The ambrosial aroma of cured ham mingled with the provocatively piquant scent of jerked chicken and conspired to undo my resolve. Enveloping my aunt’s kitchen with a hunger-inducing miasma that only I was immune to, dishes from Jamaica and America vied for my attention. I attempted to appease the cultures of both nations, settling with a plate of rice and peas, corn bread, and macaroni and cheese. Much to the surprise of my family, however, that was all that I ate. As usual, my family had no difficulty expressing their disappointment with me. The sideways looks coupled with muffled whispers branding me as a “rasta”(the cultural equivalent of a hippie) soon convicted me to a life of familiar banishment. It was not until this first thanksgiving of my high school career that the weight of my decision to adopt a life of vegetarianism dawned on me. The culinary styles of a people are the by-product of their history, geography, religion, fears, hopes, and regrets. By renouncing meat, which was such a large part Jamaican food, I was renouncing a large part of my culture. Like many...
The America’s public interest in vegetarianism was growing slowly, but vegetarianism would not become common until 1971. In 1971, Frances Moore Lappe published, “Diet for a Small Planet and Peter Singer's Animal Liberation”; a book how people can obtain their daily intake of proteins without eating meat and the benefits of vegetarianism. Although Lappe’s book had several incorrect theories, it still supposedly started a whole vegetarianism in the 1970’s. There were many new vegetarian cookbooks, restaurants, and communities started to appear across the nation. One example, was The Farm Cookbook, which was written by vegetarian hippies in Tennessee. Because vegetarianism was a new sensation, people had many theories and myths about the plant-based diet. In 1975, Peter Singer wrote Animal Liberation; Animal Liberation was the first scholarly work to present ethical arguments for not eating animals
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 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
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...
The phrase, “We are what we eat” holds some essential validity and truth to it. Food is a constituent feature of our environmental ties to where we subside. It is a part of our daily lives. It can act as a form of communication with other individuals. Food can be an indicator of the nutrition idiosyncratic cultural groups are practicing. Notably, which ingredients hold higher placement of emphasis in consumption from a day to day basis. The way food is assembled or arranged has specific meanings in certain locations. From humble beginnings to global acknowledgment, the diffusion of Hispanic cuisine and some of it’s signature dishes will be analyzed under domestic and foreign context.
Although each subject is from completely different backgrounds, whether they be geographical or religious, they each share likeness in many different aspects of their lives. Showing the similarities as well as the differences in their eating habits can create a cultural map tracing each individuals food choices back to one source. In this case, the source may be the continent of Africa where many of these foods are eaten today. In West Africa, the yam is a very popular vegetable. This just goes to show how food can be the missing link of different cultures throughout the world.
For many years, vegetarians and vegans have been publicly exposed to stereotypes and judgment. A person who decided to eat mostly plants, was considered a freak or a nonconformist. In restaurants and at private events, vegetarians commonly experienced difficulties to find food within the chosen dietary pattern and thus, unable to fully be part of cultural or social events, such as thanksgiving and barbecues. The omnivorous public perceived vegetarianism as a stigma and vegetarians are still subjects of comedy in many cases. Furthermore, vegetarians were often believed to jeopardize their health for a higher cause. Despite warnings that red and processed meats are carcinogenic, most Americans consider meat the core of their diets (Teicholz, N. 2014).
“Food as thought: Resisting the Moralization of Eating,” is an article written by Mary Maxfield in response or reaction to Michael Pollan’s “Escape from the Western Diet”. Michael Pollan tried to enlighten the readers about what they should eat or not in order to stay healthy by offering and proposing a simple theory: “the elimination of processed foods” (443).
Neither life nor culture can be sustained without food. On a very basic level, food is fundamentally essential for life, not simply to exist, but also to thrive. A means by which carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, nutrients, and calories are introduced into the body, food is a mechanism of survival. However, on a more abstract level, food is also fundamentally essential for culture by establishing its perimeters and dimensions and in shaping its authenticity and character. Food becomes the carbohydrates and calories that maintain any culture. Food offers a dynamic cross-section of man's tendencies. "Nourishment, a basic biological need," argues anthropologist Sidney Mintz, "becomes something else because we humans transform it symbolically into a system of meaning for much more than itself" (7). By examining food consumption and preparation, much is discoverd regarding the intricacies of culture. The preparation and consumption of food in Puritan society are reflected in Mary Rowlandson's The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. Rowlandson's view of food and admissions of hunger in the infancy of her captivity cast a revealing light upon the roots of her conceptions and ideas about food and, more generally, about her culture's conceptions and ideas about food. As the conflict between her soul and her stomach raged over food, Rowlandson's attitudes toward the Native Americans' preparation and consumption of food reflect the socialization of the Puritans to believe that every meal ...
In the essay “The End of Spam Shame: On Class, Colonialism, and Canned Meat,” Sylvie Kim, the author, argues that no culture or person should be judged based on what foods they eat. Kim argues this by using her love for spam to explain the cultural difference and judgement she has experienced being an Asian-American consumer of the “pink gelatinous pork” (3). Sylvie explains personal shame and fear of judgement when eating spam to her audience, Asian-American readers of the blog “hyphenmagazine.com.” She elaborates on her disgust for judgement by using the argumentative writing style of repetition. She continually reuses the word love. This writing style is crucial
Unlike Japan, there are many similarities between Canada’s food guide and India’s, even though there are distinctive variations in cultures. In the contrary, there are a few differences between the food ate mainly because of religious teachings.
Spencer, Colin. The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism. Hanover, NH: U of New England, 1996. Print.
For every vegetarian or vegan, Thanksgiving is a logistical and emotional minefield. Of course, the centerpiece of the traditional American meal is the turkey, and quite often older relatives, especially relatives whose identity revolves around their cooking like my grandmother, feel hurt and offended if vegetarians do not partake of their cooking. In past years, I tried a number of strategies to hold true to my beliefs about living a cruelty-free existence, while still treating my meat-eating relatives with respect. My first strategy was to suffer in silence, and try to eat as little as possible, focusing on the non-meat entrees. However, this presented several difficulties: firstly, many of the side dishes were cooked with meat by-products, such as chicken stock and animal fat, and my attempt to question if the Brussels sprouts were sautéed in bacon grease brought forth hostility and jokes.
The typical African, whether in a rural farming community or in the bustling city environment, takes great care to see that meals are properly served and eaten. Great attention is also given to how the meals are prepared and what are its constituents.
The movie “The Hundred Foot Journey” is a great representation of different cultures interacting as well as the different food habits. The movie is based on an Indian family who moves to Italy and wants to open an Indian restaurant across street from a famous Italian restaurant in the small town. The Kadam family wants to bring the Indian cuisine to a new culture and share some of their values. They have trouble expanding their culinary delights to the public because Marquerite the sous-chef doesn’t want any competition. Throughout the movie, secrets on certain dishes are shared and tricks to improve the certain style of food is greatly appreciated by both restaurant chefs.