans. By repeatedly depicting this mass-produced food item, Warhol wasn’t just painting soup; he was commenting on consumer culture, mass production, and the blurring lines between commercial products and art itself, a hallmark of Pop Art’s engagement with “junk.”
The Role of Junk Food in Dystopian Fiction: Scarcity, Control, or Rebellion?
In dystopian fiction, junk food (or its futuristic equivalent) can symbolize societal control (e.g., bland, rationed nutrient paste), scarcity of real food, a nostalgic link to a lost past, or an illicit act of rebellion against an oppressive regime.
In The Hunger Games, the lavish, artificial foods of the Capitol contrasted sharply with the scarce, foraged sustenance of the districts. The rich, colorful junk food symbolized the Capitol’s oppressive power and the districts’ deprivation, making simple bread an act of rebellion.
Junk Food as a Metaphor for Consumer Culture in Contemporary Art
Contemporary artists often use junk food imagery—its bright packaging, artificial ingredients, or association with overconsumption—as a potent metaphor to critique consumer culture, mass production, disposability, health impacts, and the seductive nature of modern capitalism.
Mark saw a sculpture made entirely of crushed soda cans, twisted into a grotesque form. The artist used this familiar junk food waste as a stark metaphor for the excesses of consumer culture, its environmental impact, and its throwaway mentality.
Character Development Through Junk Food Preferences in Literature
A character’s specific junk food preferences, or their avoidance of it, can be a literary shorthand to reveal personality traits (e.g., a slob who loves greasy pizza, an anxious person who stress-eats candy), social class, or internal conflicts.
In the novel, the meticulous detective always drank black coffee, while his chaotic informant constantly munched on stale donuts. These contrasting junk food (or anti-junk food) habits quickly and effectively helped establish their distinct personalities and approaches to life.
The Use of Junk Food Imagery in Poetry: Evoking Sensory Details
Poets sometimes use imagery of junk food—the crinkle of a chip bag, the sweetness of candy, the fizz of soda—to evoke strong sensory details, nostalgia, or to comment on themes of indulgence, childhood, or modern life.
Chloe read a poem describing the “sticky sweetness of a melting popsicle on a summer afternoon.” The vivid junk food imagery instantly transported her to a specific childhood memory, a testament to how such sensory details can evoke powerful emotions and experiences.
Sculptures Made From Junk Food Packaging: Trash to Treasure Art
Artists create sculptures using discarded junk food packaging—chip bags, candy wrappers, soda cans—transforming items typically seen as trash into thought-provoking works of art. These pieces often comment on consumerism, waste, and brand identity.
David visited an art exhibit featuring a life-sized human figure made entirely of flattened, sewn-together potato chip bags. This “trash to treasure” sculpture transformed disposable junk food packaging into a commentary on consumption and the sheer volume of waste we produce.
How Children’s Literature Portrays Junk Food: Lessons and Warnings
Children’s books may portray junk food as a fun treat (e.g., birthday cake), a source of temptation (leading to a lesson), or sometimes, more overtly, warn against its overconsumption and promote healthier choices, often through relatable characters and simple narratives.
In “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the wondrous junk food of Wonka’s factory is both a source of immense delight and, for some greedy children, a vehicle for their downfall, offering a fantastical exploration of both the allure and potential perils of overindulgence.
The Grotesque and aAbject in Art Featuring Decaying or Excessive Junk Food
Some artists use imagery of decaying, rotting, or excessively piled junk food to explore themes of the grotesque and the abject—disgust, mortality, overconsumption, and the unsettling underbelly of consumer culture’s promise of endless pleasure.
Anna viewed a photograph series depicting piles of maggot-infested, decaying fast food. The grotesque imagery was unsettling but powerful, forcing a confrontation with the waste and transience inherent in a culture of excessive junk food consumption. The abject made her think.
