In 1943, Abraham Maslow proposed a theory called “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs” in psychology field. Food, placed at the bottom level of the hierarchy, represents one of the primary human physiological needs for survival. In my point of view, food is a carrier that holds all the meanings from other levels and passes on along with the transmission of cultural. In Sheila Ferguson, Martha Stewart and Julia Child’s books, it seems that they all state the cuisine of a particular type of food as while as the enjoyment. In fact they really convey an idea that food is not just about food itself, it is about people, who sculptured a unique personality by the particular social status his/she has, and the different meaning they endow with food. Refer to Fernadez-Armesto, “… which we eat not because we need them to stay alive but because we want them to change us for the better: we want them to give us a share of their virtue.” (27)The “virtue”, I think, is indicating the meaning that people endowed previously and we want to share the ancestors’ wisdom of the significance of food. Thus cooking in a certain way represents an altitude of insists one’s own lifestyle; it will be transmitted generation by generation. These three authors each describes a different type of food cooking, fancy art-like French cuisine, thoughtful black family soul food and dainty while hostess cooking, these distinctions are created by the different social status of the person who invented and cooked. As an old imperialist country, France, the trend of luxury embodies on the extravagant meals. Because those meals were served to hedonic lords or aristocracies, who is picky and vain, therefore French cuisine should be able to show the higher social status and the powe... ... middle of paper ... ...sed 23 May 2012. < https://resources.oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/group/SU12-BL-ENG-W350-1974/Primary%20Sources%20for%20Critical%20Essay/Julia%20Child%2C%20Mastering%20the%20Art%20of%20French%20Cooking.pdf > Martha Stewart, Entertaining, 1982. Accessed 23 May 2012. Sheila Ferguson, Soul Food, 1994. Accessed 23 May 2012. < https://resources.oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/group/SU12-BL-ENG-W350-1974/Primary%20Sources%20for%20Critical%20Essay/Sheila%20Ferguson%2C%20Soul%20Food.pdf> Abraham Maslow, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, 1943. Accessed 23 May 2012. < http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Maslow%27s_Hierarchy_of_Needs.svg> Tom Standage, A history of the world in six glasses, 2005.
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 ...
Cuisine is a big factor in the identity of a culture and many people will list food as a factor that makes a country what it is, even using Damper for an example, many people see it is an Australian classic and part of Australia's history. Analysing these two iconic recipes, we can begin to view what kinds of communication is used and by looking at this, the history and the shaping of culture we gain a deeper understanding of the impact and importance of food in both Australia, Japan and around the world. Through this analysis it is hoped that a better understanding of these topics is acquired and an in depth reflection is produced.
In The Hungry Soul we find an interesting blend of subjects, methods, and traditions. This book is a fascinating exploration of the cultural and natural act of eating. Kass intensely reveals how the various aspects of this phenomenon, restrictions, customs, and rituals surrounding it, relate to collective and philosophical truths about the human being and its deepest pleasures. Kass argues throughout the book that eating (dining) is something that can either cultivate us or moralize us. My question is, does Kass succeed in arguing for the fact that eating is something that can moralize us as human beings? Although I agree with some of the things that Kass discussed in the book, in this paper I will argue mainly against some of his claims.
To better understand how these three contributors interact with and influence one another, it is beneficial to examine Abraham Maslow’s well-known Hierarchy of Needs. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, there are certain aspects of an individual’s life that must be maintained before that person can begin fulfilling their higher or more complex needs. But for the purposes of this paper, we will evaluate societies as a whole instead of just focusing on individuals. The end goal in this theory is to eventually reach self-actualization and fulfillment: the state of being where creativity and innovation are able to flourish. But before a slight hope can be given to that end goal of being achieved, the Maslow’s first sets of needs must be met and maintained. These are categorized as the physiological, meaning that they represent an individual’s need for “air, water, and sufficient calories and nutrients to live.” Hunting and gathering societies and food producing societies approach fulfilling these needs in distinct ways.
In his first month of living in Provence, Mayle experiences his first Provencal meal, in which he appears to enjoy significantly. He describes it as “a meal that [he] shall never forget; more accurately, it was several meals that [he] shall never forget, because it went beyond gastronomic frontiers of anything [he] had ever experienced, both in quantity and length” (14). The vivid phrases and non colloquial words Mayle uses to recall his first cuisine experience indicates the overall powerful influence that the food had over him. As he later finds out, the men and women of Provence have an “interest in food [that] verges on obsession” (15) and that the “French are as passionate about food as other nationalities are about sport and politics” (16). Also, Mayle notices that “the Chez Michel is [...] not sufficiently pompous to attract too much attention from the Guide Michelin” (60). In fact, the “clients of the restaurant eat very well in the back, [...] the owner cooks, [...] members of the family help at table and kitchens, [and has] no
Rachel Lauden’s essay In Praise of Fast Food presents a fresh point of view by taking a look at the way the poor fed themselves throughout history and comparing it with the reality of today’s fast food industry. The current thinking about fast food is that it is unhealthy and leads to diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, when it is eaten without moderation. The argument Ms. Lauden proposes is that, due to the difficulties in procuring and preparing healthy, sanitary food for the lower classes, fast food is a positive development. She pointed out that as recently as the 1930s, poor children were cooking for themselves in outdoor shanties in extremely unsanitary conditions, and she emphasized the idea that upper classes invented ethnic dishes.
