The Important Aspects of the Australian Culture - Research Paper Example

 Dining for Professional Success Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Introduction 3 Etiquette 4 Cuisine 5 Gift Giving Etiquette 6 Dining Etiquette 7 Religion 7 Language 9 History 10 Music 12 Theater 13 Film 13 Current affairs 13 Conclusion 14 References 15 Dining for Professional Success Introduction Australia is no doubt one of the most stunning places to go. The country is an island which means that it is bordered by large water masses in all corners. Whatever makes Australia beautiful, other than its serene flora and a plethora of animal species, is its rich culture. With globalization, the best places are those that comprise of as many races and religions, as possible as it is that diversity that makes the planet beautiful. There are so many reasons that make Australia a destination for tourist and students alike and a lot can be said about the country, from politics and religion to the basic way of life of the people. This paper will be looking at some of the most important aspect of the Australian culture. Before delving deeper into the topic, it is important to give an overview of Australia as that will act as the basis of this discussion. Australia is among the oldest landmasses in the world. The country is the sixth largest in the world and is the planet’s biggest island. While the country is surrounded by water masses, the country is among the driest as it has only 6 percent of arable land. Since the country is vast, visitors are often surprised at the large distances they cover traveling from city to city. From east to west, Australia stretches approximately 4000 kilometers and 37000 kilometers from north to south. Flying form Perth to Sydney takes about 5 hours. Without including Alaska, Austria is about the same size with the US and is over 32 times the size of the UK. The name “Australia” is derived for the Latin term “australis” which means “of the South” (Lees, 2002). Etiquette Etiquette is an important part of the Australian culture. The terms ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ are very popular in Australia and are very helpful whenever you are dealing with other people probably when buying goods and asking to be offered services (Sharp, 2012). When being offered something, say a cup of tea, for example, it is considered polite to say “Yes please”, or simply “Please” if you would like to have the tea and “no, thank you” if you don’t like to have the tea. When receiving something, on the other hand, to say “thank you” is considered polite. If you bump into someone in Australia, you are supposed to say “sorry” and if you need a person’s attention, saying “excuse me” is appropriate. You may also notice Australians say “pardon me” or “excuse me” if they belch or burp around a person’s home or in public (Sharp, 2012). Etiquette in Australia extends to queuing when waiting to be served in places such as banks, offices, shops, cinemas, fastfood joints, or public places if there are many people who are seeking a given service at the same time. In Australia, people wait until it is their time to be attended to. Not only is this being respectful to others but it also acts as the fairest way through which everybody can be served. Being late for meetings or dinner visits is considered impolite in Australia so it remains appropriate to call the hosts and alert them if you think you will be late. Visiting professionals such as doctors also demand that you show up on time. If you run late, you get charged or fined for the lateness. Calling them beforehand and informing them that you will be late is better as you will not be fined, and of course, is polite. Most Australians blow their noses in public, but into a handkerchief or tissue, not onto walls or footpaths. This also applies to spitting. In Australia, it is not considered polite to blow the nose during meal time. When sneezing, people will often say “bless you” although the term has no religious connotation. Cuisine The traditional dish of Australia, or rather the country’s cuisine, refers to the food of the indigenous settlers of the country and the colonial societies. The indigenous Australians have been in the country for more than 60,000 years before the European settlers arrived (Brand-Miller & Holt, 1998). During their stay on the island, they developed their traditional cuisine that is unique to a hunter-gatherer dish that is known as “bush tucker”. The dish is drawn from the Australian flora and fauna where kangaroo is a common delicacy. From 1788 to 1900, Australia was a collection of British colonies whereby the Irish and the British traditions highly influence the traditional food. The Europeans introduced cattle, sheep, wheat, and other agricultural foods thus changing a good part of the traditional diet. The Mediterranean and East Asia migrants in the post-war period led to further diversification of the Australian diet. The diet in Australia today is a result of globalization. Besides