The Taste Of Food Is The Ultimate Weapon Of War

The monograph Eating for Victory: Food Rationing and the politics of Domesticity by Amy Bentley centers on the American mindset concerning food that changed during World War II; her thesis maintaining that the Roosevelt administration’s decision to institute legal rationing, proven in its ethical rightness in that this choice ultimately bettered the average American’s diet. Bentley justifies it through the apparent constraints of the massive undertaking the World War would require through the cultural and social approaches, which suited the gendered approach the author applied to this matter. And while she mentions economic and military approaches as well, a deeper analysis of the propaganda towards women in families is the central emphasis in many chapters of the book. Bentley collected information from many archival records such as the “United States Food Administration” and information contained within the “Office of War Information (OWI).” Her final conclusion is that the rationing process on the American home front during World War II had a positive outcome. Through these conclusions, however, develops a contrasting opinion from other historians; as her near overgeneralization of American unity

First, people had to conserve food during the war so it can be sent to the troops fighting for America. Since food was very scarce, people had rations or a fixed amount of food a person is officially allowed during war. For example, in this poster made during the war, it states, “buy wisely, cook carefully, eat it all”. People had to buy very few things when going to the grocery store, cook it carefully so it doesn’t go to waste then eat it all. After, the leftover food was brought to the troops.

Regardless the person, everyone still orders from restaurants, or they microwave a frozen dinner meal once in awhile. In contemporary society, it 's much more efficient to order take out rather than to cook and prepare your own food due to the lack of time. Sadly people even forget the taste of fresh, home cooked meals. Nowadays people don’t know what it’s like to sit down and enjoy a nice hearty home cooked meal, instead they’re always on the run grabbing a quick bite here and there. Unfortunately with such busy lives people don’t have the opportunity to watch cooking shows, go to cooking class, or even cook for their children. People just want to come home and relax they don’t want to have to worry about cooking and all the preparation that comes with it, they would much rather order take out and avoid all the hassle of cooking. In Berry Wendell’s Essay “The Pleasures of Eating”, we are given insight on how very little common people know about where their food comes from and what it goes through. “When a Crop Becomes King” by Michael Pollan reveals how corn, a single crop could be involved in such a wide array of industry and be used in almost everything. David Barboza’s article “If You Pitch It, They Will Eat”, focuses on how in modern society advertising is everywhere and it is taking a big role in everyday life. Through the work of Berry, Pollan, and Barboza we are shown that ignorance is a defining human trait.

During World War II, food rations were cut leading to a drastic increase in

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.

The essay “Eat Food: Food Defined,” from Michael Pollan’s 2008 book In Defense of Food was written to address the American general public about the food industry. Pollan focuses on relatable topics as examples, such as family, common food items, and common belief that everyone wants to be healthy. The essay brings across Pollan’s point by establishing his credibility, explaining why this is important to us, and telling us how to react to the given facts. Pollan makes the readers inquire how we define food by drawing our attention to the importance of examining our food before eating it.

According to Delaney (2004) suggests that food is not biological, it is cultural. The food that is consumed shapes culture and culture shapes food and intern shapes our identity (Delaney, 2004). Counihan (1999) agrees and suggests that food is a “product and mirror of the organisation of society…it is connected to behaviours and meanings” (p. 6). The way in which food is produced, distributed and consumed illustrates power relations, gender and sex within societies (Counihan, 1999). She explains that each society has a distinct food way which structures the community, personalities and families within the society (Counihan, 1999).

One of the most apparent changes was the shortages that took place throughout the nation. Household products such as aluminum foil, fabric for clothes, and Scotch tape became scarce or were even banned so that these products could be shipped off to help with the war effort (Mindell, 2008). Even food was scarce, and Americans were encouraged to grow and harvest ‘victory gardens’ so that America’s food could be shipped to the fighting soldiers (Mindell, 2008). Another example of the government’s attempts to boost people’s involvement in the war effort was the popularization the consumption alternative foods, such as soy products. Soy was full of protein and could be substituted for meat products that the soldiers desperately needed to stay healthy.

Should food background be important to us? The article The Pleasures of Eating by Wendell Berry states that for us to eat responsibly, we need to be free, and for us to be free we must know about our food. He says that you should not let anybody control your food and its sources or at least know where your food comes from and know what you are eating. I agree with Wendell Berry because I feel that we cannot be manipulated by the big food companies and just look at food as just food. Many food consumers buy their food without knowing about it.

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

Tom Standage used many points in human history to illustrate his thesis. He uses different foods and connects them to their effect to pivotal time periods of human history. For example, in chapter seven, New World, New Foods, the author writes of the importance of maize and spices during the Columbus Exchange period. Similarly, in chapter nine, The Fuel of War, Standage explains the influence of food in war. “What is the most devastating and effective weapon in the history of warfare?... It is something so obvious that is easy to overlook: food, or more precisely, control of food supply.” (Standage,145) In other words, the deadliest weapon in the history of warfare is starvation. The previous examples help the author prove his thesis because

Farming advanced the human race to new heights in the culinary arts, and we discovered new foods that we could grow and use. These new ingredients were implemented into recipes and imprinted in culture. The food you eat determines your social status, describes your culture, and shows your mutual taste as human beings.In our society today, these rules still apply. Fancy foods that are served in small

Thinking about the importance and significance of food respective to our health, ethnic culture and society can cause cavernous, profound, and even questionable thoughts such as: “Is food taken for granted?”, “Is specialty foods just a fad or a change in lifestyle?”, and even “Is food becoming the enemy.” Mark Bittman, an established food journalist, wrote an article called “Why take food seriously?” In this article, Bittman enlightens the reader with a brief history lesson of America’s appreciation of food over the past decades. This history lesson leads to where the social standing of food is today and how it is affecting not only the people of America, but also the rest of the world.

Eating food is essential for all of us, it keep us alive and also gives us enjoyment at the same time. Food can be defined as any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue. (ilearn) In ancient time, when people feel hungry, they eat. However, as human history keep developing and evolving, we have a higher standard on choosing food that we like to eat nowadays. In this paper, we are going to evaluate factors that are influencing our food habits and food culture. Those factors can be divided into two main categories, internal factors (individual preference and values) and external factors (geographical, religion, social, economic and political).

Food is and will always be important for human survival. Often when we hear the word food; health is the first thing that comes in our minds. We see food as a substance that we consume in order to provide nutritional support to our body and we tend to forget that food is more than just food. Sometimes we associate food with culture, customs and values. Maple syrup represents Canada, croissant represents France, and pasta represents Italy and so on. In the importance of being earnest, Oscar Wilde use food as a method to describe and ridicule the Victorian society and he also uses food as a sort of a weapon to. Cucumber sandwiches are randomly discussed when Algernon is eating away but