Material culture is the physical or tangible creations that members of a society make, use and share. (Kendall 2015). Food is a material culture that is worldwide, yet it is uniquely practiced in each culture. Food is essential to the mere existence of humans; it is the most basic commodity to our survival, yet it is so foundational to many cultures. Food is one of the most significant aspects in the Polish culture. It is necessary for everyday life, celebrations, and in times of sorrow. It is a valued family practice in Poland. It unifies families and friends, it serves as a time for socialization, and it is a symbolic in many rituals celebrated in Poland.
Polish women take great pride in preparing a meal for their loved ones. A traditional
After taking a closer look at the American diet, it 's clear to see Americans are in a lot of trouble. The average American diet is filled with lots of greasy fast food, large cuts of meat, salty junk food and sugar-laden sodas. This tradition is then passed on to the children and creates a legacy of ailments, disease and a lower quality of life. To many people, plant-based eating sounds like a death sentence. In reality, it 's all about getting creative with the foods you already like. It also involves intentional meal-planning and organization. However, your health is worth it. The ability to experience a better quality of life should be motivation enough to start changing your eating habits. Consider a few of these simple ways to incorporate plant-based eating into each meal without eliminating delicious taste.
Meriam-Webster Dictionary defines food as “material taken into an organism and used for growth, repair, and vital processes as a source of energy” (Mish). Food is simple, yet humans have made it very complex. In the United States of America, food has become more of a hobby than a nutritional need. Every family gathering, holiday, and birthday celebration contains food of some sort. Types of food are customary at different times, like birthday cake at a birthday party, or stuffing at Thanksgiving. There is an entire holiday dedicated to dressing up and giving children candy (Halloween). One of the popular holiday foods is meat. An average of 10 million land animals (not including fish or other water dwelling organisms) are brutally slaughtered
We also celebrated the feast days of certain saints who we were named after. The most important part of our dinner is the breaking of the wafer (oplatek) and passing it around the dinner table. As children, we would fight over who got the wafer last because my great-grandfather would let us eat the rest of what remains. My great-grandfather taught me on these holidays, that family is the most important aspect of our lives. He always made his family his first priority. Family has always been there as a support system in my life, and I find this an importance in Polish culture. Family dinners, holidays, and meetings were all treated with the upmost
Typical Polish dishes are very hearty and usually contain a lot of meat, especially soups like Zupa ogórkowa: (hot sour cucumber soup) , Zupa koperkowa (dill soup), Rosół z kurczaka golden chicken consommé with noodles and Goulash. Goulash is a traditional Hungarian soup cooked to be more like a thick beef stew in a big bread bowl typically in Polish restaurants . You can also find Goulash in Czech Republic with a different flavour. Goulash ,or Gulasz in Polish, is often made of stew Beef, Bell Pepper, Mushroom, Carrot, Onion and Paprika as base
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.”
As new technologies and business began to grow shortly after the European empires began, the definitions of culture at home began to become more important. It grew more important for a group of people to bond rather than with technology. Another form of culture is material culture. Material culture is everything that is part of constructed, physical environment, including technology. Nonmaterial culture values beliefs, behaviors, and social norms. Material things as well as nonmaterial things can influence
Food plays a very important role in every religion and culture. Good nutrition is a great symbol of healthy food/diet. In order to keep ourselves healthy, it is very important to watch what we are eating. Food habits come from parents, which later on developed according to the environment. Food is one of the ways where humans describe themselves as cultured. Food is the most significant segment of our lives. Different types of food explain verities of the belief that we have in all over the world. Ones’ food discipline and choice, tells about which culture/religion they belong to. Food, Religion,
The family is the traditional center of Polish life and plays a vital role in society. Extended families and even close friends will be there to help if there is ever a situation where an individual or family is not able to be self-sufficient. Parents typically are supportive of their children until they are grown and self-sufficient and children are expected to care for aging parents and grandparents. The Roman Catholic Church is a dominant force in the life of a Pole and during the 1980s, the presence of Polish Pope John Paul II was a significant influence in the Solidarity movement there. Common foods eaten are breads, noodles, dumplings (pierogi), potatoes, cabbage, beets, cucumbers, mushrooms, carrots, pork, beef, ham, and sausage (“Poland”, n.d.). Boiled potatoes are the most common side dish eaten with fish or meat and the Poles are well known for their “seasoned cucumbers”, or dill pickles. Meats are eaten regularly and pork is typically in the form of a breaded cutlet served with thick sauce. Cabbage stuffed with ground meat and rice, smoked and pickled herring fish, and soups are also popular. Desserts are
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
America is a capitalist society. It should come to a surprise when we live like this daily. We work for profit. We’ll buy either for pleasure or to sell later for profit. It should come to no surprise that our food is made the same way because we are what we eat. We are capitalist that eat a capitalist meal. So we must question our politics. Is our government system to blame for accepting and encouraging monopolies?
To American society food is simply another thing to keep them going throughout the day, giving them energy. Perhaps the convenient burger at a café, a well-prepared dinner at a nice restaurant, or a lovely homemade meal – they are all part of American’s daily lives with no traditions or religious based holidays to refrain from having these foods during anytime of the day. The Islamic culture is unique in various ways but stands out due to the religious observance of Ramadan by Muslims.
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
Growing up in New York meant living in a culturally diverse environment. New York can be considered to be one of the melting pots of many countries and cultures; this is no exception for the cuisines that New Yorkers encounter on a daily bases. Many innovations and changes were made to suit the ever-changing desire for taste. Consequently, innovations and altercations have serious effects on the authenticity and originality of the cuisine, losing the major component that makes the food unique to a culture or country. This is especially true to the Chinese food found in New York. However, there is a misconception, when New Yorkers mentions Chinese food, they usually refer to Cantonese cuisines. As Cantonese cuisines is adapted to the match New
Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects and behavior. It includes the ideas, value, customs and artifacts of a group of people (Schaefer, 2002). Culture is a pattern of human activities and the symbols that give these activities significance. It is what people eat, how they dress, beliefs they hold and activities they engage in. It is the totality of the way of life evolved by a people in their attempts to meet the challenges of living in their environment, which gives order and meaning to their social, political, economic, aesthetic and religious norms and modes of organization thus distinguishing people from their neighbors.
Trends have a way of shaping a culture. They tell people how to act and what is popular at the time. There are many trends some are clothing, music, movies, and excuse. One trend I think is the most fascinating is food trends. Food is a very important part of everyone’s life. The American diet has changed a lot since the 50ths. Back then people use to eat a very limited diet and they would eat the same foods day in and day out. Now a days people have a very wide diet. People now eat foods from different cultures. Food trends seem to be changing very often.