a revival in interests in bushfoods, biodynamic foods and organic foods are common and widely used in the continent. British influence is significant in roast dinners, takeaway foods, domestic cooking, chips, fish, and Australian meat pie although the influence is with varying degree across the vast landmass. We would say that Australians are less of vegetarians as meat is very common in most of the country’s cuisines. It is present in the diet and yet still its importance in the cuisines has contributed a lot to the Australian agricultural economy. Meat barbeque is considered a tradition in Australian and spreads across the country. Multiculturalism in Australia has led to the instituting of several nouvelle cuisine and famed haute cuisine in the metropolitan cities that offer both international and local delicacies. Nonetheless, fast foods are equally popular in Australia and you will normally find restaurants offering modern adaptations and interpretations saying that they are serving food termed “modern Australian” (Brand-Miller & Holt, 1998). Gift Giving Etiquette Gifts are very popular in almost every society. While the rules of reciprocity exist in every society, it is considered a display of affection or appreciation when a person gives a gift to another. Exchange of gifts is common amongst family members in Australia. It also occurs between close friends and neighbors and is very common during birthday parties or Christmas holidays. Tradespeople in Australia are also appreciated by giving them some money and in most cases, a bottle of beer. Sometimes the person giving the gift may give a whole 6-pack of beer that signifies just how generous the Australian people are. When invited to a person’s home, say for dinner, it is impolite to come empty-handed (Areni, Kiecker, & Palan, 1998). The culture requires that you bring with you a box of chocolates or flowers. Coming with a high-end bottle of wine is even better. Gifts in Australia are opened when received. Dining Etiquette Invitations in Australia for dinner are usually for a “barbie” (Barbeque) or BBQ in contemporary English (Wylie, 2004). Those invited for a barbie in Australia will often come with beer or wine for their personal consumption. Some informal arrangements for barbecue dinners in Australia may require that you show up carrying your own meat. Like mentioned earlier, you will be required to arrive on time if asked to a barbie, if you are late, it should not be more than 15 minutes even if it is not a barbeque you are invited to but a large party. For politeness, you should contact your host earlier before leaving your house so that they tell you whether you are supposed to bring you own dish. After a meal, it is appropriate and considered polite to offer cleaning or helping do the dishes. Religion Australia has a large variety of religions. The constitution prohibits interfering with the freedom of worship of the Australian people. While every religion is allowed to be practiced in Australia, the country is predominantly Christian. Initially, the percentage of Christians was very high but globalization has seen a lot of other different religions settle in Australia thus bringing about a sense of parity. In 2011, 61.1 percent Australians were Christians, 22.3 percent stated “no religion”, and 9.4 percent chose not to answer the question on their religion. The remainder is made up of 2.5 percent Buddhists, 2.2 percent Muslims, 1.3 percent Hindus and 0.5 percent Jews (Bouma, 2011). The Australia’s Aboriginal people came up with the animist spirituality of the Dreamings. Evidence of this form of worship still lies in archeological records signifying some of the earliest forms of worship in the world. Although the Aboriginal people might have had some contact with the Maccassans prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the general isolation of their religion ended with the British settlers arrival in the late 18th century. The subsequent immigrants and the descendants of the British have, therefore, been Christian. Initially, the Church of England held a very unique and a privileged position in Australia and other religious practices were not condoned. The introduction of a legal framework guaranteed equality and freedom of worship for more other religions. There were even Chinese religions after the introduction of the framework. Apart from that, the numbers of Jews and several other religious minorities shot up. Although Australia has a strong habit of secular government, the effects of religious organizations in the country cannot be ignored as they have played a significance role in governance of the country. The Christian churches are credited for the development of education in Australia. Christianity has also played a critical role in health and welfare services of the country. Although less than 25 percent of people attend church services on a weekly basis, at least a quarter of all school children attend church-affiliated schools. Christian holidays such