Abstract
We investigated the use of fish and meat by 224 female university students, and how their dietary experience and living arrangements affected such usage. The dietary experience during growing up eating fresh fish increased the preference for fish, even if living in an area far from the coast. The home life of the students played a major role in inculcating food preparation techniques, with fish (53.6%) and meat (62.9%) preparation techniques taught by mothers or grandmothers. School education also contributed, with students responding that they were taught how to prepare fish (27.7%) and meat (18.8%) at school.
The frequency of eating fish and meat varied with the current living arrangements, students who lived alone tending, to eat mainly pork and chicken. The food preparation methods also varied according to the type of living arrangements. The food preparation methods used most often by students living at home included raw preparation for fish, roasting for beef, and deep frying for chicken. The food preparation method used most often by students living alone was sautéing for both fish and meat, and these students did not often use deep frying.
