How and What People Eat Are Issues Determined Strongly by a Religious Tradition - Essay Example

Tuchman and Levine fairly point, out that American culture rather was “created than inherited” (p. 382). Good examples are New York Jews who consume Chinese food, though according to Judaism, “Chinese food is un-kosher, and therefore, non-Jewish” (Tuchman and Levine, p. 385). In this way, one cultural tradition oppresses another.
Another way, is when some cultural traditions historically make a so solid connection, that one is inconceivable from another. Such kind of connection has African Americans and European Americans within the American nation. According to Doris Witt, a history of these relationships can be studied within food. “Food is simply a central issue for African Americans”, and Africans were constantly associated with food (especially, women) because of a racial question (Witt, p. 8).

Another undeniable thing is a modern worldwide, not only peculiar to America. It’s a general desacralization of food. Consumption of different cuisines seems okay exactly because of this tendency: when eating we no longer associate food with something spiritual. Singer describes Krishna’s eating tradition particularly, prasadam when food is firstly proposed to godhood and then eaten with blessing (p. 197). However, the most visual example is the desacralization of food in Christian tradition. For example, nowadays not many of us keep up fasting and feasting, yet it’s “at the very heart of Christian tradition” (Bynum, p. 2).

Could it be, that while losing each individual cultural identity among a variety of different others we instead form something global and common? When having the same issues and values, will there be more understanding? Can food reconcile the world?