as Easter and Christmas are public holidays. Other than that, the Roman Catholic Church in Australia remains the largest non-government provider of both education and health services in the country. Other organizations that are predominantly faith-based, such as the Salvation Army and the St Vincent De Paul Society receive immense support from the community. This information highlights the crucial role the religions in Australia play in the society. Since the largest group of people in Australia is Christian, it goes without saying that the meals are inspired by the religion. A country where most of the people are Hindu, for example, will not feed on beef whether in their homes or in hotels. Regions dominated by islam, on the other hand, will not feed on pork. Knowing this will guide a visitor’s menu when they visit Australia as they know that such foods are allowed in Australia and actually make the most part of the menu. Language Australia, contrary to what people would think, has no official language. The country is essentially monolingual with English being the de facto national language. The Australian English differs from the American, Canadian, and UK English in both vocabulary and accent. A census in 2011 indicated that 79 percent of the Australians spoke English at home. The other languages that are spoken at home include Mandarin, Italian, Arabic, Cantonese, and Greek with percentages of 2%, 2%, 1.3%, 1.2%, and 1.2% respectively (Dixon, 2011). A good number of Australians mostly the first- and the second- generation migrants are bilingual. About 400 Australians aboriginal dialects are believed to have been in existence in Australia by the time the Europeans made contact with the indigenous people. To date, there are only 70 of these languages that have survived the test of time and among them, only 30 are not endangered. Around 50, 000 indigenous Australians use an indigenous language as their main language. The number makes about 0.25% of the population. About 6,500 deaf people use a sign language developed for the Australian citizens. The language is known as Auslan (Dixon, 2011). History Australia has one of the richest histories of any country. The outflow of the aboriginals from Asia initiated their settlements of this group of people in Australia. The population of the aboriginal is said to have migrated from Asia to Australia some 20, 000 years ago. Although there are over 500 different groups of the people, they are all similar in almost every aspect. This includes their culture or rather their way of life. Their belief is also shared and their folklore and the attachment they have to the land indicate that they are one and the same people. Although the aboriginals have different tribes and are different in their appearance, they are very similar in their built. They are short and have long legs. They also have flat faces, wide noses and a naturally small head. The aboriginals believe in reincarnation and thus put nature and human beings at the same level. The belief in life after death to them means their ancestors are spirits in the form of other living things and demand respect. The aboriginals have a very vibrant cultural lifestyle and are renowned for their traditional art and a culture of ‘story-telling’ . Music in Australia has held a very important role in the culture of the aboriginals and as will be discussed below, still has. The aboriginals play an instrument known as Didgeridoo made of the bamboo plant. This musical instrument is used in every occasion of the Australian people. These ceremonies include those of marriage, birth, child initiation, and funerals. In major hotels in Australia, there are usually traditional entertainers entertaining the visitors throughout their stays or at times during having the meals. The northern territory aborigines practice other forms of art. They include scalping, rock and bark paintings, bead works, and basketry. Places such as the Ubbir, Arnhem Land, and Nourlangie still have rock paintings and carving that were done by the aborigines (Brandl, 2011). The source of livelihood or rather the main economic activity of the aborigines in Australia remain selling of their artwork to both domestic and international tourists. Although the aboriginals are the original ‘owners’ of the land as other races came thousands of years later, the aboriginals are not as competitive even in some of the basic needs of the 21st century people. They do not receive proper health care as other people do and, therefore, record a significantly low life expectancy. The interaction between migrants and the natives has brought about deaths of scores of the aboriginals as they are not as resistance to diseases as the settlers are. The diseases, mainly brought by the settlers, are leading to the extinction of the people. Initially, the aboriginal were denied the right to own land. In the 1970s, however, they were granted proper constitutional rights to property that included the right to own and operate land. Other