Examination of gastronomy image perception by metaphor of Hatay province: A research on students taking gastronomy education

In the thesis study carried out for the students of the gastronomy department, it is aimed to determine the gastronomy image perceptions of the students towards the province of Hatay with the metaphor method. In order to determine the relevant purpose, first of all, literature review was conducted, gastronomy, gastronomy image, gastronomy of Hatay and the concept of metaphor were examined. In the application phase, a semi-structured form was developed to measure students perceptions. In order to determine the metaphorical perceptions of students towards Hatay dishes, "Hatay gastronomy/cuisine is similar to... Because…" an open-ended question was asked in the form and they were asked to fill in the blanks in the form with their reasons. Research data were collected between March and April 2022. The sample of the study consists of 138 participants, including undergraduate students of Iskenderun Technical University and Mustafa Kemal University, Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, located in Hatay province. Based on the research findings, it was seen that all participants (138) produced metaphors. The metaphors in question were classified into 3 basic categories by taking the opinions of two qualitative research experts. Highest number of metaphors produced by students for Hatay cuisine were "rainbow, spice shop and sea", respectively. Some of the metaphors produced negatively were "waste oil, peddlers, balloon" metaphors. As a result, it was determined that the students' perceptions of Hatay gastronomy/cuisine were highly positive and suggestions were developed in the conclusion section for the metaphors produced negatively. Based on these suggestions, it is predicted that students and the society can be conscious.