Food and Culture Interrelation - Report Example

Introduction: Food has got important role in every aspect of life. The consumption of food varies from person to person and from society to society. The culture of the people determines which food one needs to consume. It depends on many factors why people take different types of food. Mainly it can be due to the culture and family background and also the tradition followed by the different people. Regarding the relationship between food and culture Carole Counihan comments, “Food is a many-splendored thing, central to biological and social life…Eating together lies at the heart of social relations; at meals we create family and friendships by sharing food, tastes, values and ourselves.” (Counihan, p. 6). What it says is food has got major role in making people feel more attached. Older people say that if all members of the family eat food together at any time, whether it is in the morning or afternoon or at the time of dinner then it will provide more happiness in the family. Food has got such power. Food is most important to all human beings in order to live. The importance of food is great in certain celebrations such as marriage, birthday etc. In a society food can be used as a source for increasing the relationship with others. It can be made through exchanging food by the individuals. For example, it can be the neighbors sharing their food. This kind of activity will enrich the human relationship. Food has got important role in spiritual activities. Some people believe that offerings of some kinds of food to God will bring happiness to their life. Analyzing the relationship between food and culture, one can find that they are closely interrelated. Food and culture: Cultural significance of food and eating is based on social values, meaning and beliefs than the dietary necessities and nutritional standards. There exist a lot of examples and regularities for the selection of food. The eating practices are not a matter of physical needs. People eat in a particular social structured mode and there are distinct ideas about good and bad table behavior, correct and incorrect habits to present dishes and the importance of having a clear cut idea about the aptness of food for different functions. These way foods express the cultural significance, the social rank, traditions and also prosperity. Leach opines, “Food is an especially appropriate “mediator” because, when we eat, we establish, in a literal sense, a direct identity between ourselves (culture) and our food (nature).” (Fishburn, p. 57). Human beings belong to the world of both nature and culture. Food is a significant element of religious performance and holy service for many faiths including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The part of food in cultural and religious perform is an essential part of showing the admiration and reacting to the needs of people from sort of religious communities. Hindus believe in life after death and also they worship each and every element in nature. One who belongs to the community ‘Brahmins’ in Hindu religion does not eat meat. Most of the people belonging to Hindu religion do not eat beef and beef products as they consider cow a sacred animal. Thus the role of food in cultural practices is complex and it differs in individuals and communities and the habit of eating and drinking is endowed with the importance of culture or pre-culture to which one belongs. Food and Society: Food and Society is based on a food system that offers all section of society, particularly those who are weak, a secure and contributing nutritious food, developed in a way that gives care for physical fitness and the setting. It also adds economic and social value to rural and urban society. Social differences are there in food choices. The preparation and eating of food offers a substance for articulating the conceptual significance of social structure and cultural standards. It is argued that the foods which people are prepared to consume are the sign of their social characteristics, and their association of social cluster. More than anything, food is very important; so it is always shared. It is during the mealtime family members gather together. Each society goes largely to attain favorite foods, and sometimes, they disregard expensive food. People do not eat anything they get. In every culture, certain foods are banned. The English people do not eat horse and dog; Muslims reject pork; Americans hate offal; Hindus are prohibited beef - and so on. The function of food in educational practice and spiritual values is multifaceted and it varies from person to person. Catholic and Orthodox Christians observe fast on certain days or period of the year. For instance, they observe fast or keep away from meat on Fridays, at the time of Lent or on Good Friday. Spiritual significance of food: Food habit is greatly influenced by the spiritual and religious life of people. For many people food is not a mere material concern that man needs for the growth of his body. Fasting and similar practices are common in many religions such as Christianity and Hinduism. Also consuming some particular kind of food has become the central theme of the spiritual life of many sects. For example, a community named ‘Brahmins’ in Hindu religion eat only vegetarian food and never taste non-vegetarian food in their life time, because they are destined to perform the religious rituals. The spiritual significance of food in Christianity is also evident and it is clearly stated by Carole Counihan and et al. in their book ‘Food and Culture’. They rightly put it as, “Food was, moreover, a central metaphor and symbol in Christian poetry, devotional literature, and theology because a meal (the Eucharist) was the central Christian ritual, the most direct way of encountering God.” (Counihan, and Esterik, p. 122). The variety of food consumed as well as the mode of consuming them also differ with diverse religious beliefs. Some community prefers non-vegetarian food whereas some others favor vegetarian food. The reasons are not limited to the geographical conditions but influenced greatly by the spiritual and religious beliefs held by the people. For some, eating non-vegetarian food means causing pain to animals and taking of their life. They criticize this habit as eating corpses. George Bernard Shaw, a famous English writer once commented on non-vegetarianism that, “A man of my spiritual intensity does not eat corpses.” (Spirituality Quotes). Buddhists are generally vegetarians because they believe that Lord Buddha had a cycle of life in the form of different animals. Consumption of alcohol is prohibited by some beliefs such as Islam and some protestant communities. Also, the believers of Judaism demands that the animals should be slaughtered properly. One specific aspect of the cultural significance of food: Food has got major relation with the culture of human beings. Food gives great enthusiasm to human beings. It has got power to make every one attached. Most people believe in this thing. In a family, the woman or housewife has got a major role in making food for their special ones. This makes the relationship closer as woman knows very well which kind of food is liked by the members of the family. Making such food for the members will increase the love and affection between them. Not only that, the members of the family can say to the housewife what type of food they need. Preparation of such food and giving them will only increase their love. Also when housewife prepares the food, other members of the house can learn how the food is prepared. Some family members might know how to make some special recipe. They can share the knowledge with the younger generation. This will enable to pass the knowledge from old generation to new generation. For some important functions such as marriage, birthday party etc different types of food are served. People taking part in these functions will be getting chance to taste the food made by different society or from different culture. Interested people can enquire as to how such food was made and once they understand the same they can make such type of food for their family members. Evaluating the relationship between food and culture, one can find the notable relationship between them. As people are adamant in keeping their cultural and ethnic identity they are also conscious about keeping relationship with people having similar food habits. It is the same feature that one can see in the attitude of immigrants in maintaining their ‘food identity’. In other words, it is the attempt of immigrants in retaining their cultural identity. It is common knowledge that people from different cultural backgrounds keep their own food styles; preparation, ingredients, types of food, and even the method or style of eating. One can find the role of tradition in determining the food culture of a particular region and its predominant role in forming its culture. Different meanings have been attributed to various food items other than their primary function. One can cite an example of this factor in presenting chocolates as gift. In most of the regions it is a part of the culture, establishing their relation. But one cannot infer that the same happens in all the cases and there remain the regional food habits. There is possibility of a change in one region’s food habits due to the influence of immigrants when their preferences are imported and exported. When families move from one place to other, the same thing happens and some of their habits may exert influence in other’s food culture and taste. Their experiments in new food items or the modifications of the existing foods may affect others. To conclude, one can infer that there is close relationship between food and culture, and they are complementary. Works Cited Counihan, Carole M. The Anthropology of Food and Body: Gender, Meaning and Power: Food, Culture and Gender. New York: Routledge. 1999. 7 Jul. 2009. . Counihan, Carole., and Esterik, Penny Van. Food and Culture: A Reader. Routledge. 2007. 7 Jul. 2009. Read More