Junk Food as a Plot Device in Mystery and Crime Novels
In mystery or crime fiction, a specific junk food item—a half-eaten candy bar at a crime scene, a character’s peculiar snack habit, a poisoned soda—can serve as a crucial clue, a red herring, or a plot device that moves the narrative forward.
In the detective novel, the only clue left at the scene was a wrapper from an obscure, imported chocolate bar. This specific piece of junk food became a vital key, leading the detective down a trail that eventually unmasked the culprit, proving its worth as a plot device.
The Photography of Junk Food: From Commercial Ads to Fine Art
Junk food photography spans a spectrum from highly stylized commercial advertisements designed to sell products, to fine art photography that uses junk food समाजशास्त्रीय, or aesthetically, often to critique or deconstruct its cultural meaning.
Liam contrasted a glossy magazine ad for a perfect burger with a fine art photo series of that same burger decaying over weeks. Both used junk food as their subject, but one aimed to sell an illusion of perfection, the other to explore themes of transience and consumption.
How Graphic Novels and Comics Use Junk Food to Define Characters and Setting
Graphic novels and comics often use visual shorthand for characterization and setting. A character constantly eating a specific snack, or a scene in a greasy diner, can quickly establish personality, mood, or socioeconomic context through familiar junk food imagery.
In the graphic novel, the teenage protagonist was always drawn with a half-eaten bag of chips, symbolizing her laid-back, slightly messy personality. The recurring visual of this junk food quickly defined her character without needing much text.
The Juxtaposition of Junk Food and High Culture in Artistic Representations
Artists sometimes juxtapose iconic junk food items with symbols of high culture (e.g., a classical sculpture holding a soda can, a Renaissance-style portrait featuring a candy bar) to create irony, humor, or commentary on cultural hierarchies and consumerism.
Sarah saw a painting that recreated Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” but instead of a pearl, the girl wore a Cheeto. This witty juxtaposition of junk food and high art made her laugh, while also provoking thoughts on cultural value and modern icons.
Junk Food as a Symbol of Class and Social Status in Literature
In literature, food choices, including junk food, can signify social class. Characters from lower socioeconomic backgrounds might be depicted consuming cheap fast food, while wealthier characters might indulge in “gourmet” or artisanal versions of similar treats, or disdain junk food altogether.
In the novel, the working-class hero’s comfort meal was a greasy takeaway kebab, while the wealthy antagonist only consumed organic, artisanal dark chocolate. These differing junk food (or lack thereof) choices subtly underscored their contrasting social statuses and lifestyles.
The Ephemeral Nature of Junk Food Mirrored in Installation Art
Some installation art uses actual junk food, which naturally decays or is consumed during the exhibition. This highlights the ephemeral, transient nature of both the artwork and the junk food itself, often commenting on consumption and disposability.
Mark visited an art installation where a massive pile of brightly colored candies slowly diminished as gallery-goers were invited to take one. The artwork’s ephemeral nature, mirroring the fleeting pleasure of the junk food itself, was a key part of its message.
Satirical Depictions of the Junk Food Industry in Literature and Art
Writers and artists often use satire to critique the junk food industry’s marketing tactics, health impacts, labor practices, or environmental footprint, employing humor, exaggeration, or irony to expose perceived hypocrisies and absurdities.
Chloe read a satirical novel where the CEO of “SugarSparkle Corp” was a comically evil villain, plotting to get the entire world addicted to his new breakfast cereal. The exaggerated depiction humorously critiqued the real-world tactics and impact of the junk food industry.
The Role of Junk Food in “Road Trip” Narratives and Beat Generation Writing
In road trip narratives and Beat Generation literature, junk food (diner coffee, gas station snacks, cheap burgers) often symbolizes freedom, rebellion against conformity, a connection to the gritty reality of the American landscape, and fuel for spontaneous adventure.
David, reading On the Road, felt the characters’ constant consumption of coffee, pie, and cheap sandwiches in roadside diners was integral to their journey. The junk food wasn’t just sustenance; it was part of the raw, unfiltered experience of seeking freedom across America.
