Food's Connection Individual and Cultural Identity Essay

It is a known fact that every human being communicates through language, but perhaps a little known fact that we communicate even through the food we eat. We communicate through food all the meanings that we assign and attribute to our culture, and consequently to our identity as well. Food is not only nourishment for our bodies, but a symbol of where we come from. In order to understand the basic function of food as a necessity not only for our survival, we must look to politics, power, identity, and culture.

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

Food is a highly unique commodity, for though it is essential to every single person on earth, there is no other commodity which is acquired and consumed in such diverse ways. It is a multifaceted social instrument, serving to connect people across cultural boundaries while simultaneously drawing lines through society, dividing people across race and class. Though we have discussed the connections between certain alternative food movements and the creation of a ‘white’ identity, I contend that the social mechanisms of food extend beyond the production of ‘whiteness’, and are intricately bound up in the creation and perpetuation of other racial and class identities in Western society. As the ways in which we consume and engage with food

Food dominates the lives of people. It is used as comfort and fuel. But the controversy is, what should people consume? Burkhard Bilger 's piece, Nature 's Spoils, explores the abnormal way of eating, which is the fermentation of food. It is usually a safe practice, and also produces vitamins in the making. The Omnivore 's Dilemma by Michael Pollan expresses the problem of how humans select food. In How Do We Choose What to Eat? by Susan Bowerman she points out the influences on people’s life that affects their eating habits. By using Bowerman’s article as the keystone, Nature’s Spoils and The Omnivore’s Dilemma can be compared and contrasted. Since the food that people consume daily can affect them in the future, it must be chosen carefully.

The essay “The American Paradox” by Michael Pollan focuses on the eating habits of people in the United States. He especially emphasizes how American think when it comes to eating healthy food. Pollan talks about the American Paradox, an unhealthy obsession with eating right thing. The author relates the idea of cultural food and healthy food to claim his main point of the argument. He believes that culture is one factor which answers three primary questions of what to eat, the amount to eat, and the time and place to eat.

Sociology is the study of society and people. Food and food ways are often elements associated with particular societies and therefore, studying such a topic can offer valuable insight into the ways of that society and the people who live in it. Although eating is a vital part of survival, with whom, how and where we eat are not. Studying such ways can illustrate and represent the identity of a person or group. The nature of people and their beliefs can be indicated when analysing their food habits. Who individuals eat with is a particularly revealing factor into gaining an understanding of their identity, culture and society (Scholliers P 2001). For this reason commensality is a term frequently used in sociological research concerning

When considering food as a part of my identity, there are multiple components that make up who I am. It is a mix of family heritage, experiences, and personal preferences, which all culminate together to form my food identity. While some might see their food identity as one culture, concept, or idea, I see my food identity as a variety. This variety consists of what foods I like and the memories associated with them. Specifically, my memories and experiences with my family have contributed to what I believe to be my food identity.

Food, has a specific meaning to all of us; for some it is a form of nourishment, for others it is a cultural act,

Ethnic identity manifests itself in almost everything we do in one’ day to day life. It can influence how one acts, what one eats, and how one communicates. In particular, festivals are important phenomenon because festivals can display many characteristics of ethnic identity. In the area of my hometown of Batesville, Indiana, a particular festival takes place bringing the whole town together, in conjunction with tourists, to celebrate the large proportion of German heritage comprising the area. However, the primary research questions I wish to explore with this festival is, first, how inclusive is this festival to outsiders not fitting the ethnic group celebrating their heritage and those who are not from the town? Second, what is the main motivation behind celebrating the town and its German-American heritage and if there are any other identities that are celebrated as well? To attempt to answer these questions, I have conducted an interview with an older fellow resident of the town, named Clay Kellerman, who will be able to provide insight and put the present-day festival in greater context in relation to the festival as it was when it began about 40 years ago. Being able to have interviewed Mr. Kellerman, who has seen the festival at its beginning and now in the present-day will be an invaluable resource. Additionally, Mr. Kellerman fits the ethnic group who celebrates this festival and his family has lived in the area since they arrived from Germany back in the late

Pretika Singh Dabney Lyons English 100/S 28 March 2018 Portfolio Cover Letter The drafting of my first essay on defining food was relatively stress free. The first thing I did for my essay was to create an outline which Professor Dabney reviewed in class. The article, Eat Food: Food Defined by Michael Pollan and The Pleasures of Eating by Wendell Berry from Food Matters Book edited by Holly Bauer, Omnivore’s Dilemma Book by Michael Pollan, and video In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, guided me with writing of my essay and gave me ideas on my topic sentences.

In this sociological exercise, I have decided to go without food for forty-eight hours. Although this may be considered more extreme than other options, I chose this because I thought it would resonate with all individuals being as food is the substance in which humans maintain life and growth. Food is not only a vital part of my life but also essential to every living creature on this planet, without it life as we know it would cease to exist. Personally, my relationship with food is social, psychological, and anthropologically necessary. Like most individuals, the consumption of food dictates my daily schedule, because in order sustain energy throughout the day biologically we seek out a source of sustenance. By performing this exercise, I will offer a first-hand experience of fasting and provide a sociological perspective on how food becomes an emphasis on symbolic interaction and our place in our society.

Racism exists at all stages of the food system (production, consumption, and distribution of food). We must look at the racial construct of the country if we wish to understand the current U.S. food system and the racism involved (Billings & Cabbil, 2011, p. 111). Structures and systems such as food production, education, and healthcare were created by and for white people, thus giving them a major advantage in society (Billings & Cabbil, 2011, p. 110). With time, powerful corporations became dominating forces in the American food system. They grew to dictate much of how and what we eat. White, middle-class consumers have little say in this system, but they still, very much, benefit from products and services as such things were mostly catered to them. In contrast, poor and racialized people have even less power and do not experience the benefits experienced by white people (Billings & Cabbil, 2011, p. 104).

The first article I researched written by John S. Allen, was published by Harvard University Press on May 30, 2012, titled “The Omnivorous Mind: Our Evolving Relationship with Food”. Throughout the article, Allen seeks to provide the reader with a greater understanding of the significance of the everyday act of eating and how it pertains to human’s biological makeup and their culture. His main argument is that people, unlike other animals, eat with their minds just as much as they do with their stomachs. Our inclination to eat foods that not only taste good but also look good is what distinguishes us from other species. He argues that this has been shaped throughout the history of the human

My culture identity eat seafood play with me dog draw pictures and have fun the thing like doing my free my time have fun talk friend go out to party draw pictures my Identity is how live im life want i was young we to go family tree and we have party i g tell u something we do.dress up and kid help with the food and they mans go to store to get game. I'm going tell we eat the family tree party we eat every years crawfish, card red beans.and the game we play is skittles game vs m&m hold a egg in the air 15 min

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “there are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread”. Food is one of the many things that is appreciated and loved by everyone all around the world. Each geographical region of the world most likely has its own type of food or some kind of variation to it which eventually adds up to a lot of cuisines. The larger the number of regions, the larger the number of cuisines. So, one must be thinking, how does food relate to cultural appropriation? What is the relationship between them?