The Relationship between Food and Culture - Essay Example

03 December 2008 The Relationship between Food and Culture To human beings, eating food is more than just necessity to live. It is a social experience that shows the cultural identity of a person. Sharing food has been a way for people of all cultures to create and maintain a relationship with others. Understanding eating habits and connections helps people understand their identity. How can Food affect Culture? If food could talk, it would tell stories of beautiful, unique places. History comes alive with food objects and utensils, which provide clues to the wide networks in Europe and Asia, as well as the eating habits of the people. Food is a big part of cultures. When people eat, they spend time together and tell stories about life and they plan together for the future. It is a big part of people’s lives. It gives families time to share together and build relationships between family members. Eating food allows passing on customs and traditions that are being forgotten. Food also affects culture in other ways. Human societies are groups of people who interact with each other. But some of the things that make people act the way they do are the food cultures that people grow and share all over the world. Most of the plants and animals people eat grow in a farm. Although many of the food people eat have been there for thousands of years, the ways of growing and raising the food have changed. As ways to farm changed, so did the way land was developed. Understanding food and the environment, people see how the connections of plants and animals had an influence on nature. People then search for ways that agricultural methods can be similar to natural ways. More than 10,000 years ago, humans began the change from hunting and gathering to designing and managing the landscape to serve their needs. People began to control characteristics and develop technology to grow crops and raise animals to fit their tastes. In Guanxi Province in China, for instance, farmers built slopes into step-like terraces (Alba 15). By changing the environment of their surroundings, people can grow food in places that otherwise would not support crops. Preserving food makes it less perishable and easier to transport. Similarly, the obento, a Japanese child’s school lunch, gives cultural messages to a person who is not Japanese. The specific foods and how they are prepared symbolize a connection between home and school. The obento thus plays an important part in identifying a culture (Anderson 103). Early food agriculture helped society grow into cities and states. Anywhere one looks in the world, food affects culture. So if one loses their foods, they lose part of their culture. And it has an effect on their identity, because they also lose the social connection. Finally, there are differences in food eaten that can be connected to the culture of the people. Cultures differ in how their behaviors are expressed. Culture is learned and constantly changes. No matter where they may live, humans own some patterns of food eating. For example, people of a particular culture raise children in some particular family setting and they differentiate between good and bad food eating habits. Positive Relationship between Food and Culture When studying how food choices can affect one’s health and well-being, people understand their need for plants and living things as food. They learn that in order to remain healthy, they need to eat healthy plants and fruits. Healthy soil, clean water, and space are needed to grow healthy plants. A healthy way of life means eating a balanced diet with a collection of different types of food. People of same age and amount of activity can have different nutritional needs. Also, different foods have different total of nutrients that bodies need. Eating the correct mix of foods helps people stay healthy. In learning ways to improve and maintain a healthy way of life, people study food choices and enjoyable activities that improve health and fitness. Hand washing in the kitchen teaches people lessons about personal cleanliness and how behaviors and cultures can help avoid disease. Food is necessary for the survival of human beings. It is also part of cultural identity, telling people who they are. How people produce, prepare, and eat food changes through time. Looking at food and patterns of food eating tells people about changing world cultures. Understanding food through the eyes of a cook, a food expert, a student, or a traveler opens up different meanings: food as nutrition, food as symbol, food as a cure, and food as the happiness on the table. Usual activities such as fishing, hunting and gathering fruits and medicinal plants build confidence for different people. When one takes part in cultural activities he builds pride. It also reduces depression, violence and crime affecting people. It could then be said that the fruits, the cabbage, the roots and the plants people eat support the world and its culture. Negative relationship between Food and Culture News report that the world faces health problems and much of the problems is related to nutrition. The reason for this is that people’s lifestyle influences their food choices. Furthermore, there is a connection between what people eat and health problems. Being able to choose the food one wants to eat is like a pleasure, but some of delicious food may not be healthy food. In a culture where food is plenty, people sometimes eat too much or eat food that are not good for their health. Understanding the American diet, for example, people learn about food and lifestyle. People see reasons that influence food eating patterns and trends. People look for things that influence diet. People’s negative relationship with food can be seen also from another point. The diet and weight loss industry is doing well (Anderson 56). Very underweight models and actresses look back at people from the magazines. There is a culture that is crazy about food. And this culture is almost killing people’s bodies. However, people do not want to take responsibility for the problem. In addition, people look for ways to make sure that all people have access to safe and enough amount of food. However, the food choices people make every day can have an influence on food supply. By not eating and choosing food correctly, the environment and food supply is affected. For example, buying food that is far from one’s house increases costs such as transporting food. People also have to be concerned with a disappearing animal and plant life. The smallest animals, such as the mouse eats seeds, cereals, cherries, insects, and the new shoots of grasses. Changes in ways land is used, like plowing and harvesting, are a danger to some animal population. Finally, the mind is affected to a very large way by the food, through the digestion system. That is why some people or cultures recommend fasting on full moon days, and new moon days during dinner (Anderson 57). Too much eating, such as when a person who only eats meat the whole day for around ten days would find himself becoming more easily angered. Even if the person is naturally a kind person, he can still feel the little change in feeling within him, and reason the cause to food. Even on school examination days, worried students choose or prefer a small diet with small amounts of food that can easily be digested. The negative relationship to food can be improved by changing the place it holds in people’s lives. For instance, many people eat on the run, in their cars or in front of their television. People in the modern age see that they did not even taste what they were eating. The problem in people’s eating is not just about what they eat, but how they eat. It seems people need to slow down and appreciate the food they eat. Conclusion Food gives an idea of who people are and their cultures. People know themselves through their food and food habits. How people prepare and eat food, what they eat, and when they eat it are all affected by culture, traditions of society, and how rich or poor we are. Studying food and culture, people find customs and beliefs that have been formed from preparing food. People realize that food can be symbols as well. It can speak of one’s standing in society. People then find that food is a lot more than something that allows us to live. The meaning of food is an understanding of culture. What people eat, how they get the food, who cooks it, who is at the table, and who eats first is a kind of communication that has full of meaning. Understanding these relationships means appreciating food from the farm where it is produced to the table where it is eaten and how it is connected to culture and behavior. Works Cited Alba, Ken. Eating right in the Rennaisance. California: University of California Press, 2002. Anderson, E.N.. Everyone Eats. New York: NYU Press, 2005. Read More