How Female Authors Use Junk Food to Explore Themes of Body Image and Desire
Female authors frequently use characters’ relationships with junk food (craving, restricting, binging, guilt) to explore complex themes of body image, societal pressures, disordered eating, self-worth, comfort, and female desire in nuanced ways.
Anna read a novel where the protagonist’s secret consumption of chocolate bars was intricately tied to her struggles with body image and a longing for comfort. The author used this relationship with junk food to delve deeply into the character’s internal emotional landscape.
The Color Palette of Junk Food and Its Use in Visual Art
The often bright, artificial, and highly saturated colors of junk food and its packaging (vibrant reds, yellows, blues, pinks) provide a distinct color palette that visual artists utilize for impact, symbolism, or to comment on artificiality and consumer appeal.
Liam, a painter, was drawn to the vibrant, almost lurid color palette of a shelf full of candy. He used these intense reds, yellows, and blues in his abstract work to explore themes of artificiality and the overwhelming sensory nature of modern consumer culture.
Junk Food as a Nostalgic Trigger in Memoirs and Autobiographical Fiction
In memoirs and autobiographical fiction, specific junk foods from the author’s past often serve as powerful nostalgic triggers, evoking vivid memories of childhood, family, specific places, or past eras, connecting sensory experience with personal history.
Sarah read a memoir where the author described the taste of a specific, now-discontinued, fizzy candy from her 1980s childhood. The detailed recollection of that junk food instantly transported Sarah back to her own youthful memories, a shared nostalgic connection.
The Representation of Junk Food in Political Cartoons and Social Commentary Art
Political cartoonists and social commentary artists often use easily recognizable junk food items (e.g., an oversized soda cup, a greasy burger) as symbols to critique issues like corporate greed, public health crises, political inaction, or societal overconsumption.
Mark saw a political cartoon depicting a bloated politician sitting atop a mountain of fast-food wrappers, ignoring a starving citizen. The junk food served as a potent visual symbol of excess, greed, and neglect, making a sharp social commentary.
How Science Fiction Literature Imagines the Future of Junk Food
Science fiction often imagines futuristic junk food as nutrient paste, synthesized protein bars, strangely flavored pills, or highly artificial but palatable concoctions, reflecting anxieties or hopes about food technology, resource scarcity, and societal control.
In the sci-fi novel, citizens subsisted on “Nutri-Cubes,” bland but nutritionally complete. The protagonist’s discovery of an ancient, preserved candy bar became a symbol of lost pleasure and individuality, a stark contrast to the utilitarian future of (non-junk) food.
The Use of Junk Food Brands and Logos in Contemporary Artwork
Contemporary artists incorporate recognizable junk food brands and logos (Coca-Cola script, McDonald’s arches) into their work to explore themes of branding, consumer identity, globalization, pop culture, and the pervasive influence of corporate imagery.
Chloe saw a mixed-media artwork that incorporated torn pieces of
Coca-Cola labels and crushed Doritos bags. The artist used these ubiquitous junk food brand elements to comment on the visual noise and pervasive influence of corporate branding in modern life.
Junk Food as a Symbol of Rebellion or Nonconformity in Young Adult Literature
In young adult (YA) literature, a character’s choice to eat “forbidden” junk food, or their rejection of “healthy” parental norms by indulging in snacks, can symbolize teenage rebellion, a desire for autonomy, or a nonconformist attitude.
David read a YA novel where the protagonist, feeling stifled by her health-obsessed parents, would secretly buy greasy pizza with her friends. This act of eating junk food wasn’t just about the food; it was a small, delicious symbol of her teenage rebellion and independence.
The Texture of Junk Food and Its Representation in Sculpture and Mixed Media Art
Artists use various materials in sculpture and mixed media to replicate or evoke the unique textures of junk food—the crunch of chips, the gooiness of melted cheese, the fluffiness of cotton candy—often to create visceral or tactile responses in the viewer.