inequalities existed in the paid labor sector where the aboriginals did not make as much as other people in the community did. In the 1990s, the Australian government passed laws that were supposed to ensure that the wages and benefits for the minority groups and especially the aborigines were increased. Music As had been mentioned earlier, music in Australia has had significant impact in the country and its history dates back to the initial settlers of the land. Indigenous Australian music is actually a distinctive part of the country’s heritage of 60,000-year history (Curran, 2008). It is this history that saw the introduction of the didgeridoo. Australia has had a tremendous contribution to the world music. Significant works of stars such as No Fixed Address, Christine Anu, and Yothu Yindi which are essentially a fusion of the Western and the Indigenous styles are popular in the modern world. Australia produces great musicians even for today. Notable musicians are the opera singers Dame Joan Sutherland and Dame Nellie Melba. Country music stars such as Slim Dusty, and John Williamson. Iggy Azalea, a phenomenon in the rap genre of music, comes from Australia. Theater The history of performing arts is what is known as theater in Australia. It also refers to work in the industry that is produced by the Australians. Theatrical and dramatic aspects often adorn several indigenous Australian ceremonies. Such works include the corroboree, an ancient theatrical content which is now fused with western theatrical production. Earlier on, however, the most of the works in Australian theater was linked to the British lifestyle as the country was a British colony. Those who have contributed to the Australian theater are many. Some, for instance Dame Joan Sutherland (opera) and Sir Robert Helpmann (ballet) have been recognized internationally (Curran, 2008). Theatrical institutions that are notable in Australia include the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney and the Sydney Opera House. Film Australia has contributed a lot in films, too. Movies like Mad Max, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Kill Me Three Times, The Babadook, The Little Death, Son Of A Gun, These Final Hours, The Mule, The Infinite Man, Cut Snake, Charlie’s Country, Felony, Around The Block Moulin Rouge (Posetti, 2014). In addition, there is Wolf Creek, Muriel’s Wedding, Crocodile Dundee, Dark City, Dead Calm, Romper Stomper, Strictly Ballroom, and Chopper(Rosenstone, 2014). Current affairs Terrorism is a menace affecting almost every part of the world. Australia has also had some contact with terrorists and remains one of the greatest threats to its citizens. On December 2014, Man Haron Monis, a self-pronounced Muslim Sheikh took 17 people hostage inside a café in Sydney. Monis forced the hostages to hold a jihadist flag against the window of the café. The following day, very early in the morning, police officers breached the café and injured Monis. Two people died in the incident while scores of others were injured. Following the incident, Australia, for the first time, raised the terror alert level to “high” (Posetti, 2014). Conclusion There is so much that can be said about Australia. Its geography, history, culture of the people, and its contribution of its people to important aspects of the world such as cuisines, films, theater, and music are immense. While the country is surrounded by large masses of water as it is an island, very little of the land can be used for agricultural activities. Still, the country is among the most developed and boasts of large numbers of visitors. References Areni, C. S., Kiecker, P., & Palan, K. M. (1998). Is it better to give than to receive? Exploring gender differences in the meaning of memorable gifts. Psychology, 15(1), 81-109. Bouma, G., Cahill, D., Dellal, H., & Zwartz, A. (2011). 2011 Freedom of Religion Brand-Miller, J. C., & Holt, S. H. (1998). Australian Aboriginal plant foods: a consideration of their nutritional composition and health implications. Nutrition Research Reviews, 11(1), 5-24. Brandl, E. J. (1982). Australian Aboriginal paintings in western and centr al Arnhem Land: temporal sequences and elements of style in Cadell River and Deaf Adder Creek art. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. Sold and distributed in North and South America by Humanities Press. Curran, J. (2008). ‘Australia Should Be There’ Expo'67 and the Search for a New National Image. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 39(1), 72-90. Lees, B. G. (2002). Australian geography and geographic information systems. Australian Geographical Studies, 40(1), 33-47. Posetti, J. N. (2014). Q&A: how the Sydney siege was reported by the public and news professionals. Rosenstone, R. A. (2014). History on film/film on history. Routledge. Sharp, I. (2012). CultureShock! Australia: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. Wylie, D. (2004). The Changing Chicken: Chooks, Cooks and Culinary Culture. 110-110. Read More