This paper is a personal reflection upon the development of the sociology of eating over the previous thirty years. It considers eating as a form of cultural consumption and discusses alternative approaches to its analysis. It focuses on sociological explanations of continuity and change, and the role of institutions, routines and practices. It suggests that eating is a compound practice which is weakly regulated and weakly coordinated. The paper concludes with some suggestions about lines of future research in the field and discusses the promise of a new study of eating out.