Anna viewed a sculpture that used expanding foam and glossy paint to perfectly capture the airy, sticky texture of a giant, melting marshmallow. The artist’s skillful representation of that specific junk food texture made it both appealing and slightly unsettling.
How Fairy Tales and Folk Stories (Modernized) Might Incorporate Junk Food Themes
Modern retellings or new fairy tales might incorporate junk food themes: a gingerbread house made of snack cakes, a magic soda that grants wishes, or a character tempted by enchanted, hyper-palatable treats, reflecting contemporary food realities.
Liam wrote a modern fairy tale where Hansel and Gretel found a cottage made not of gingerbread, but of brightly colored candy wrappers and discarded fast-food containers, a commentary on modern excess and temptation. The junk food added a contemporary, slightly dark twist.
The “Forbidden Fruit” Trope: Junk Food as Temptation in Literature
Junk food is often used in literature as a “forbidden fruit”—an item that is restricted, considered unhealthy, or off-limits, thereby making it more desirable and a symbol of temptation, indulgence, and the breaking of rules.
In the novel, the dieting character obsessed over a single chocolate donut in the bakery window. It became her “forbidden fruit,” its allure magnified by its restricted status, symbolizing all the pleasures she denied herself.
Performance Art Involving the Creation or Consumption of Junk Food
Some performance artists use the act of creating, extravagantly consuming, or even destroying junk food as a central part of their work, often to provoke thought about consumerism, body image, excess, or societal attitudes towards food.
Sarah watched a performance artist slowly and meticulously eat an entire fast-food value meal while reciting statistics about obesity. The act of public, ritualized junk food consumption was both mundane and deeply unsettling, forcing the audience to confront their own relationship with such foods.
The Role of Junk Food in Depicting Poverty or Scarcity in Literature
In literature, a diet heavily reliant on cheap, low-quality junk food, or a character’s intense craving for a simple candy bar, can be used to powerfully depict conditions of poverty, food insecurity, or scarcity, highlighting a lack of access to nutritious options.
Mark read a story set during a famine, where a child’s most treasured possession was a single, stale biscuit. This simple piece of “junk” food, in the context of extreme scarcity, became a poignant symbol of desperation and lost childhood.
Surrealist Art and the Dreamlike (or Nightmarish) Qualities of Junk Food
Surrealist artists might use junk food imagery in bizarre, dreamlike, or nightmarish juxtapositions—melting clocks made of cheese, floating donuts, candy landscapes—to explore subconscious desires, anxieties, or the uncanny nature of mass-produced items.
Chloe saw a surrealist painting featuring a giant, disembodied hot dog floating over a desert landscape. The dreamlike, illogical imagery transformed the mundane junk food into something strange and symbolic, tapping into subconscious anxieties about consumption.
The Sound of Junk Food (Crunching, Fizzing) as Represented in Literature or Sound Art
Writers use onomatopoeia and descriptive language to convey the sounds of junk food (the “crunch” of chips, “fizz” of soda, “slurp” of a milkshake). Sound artists might use amplified recordings of these sounds in their work to create sensory experiences.
David read a poem that vividly described the “symphony of crackles from a freshly opened chip bag.” The poet used the specific sound of junk food to evoke a powerful sensory memory, highlighting its auditory appeal.
How Junk Food is Used to Create a Sense of Place or Time Period in Historical Fiction
Including period-specific junk food brands, snacks, or soda fountain culture in historical fiction can help establish an authentic sense of place and time, grounding the narrative in the everyday sensory details of a particular era.
Anna, writing a novel set in the 1950s, included scenes at a soda fountain with characters drinking cherry phosphates and eating jukebox-shaped cookies. These details of period-specific junk food helped create an authentic atmosphere and sense of the era.
The Anthropomorphizing of Junk Food in Art and Children’s Stories
Junk food items are often anthropomorphized in art and children’s stories—given human-like faces, personalities, and actions (e.g., talking candy bars, adventurous cookies)—making them relatable, engaging, or sometimes, comically villainous characters.
