The focus of this work is to investigate and explore the link between ethnicity and food, exploring to what extent food mediates and carries ethnicity and nationalism. I will also attempt to analyse how certain practices I witnessed are identity markers. For the purpose of my study I have chosen Hamer Ethiopia, an Ethiopian restaurant in West London. My ethnographic study is based upon participant observation, casual conversation and short interviews due to the language barrier. I have also included photographs in order to record a visual record of the research. During my fieldwork a complex problem became apparent from the beginning – a language barrier. Although this at first proved difficult it ended up not being the hindrance it might be perceived to be. The simple experience of immersing myself in the restaurant was enough to find out essential and illuminating information. Despite having opened in August, the restaurant was not yet ‘worn in’; bare in appearance and noise from building work indicated that Hamer Ethiopia is still not finished although the space already had a very welcoming atmosphere to it. The space is furnished with a variety of tables of different …show more content…
A group of middle-aged friends and two men were the only other customers present at the time that I entered with my siblings. The manager, who greeted us at the door, sat us promptly down at a table and handed out menus, which interestingly described the restaurant as not only a ‘cultural restaurant’ but as a ‘Hammer’ restaurant. The Hamer, as explained inside the menu, are a tribe living in Southern Ethiopia. Although when I enquired to the waitress about the distinction the reply I received was “this is Ethiopian restaurant”, signifying that perhaps the waitress said ‘Ethiopian’ to me as I do not belong to the community, or she assumed I would not know the
Food culture all around the world changes and adapts in accordance to how humans evolve their tastes. In “End of Ethnic” by John Birdstall, he informs us of his point of view on what ethnic food is, and what we as Americans think of it. In addition, Kate Murphy’s “First Camera than Fork” talks about the positive and negative aspects of the “Foodie” world on the internet. Modern American food is an open book, full of different ethnic creations, and eye candy. This definition is proven through both Birdstall’s examples that define ethnic food as well as Murphy’s examples revealing how the food culture turns all their meals into a photographic diary.
In Lavanya Ramanathan’s Washington Post article published in 2015 titled “Why everyone should stop calling immigrant food ‘ethnic’”, she discusses about people’s preconceptions on the type of food that should be labelled ethnic. Ashlie Stevens also touched on a similar topic in her Guardian article published in 2015 titled “Stop thinking and just eat: when ‘food adventuring’ trivializes culture”. She talks about how people assume that just by eating food from a certain culture, they are able relate to the culture as a whole. Both authors acknowledge the importance of appreciating authentic cuisines, but takes different approaches to convince the audience. Both authors establish credibility by using a wide range of substantiated evidences. While,
Michael Pollan makes arguments concerning the eating habits of the average American. Pollan suggests, in spite of our cultural norms, we should simply “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.”
Michael Twitty is a food writer and culinary historian best known for preparing, preserving and promoting African American food ways and its origins in Africa. He emphasizes how African food culture has made a great impact on the American South. His cooking helped him to learn about his identity and culture. He describes “identity cooking” a way to better understand him and his culture as a Jewish-African American. A project he developed called “The Cooking Gene” is what he explains as a means of “exploring my family history through food, from Africa to America, from slavery to freedom.” Race, food and ethnicity all have a more complex and cultural meaning especially when fused together. Different
Many first and second generation Canadians are struggling to balance their ethnicity and nationality. Once one may embrace who they are, they can express and be who they truly are. David Suzuki, Amy Tan, and Jhumpa Lahiri’s have demonstrated that no matter how much a person changes themselves on the outside, they will always remain the same on the inside.
It could be argued that every nation and every ethnic group has its own soul food. But the contemporary connotation of the term "soul food" refers to the gradual blending and developing o...
Food has been used as a tool by many cultures as movements to help with their culture become recognized, to identify their way of being, and to show their class and status. By exploring different author’s articles, and movie clips this will be visible. Food has created many cultures to explore these outlets and in return has had a positive impact on their culture.
