Consumer studies mainly take a cross-sectional approach to understand leisure and home consumption. This paper takes the mundane workplace as a unit of consumption and adopts a processual view to understand what and how cultural capital for impression management is acquired and changes over career trajectories. Integrating the theories of Goffman (1959) and Bourdieu (1977; 1984; 1990), the study explores how embodied habitual practices (habitus) enables and shapes impression management to build desirable work identity (Hallett, 2003). The walking-with interviews are used to seek conversations with senior executives in Hong Kong along their work routes. It proves to be a proficient approach and data collection technique to explore mundane consumption practices where knowledge is incorporated with people’s competence and artefacts (Mak, Lai, Tsaousi, & Davies, 2022). Among different resources for impression management, dining knowledge emerged as a significant cultural practices for performative self and building up of social capital.

• Connie MAK(University of Lincoln, UK)