Liam’s son loved a cartoon about a brave donut and a grumpy broccoli floret. This anthropomorphizing of junk food (and healthy food) created relatable characters that made the show’s simple nutritional messages more engaging for young children.
Junk Food as a Symbol of Transience and Mortality in Art
Some artists use junk food, with its inherent perishability and association with fleeting pleasure, as a symbol of transience, decay, and even mortality, contrasting its bright appeal with its inevitable decline, akin to vanitas themes in classical art.
Sarah viewed a time-lapse video installation showing a beautifully arranged junk food feast slowly rotting and being consumed by insects over weeks. The artwork used the decaying food as a powerful symbol of transience, beauty, and eventual mortality.
The Dialogue Around Junk Food: How Characters Talk About It in Plays and Screenplays
Dialogue in plays and screenplays often reveals characters’ attitudes towards junk food, their cravings, or their social interactions around it, serving to develop character, advance plot, or provide comedic relief through food-related conversations.
In the play, one character constantly craved “those little powdered donuts,” while another lectured her on healthy eating. Their witty dialogue around this specific junk food revealed their contrasting personalities and created humorous tension throughout the scenes.
The Minimalist Representation of Junk Food in Modern Art
Some modern artists represent junk food through minimalist means—a single, starkly lit photograph of a candy wrapper, a geometric sculpture evoking a fast-food container, or an abstract painting using only the colors of a specific brand—focusing on form and concept.
Mark saw a minimalist sculpture: a perfect white cube with a single, tiny red dot, titled “Cherry Soda.” The artist used extreme simplification to evoke the essence of the junk food, forcing the viewer to contemplate its form and cultural meaning.
How Junk Food Can Represent Both Comfort and Danger in Thriller Novels
In thriller or suspense novels, a character’s reliance on junk food might initially represent comfort or normalcy, but can later become a vulnerability, a clue, or even be laced with poison, transforming the familiar treat into an element of danger.
Chloe read a thriller where the protagonist, stressed, always ate a specific brand of gas station sandwich. Later, the antagonist used that exact sandwich, poisoned, as a trap. The familiar comfort junk food became a chilling symbol of danger and betrayal.
The Use of Junk Food in Satirizing Health and Wellness Culture in Art
Artists sometimes use junk food imagery ironically to satirize the extremes, fads, or perceived pretentiousness of contemporary health and wellness culture, juxtaposing “unhealthy” items with “clean eating” tropes for comedic or critical effect.
David saw a satirical artwork titled “Kale-Flavored Donut.” It humorously juxtaposed the ultimate health food trend with a classic junk food, poking fun at the sometimes absurd lengths people go to in pursuit of “wellness” and the often-commodified nature of health trends.
The “Last Supper” Motif Reimagined with Junk Food in Contemporary Art
Contemporary artists have reimagined Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” with apostles sharing pizza, burgers, soda, and other modern junk foods, using the iconic composition to comment on contemporary values, consumerism, or the “sacredness” of shared meals, however humble.
Anna viewed a provocative painting: “The Last Supper with Fast Food.” Jesus and his disciples were gathered around a table laden with burgers, fries, and soda. The reimagining used junk food to spark questions about modern communion, values, and what we “worship” today.
Junk Food as a Symbol of Globalization in International Literature and Art
The presence of ubiquitous American junk food brands (McDonald’s, Coca-Cola) in international literary or artistic settings often symbolizes globalization, cultural homogenization, the spread of Western consumerism, and its impact on local traditions.
Liam read a novel set in a remote Indian village where the arrival of a Coca-Cola vending machine was a major event. The soda became a potent symbol of encroaching globalization and the complex ways it was changing traditional life and tastes.
The Representation of Junk Food Addiction or Overconsumption in Graphic Memoirs
Graphic memoirs sometimes use visceral, expressive drawings to depict the struggles of junk food addiction, binge eating, or body image issues, conveying the emotional and physical turmoil with a rawness that can be particularly impactful in the visual medium.