Nutritionism and Today’s Diet Nutritionism is the ideology that the nutritional value of a food is the sum of all its individual nutrients, vitamins, and other components. In the book, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan, he critiques scientists and government recommendations about their nutritional advice. Pollan presents a strong case pointing out the many flaws and problems that have risen over the years of following scientific studies and government related warnings on the proper amount of nutrients needed for a healthy diet. Pollan’s main point is introducing science into our food system has had more of a negative impact than a positive one, we should go back to eating more of a traditional diet. I believe food science has given us
Foods from Africa, which have impacted North American cuisine are numerous, and common in the everyday eating habits of Americans. In the 21st century, Americans take for granted the history of the food they eat, and the origins of the foods that are eaten today. In the early part of the history of the United States, people of European descent brought recipes from home and adapted their recipes to the ingredients which were available. The slave trade was directly responsible for what many Americans think of as American food, and those foods are traceable to Africa. Because slaves incorporated their own foods into the everyday lives of their masters, some of the unique foods from Africa and their history are not well known today. American
The United States of America, a country where anyone can become anything he or she wants to be. It is even given the phrase “Land of opportunity.” This is one of the reasons people from different parts of the world choose to immigrate to the United States. Immigrants do not immigrate alone, but bring their cultures with them. One of the representatives of culture is food, and with the vast amount of immigrants, the vast amount of ethnic restaurants are introduced. Beneficial things happened with the rise of ethnic restaurants, they serve as a doorway to introduce different cultures and they improve the country’s economy. Some people disagree and believe that ethnic restaurants are a problem. That they lead to cultural separation because it
American culture is changing dramatically. In some areas it’s a good thing, but in other areas, like our food culture, it can have negative affects. It is almost as if our eating habits are devolving, from a moral and traditional point of view. The great America, the land of the free and brave. The land of great things and being successful, “living the good life.” These attributes highlight some irony, especially in our food culture. Is the American food culture successful? Does it coincide with “good living”? What about fast and processed foods? These industries are flourishing today, making record sales all over the globe. People keep going back for more, time after time. Why? The answer is interestingly simple. Time, or in other words, efficiency. As people are so caught up in their jobs, schooling, sports, or whatever it may be, the fast/processed food industries are rapidly taking over the American food culture, giving people the choice of hot
26). This dish was very simple and did not require too much time, but I was still able to gain an appreciation for the types of meals that are cooked by Moroccans. Many of the ingredients that were incorporated into this dish are also used in a vast variety of dishes within North Africa. The paprika, cumin garlic, parsley, and red pepper flakes gave this dish a unique flavor that is different from typical eggs and vegetables. There was a hint of spice that seasoned the eggs and vegetables perfectly. The eggs were soft and warm, while the vegetables added a slight unique crunchy and soft texture. Although this dish did not incorporate staple ingredients like lamb, bread, or fish, it did incorporate many of the spices and vegetables that are used in many dishes and on a daily basis. I was able to gain a great deal of appreciation for the types of meals that are prepared in a Moroccan
The chef in the Indian family, Hassan Kadam, has certain ways to handle the food and present it. The Indian culture uses many herbs and spices which is how he finds the perfect taste in every dish. He strives to make every dish a warm and delightful feeling which is very important to Hassan’s culture. Most of the food he served had bread with it, mostly a certain type called naan. The families who were eating, use the bread as utensils because that is proper etiquette within their beliefs. They would also eat in certain orders in the ranking of the family No matter what food was made in the Indian kitchen, there was also something unique about the dish.
... and nutritious experience by giving people actual experience to see, feel and taste what is nutrition about (Hegler, 2010).
The social standing of food became very significant in the early modern Europe. In this period, food was not just a mere substance but was considered an indicator of social position and situation . Food consumed by people was determined by personal preference and most importantly, by one’s prestige, activities and pressure of society in general. Lack of food had social consequences. For instance, famine changed the social framework and relation and even the individual fortunes. Lack of enough food was a common challenge in early modern Europe. Famines occurred very frequently and were numerous especially during the beginning of the fourteen century . Due to this, the fear of famine was witnessed and was influential in the lives of early modern Europeans. With regard to the apparent effects on health and