He trained in his Uncle François’ restaurant, Le Restaurant François in Nice. Here he learned the basics of French cuisine and tried to take in as much knowledge as he could as an adolescent. Restaurant François attracted the very wealthy from near and far, “rich invalids and they brought friends.” A particular group of Russian naval officers often wintered in the Villenfranche harbor and dined at the restaurant (James 4). Chef François preferred to serve the food that would best relate to his customers. For example, whenever the Russian officers dined, he tried to incorporate an aspect of Russian cuisine into the menu (James 5). This principle of catering to the customer became very prominent in Escoffier’s
As previously mentioned, food was traditionally considered as a mere means of subsistence, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries. The early history of food involved its use to define shared identities and reflected religious and group customs. Furthermore, food was filled with psychological, cultural, religious, and emotional significance. During this period, a unique court tradition of cuisine and sophisticated table manners emerged to distinguish the social elite from the ordinary people. However, during the 19th century, the history of food slightly changed as it became a defining symbol of national identity. This period was characterized by the association of several dishes to particular countries and cultures (Mintz, par 1). For instance, American hamburger and tomato-based Italian spaghetti are cultural foods that were in...
In her book Semiotics and Communication: Signs, Codes, Cultures, Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz describes the wide use of food as signs, and also as social codes. The reason foods are so useful as signs and social codes is because they are separable, easily adaptive to new environments, and it is not difficult to cook, or eat for that matter. Food is a major part of our daily lives, Not only for survival, but it plays a substantial social role in our lives. We will look deeper into the semiotics of food, how food is used as identity markers, and also the role that foods play in social change in our lives. First let us start with the semiotics of food.
Scholliers P (2001) Meals, Food Narratives and Sentiments of Belonging in Past and Present and Chapter Two Commensality and Social Morphology: An Essay of Typology Claude Grignon in Food, Drink and Identity Cooking, Eating and Drinking in Europe since the middle Ages by Berg in New York, America
Food categorizes individuals into social classes. Many upper-class individuals strive to maintain a diverse, healthy, and complex appetite while the working-class tend to gravitate to food that is convenient, cheap and available. A person’s food choice can be directly related to their identity, it can bring groups together or tear people apart. As Claude Fischler states in his article Food, Self and Identity, “Incorporation is also the basis of collective identity and, by the same token, of otherness. Food and cuisine are a quite central component of the sense of collective belonging.” (Fischler 1988:4). Fischler discusses the impact that cultural food rituals have. These rituals are extremely diverse around the world and this is what can create barriers between cultures. In a North American culture, like Canada, food is very diverse due to multiculturalism. Our culture tends to have an overly commercialized setting that encourages over indulgence in food. This is a part of our values and gives people a topic to relate on, forming a sense of community and belongingness. However this will not be the case for other cultures around the
Human survival can be broken down into a hierarchy of needs according to Abraham Maslow . His theory states that our five basic needs in order to survive are breathing, food, water, sleep, and homeostasis. The needs to survive can solely rely on these needs, when practiced correctly. Food being a major part of survival, the human race should consider the benefits of the foods that they consume daily. The educational system plays a major role in children development, departments in schools worldwide are in charge of what students learn and eat while in school. The school system should prove students with healthy meals, to promote a healthy lifestyle.
In order to get a greater sense of the food personality attributes, three episodes from each show’s current season were analyzed to examine the personalities’ mannerisms and culinary identity. These attributes and characteristics were coded and analyzed (see Table 2). Content analysis started with cursory examination of the television episodes. I posed two questions during my initial examinations: how do these culinary personalities present themselves as experts in either the domestic or public spheres, and how do these presentations adhere or diverge from the earlier outlined gender culinary stereotypes. This meant looking at the theme of the shows, setting, the appearance and mannerisms of the culinary personalities, and how well these shows convey the tone of the network. While watching, I took note of any personal anecdotes or memories given while the food was being
foods. Assess the levels of Maslow’s hierarchy that may be motivating consumption behaviors related to this cultural
Not only is food indispensable for survival, it is also a subject that is important to the construction of cultures. Indeed, from the sociological perspective, there is a direct relationship between food and culture.