Sarah read a graphic memoir where the artist depicted her battles with binge eating through dark, swirling images of overwhelming candy and chips. The visual representation of her internal struggle with junk food addiction was incredibly powerful and raw.
How Artists Use Found Junk Food Objects in Assemblage Art
Assemblage artists incorporate “found objects,” including discarded junk food wrappers, containers, bottle caps, or even actual (preserved) food items, into their three-dimensional artworks to create new meanings, textures, and commentaries on consumer culture.
Mark saw an assemblage sculpture incorporating crushed soda cans, brightly colored candy wrappers, and old fast-food toys. The artist had transformed these discarded junk food objects into a complex, textured commentary on waste and childhood nostalgia.
The Scent of Junk Food: Can It Be Evoked Through Literature or Olfactory Art?
Writers use vivid descriptive language to evoke the smell of junk food (e.g., “the greasy aroma of frying onions,” “the cloying sweetness of artificial cherry”). Olfactory artists might even incorporate actual food-related scents into installations for a multi-sensory experience.
Chloe read a passage describing “the warm, yeasty perfume of a thousand donuts” so vividly, she could almost smell it. While literature relies on suggestion, some experimental “olfactory art” directly incorporates scents, aiming to evoke such junk food aromas in a gallery setting.
The Role of Junk Food in Magical Realism Literature
In magical realism, mundane junk food items can take on fantastical or symbolic properties—a never-ending bag of chips, a soda that reveals truths, a candy bar that transports the eater to another time—blending everyday reality with magical elements.
David read a magical realism story where a character found a vending machine that dispensed snacks from her childhood, each one unlocking a forgotten memory. The ordinary junk food became a portal to the past, imbued with fantastical, memory-triggering properties.
Digital Art and CGI Renderings of Hyperrealistic (or Fantastical) Junk Food
Digital artists use CGI (computer-generated imagery) to create hyperrealistic renderings of junk food that look even more perfect and appetizing than reality, or to imagine fantastical, impossible junk food creations, pushing the boundaries of food aesthetics.
Anna admired a digital artwork: a hyperrealistic rendering of a donut with glossy icing and perfectly placed sprinkles that seemed to float in zero gravity. CGI allowed the artist to create an idealized, almost surreal, vision of junk food perfection.
The Ethics of Using Real Junk Food in Art That Will Eventually Decay
Artists who use actual, perishable junk food in sculptures or installations face the ethical consideration of food waste, especially if the artwork is large-scale or long-term. The inevitable decay becomes part of the piece, often symbolizing transience or societal excess.
Liam viewed an installation made of hundreds of real cupcakes, slowly decaying over the weeks of the exhibition. While visually striking, it raised ethical questions for him about using so much edible (if junky) food that would ultimately be wasted, for the sake of art.
How Junk Food Can Symbolize a Loss of Innocence in Coming-of-Age Stories
In coming-of-age narratives, a character’s first secretive or rebellious experience with “forbidden” junk food, or a shift from simple childhood treats to more “adult” or excessive consumption, can symbolize a loss of innocence or a transition into a more complex world.
Sarah read a story where the young protagonist’s first taste of a “grown-up” greasy burger from a late-night diner, shared secretly with an older friend, marked a subtle shift away from her sheltered childhood, the junk food symbolizing a step into a more worldly, less innocent phase.
The Artist’s Statement: What Does Creating Art About Junk Food Mean to Them?
An artist’s statement accompanying artwork featuring junk food provides insight into their intentions, whether they aim to critique consumerism, explore nostalgia, celebrate popular culture, examine health implications, or simply explore the object’s aesthetic qualities.
Mark read the artist’s statement next to a giant painting of a melting ice cream cone. The artist explained it was a commentary on fleeting pleasures and climate change. The statement revealed the deeper meaning behind what initially appeared to be just a depiction of junk food.