Chinese Food Cultural Acculturation and Effects of Popular Culture - Research Paper Example

Chinese Americans food and eating culture relative to popular culture in the US The term culture in the simplest and most basic sense refers to a set of beliefs, customs, intuitions, traditions and ideologies that are uniquely held and shared by a group of people in a community or in a society. This is to say that people who subscribe to the same line of thoughts and societal inclinations qualify to the meaning and the essence or definition of what a culture is. Tentatively, the way of life of a society, how they eat, their dressing mannerisms and all other things that constitute the life of a people articulate to the meaning of a culture. The notion and aspect of acculturation on the other hand refers to the changes, advancements, modification and overall changes that a specific culture adheres to relative to the surrounding communities or environment. It is to imply that a community, society or a people are likely to adhere to the way of life of another culture the moment they come into contact with that particular culture (Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne, et al 319). In the conventional sense and aspect, people who move to other places or society are highly likely to embrace the way of life of that particular society. For instance, the Chinese living in the United States of America are most likely to embrace the way of life of the larger American society as a way of keeping up with the realities of the society at that point in time or experience something newer in their lives. Accordingly, this essay will analyze and examine the chronological changes of the Chinese Americans tending towards embracing the cultural principles and eating patterns of the larger society of the United States of America. This is to say that the authentic, traditional and classic eating aspects of the Chinese have changed or have been modified to comply with the popular trends in the United States of America. It implies that the Chinese living in the United States of America have changed their meal times, way of cooking, ingredients and the style of preparing their food as was known and held in the traditional and authentic Chinese society. In principle, this paper would examine in a holistic manner and aspect the exact impact of acculturation regarding how the meal times of the Chinese was revered (Lv and Cason 337). Secondly, it would explore the changes that have occurred and have been recorded on how the Chinese cook their meals including their shift from their traditionally known spices and ingredients. Statement of the problem In the recent past, there have been instances and aspects of change in the way the Chinese Americans live their life relative to eating patterns and aspects. It is a sharp contrast to the known and conventional eating patterns of the Chinese in their homeland. For instance, meal times in China, are revered and regarded family times where the family members engage in meals in quiet and serene dining tables. However in the recent past, Chinese Americans have changed the ancient role of the dining tables to other things. It is common in this day and age to find Chinese Americans working, talking or playing in the dining tables or during meal times. In principle, this argument and notion wishes to stress on the fact that the serenity and the seriousness that was accorded to the dining tables and mealtimes is no longer tenable (Satia-Abouta, Jessie, et al 1110). Their food was also cooked in a specified method such as they were cooked using traditional spices such as garlic, ginger, cilantro, basil amongst other indigenous spices or ingredients. On the contrary, in the contemporary society, the Chinese Americans have had a reduction in the amount of the traditional spices or ingredients in its place they have resorted to sweeteners which are common in the context of the popular culture in the United States of America. In all aspects and fairness, it would be fair to note and mention that the Chinese culture has been compromised in this respect over the popular culture where the traditional tenets have been compromised. Similarly, it is a matter of concern and interest to gauge the eating patterns of the Chinese Americans using the known cultural eating patterns of the Chinese people. Definition of terms Culture-in this instance it would refer to the way of life of a society with a skewed focus on the eating patterns of the Chinese Americans. Acculturation-in this exposition it would imply the compliance and subsequent modification of one culture to another due to influence of the dominant culture Theoretical framework It is imperative to assume the fact that the Chinese Americans are believed to have strong ancestral lineage to the Asian origin. This is to say that it would be assumed that the Chinese Americans have their origin from China and thus are bound and expected to comply with the cultural tenets of the Chinese people in their homeland. Intuitively, it would be assumed that the popular culture is the predominant way of life of the larger American society. In principle, this essay would proceed on the basis that the Chinese Americans must have compromised on their traditional and authentic eating and food habits so as to comply with the popular changes and tenets. Equivocally, it would be fair to assert and mention that Chinese Americans have not had a lasting or formidable effect on the larger American society sine they are the majority. Thus, acculturation would be deemed to be one directional towards the Chinese Americans. This argument and line of reasoning implies that only the Chinese Americans have been affected by the acculturation and not the larger American society of people who comply with the popular changes or cultures. Literature review This is the part of research which encompasses the existing pool of knowledge and information on the subject of interest. In principle, it includes what other previous researchers have said or written regarding the topic of interest. Accordingly, Racette, Susan B et al (248) mentions that the Chinese Americans are few in the United States of America, it becomes difficult for them to withstand the societal pressure as custodians of their eating cultures and practices. It gives the practical instance and example of college students who eat in restaurants while doing their schoolwork and do not find anything wrong with balancing food and other activities such as schoolwork. In such a circumstance, it becomes difficult for the Chinese American friend to maintain sanity in trying to treat the dining table as serene and quiet. Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne, et al (337), also mentions that the Chinese Americans especially the people in food industry have been forced to adjust their recipes to conform to the popular culture so as to win the market to their side. It offers a practical example of green tea, which is in all standards and aspects a nutritional drink or beverage which ought to taken after meals due to the high medicinal value that it has. However, the spices that are used to prepare it are bitter to taste and as such the Chinese Americans have been forced to add sweeteners and additives to it so as to appeal to the general market. Lv and Cason (773), on their part mention that food, eating patterns and eating ingredients are global in nature and are bound to learnt by other people. It records that the Chinese Americans could also get to learn and appreciate the values or the good things that the American society has to offer in terms of delicacies and ingredients. Thus, once in the United States of America, it would only be fair for them to embrace the positives from the American society and incorporate them into their meals and eating patterns. Methodology Type of research Given the fact that the nature and aspect of this research pattern and line, it would be an exploratory research which would focus on the qualitative tenets of the exposition. It implies that the research would seek to gauge with utmost precision how the quality of life of the Chinese Americans has changed over the years. It goes without saying that the research would not focus on the quantitative aspects since it is not possible to cover the numerical figures in this cultural disposition. In the conventional sense and aspect, exploratory research does not have any guiding hypothesis and instead, the research would be allowed to flow to its logical conclusion without the guidelines or limitations of a hypothesis. However, the irreducible minimum would be to articulate the specific ways how the Chinese Americans have changed their revered meal times, methods of cooking including changing their ingredients and spices in favor of the popular sweeteners, additives and preservatives. Respondents In order to arrive at conclusive and thorough findings it would be critical and fair to get the opinion and input of concerned parties. These would be people who would have direct knowledge and contribution on the subject matter relative to the changing patterns of the Chinese Americans eating practice in favor of the popular aspects. To begin with, it would be critical to obtain the opinion and response of the Chinese America. It is needless to stress on the fact that they are best placed to explain why they have changed or modified their cooking and eating habits and instead inclined towards the popular culture. Secondly, the members of the American would also contextualize the subject matter by articulating why, how and when they feel the Chinese Americans adapted to their cultural tenets and eating way of life. In principle, they would provide the details on the popular culture in terms of how the American society views food, cooking or ingredients. The experts who include the anthropologists, university professors, sociologists and nutritionists are another group of respondents who cannot escape attention when compiling the list of prospective respondents in this research. For instance, the anthropologists would explain why the Chinese Americans opted to comply and copy the practices of the larger American society. Tentatively, they would justify the notion that culture is learnt and shared from one culture to the next and how the Chinese Americans obliged and learnt from the Americans. This is to say that the minority Chinese Americans complied with the main happenings in the larger American society and thus adapted their way of life relative to eating patterns and cooking habits. Sociologists on their part would explain and justify why Chinese Americans have opted to compromise on their cultural practices and instead complied and adapted to the larger popular cultures. Similarly they may explain why the popular culture is exalted by the mainstream media and thus the Chinese Americans felt pushed to adapt and keep up with the “trend.” Methods of data collection There are various appropriate methods of data collection which would prove critical and important in this endeavor to arrive at findings. For this case and instance it would be critical to administer direct questionnaires to the name research respondents above. This is to say that they would be provided by a list of questions and then they would give answers on the questions that they would be asked. For instance, the questions would be skewed and inclined in the direction of trying to establish from the Chinese Americans why they did forego their cultural heritage, dietary considerations and nutritional values in favor of the American popular culture. Secondly, it would be fair to conduct interviews to the direct research respondents with the aim of drawing inferences from them so as to arrive at a logical conclusion. In practice it refers to the circumstance where as a prospective researcher, I would compile questions to be considered for answering by the respondents. In reality, it would involve asking them face to face questions so as to gauge their disposition and decree on why they changed their eating patterns. In principle, it means that it would mean that I would look for the natural satisfaction elements from the respondents. For example, the level of satisfaction and comfort that the Chinese Americans display as they give their reasons for complying and abiding or conforming to the norms of the popular eating patterns. In practice it would be essential to look for any trait or element of melancholy or absolute satisfaction in their voice or tones. Rhetorically, I would if the Chinese Americans enjoy the move to conform to the popular tenets of eating patterns or whether it was a move out of pressure to keep up with the popular eating trends. Lastly, it would be essential to use observations as a tool of data collection in this research and exposition. It is observable how the Chinese Americans behave during their meal times thus enabling me as a prospective researcher to draw parallels thereafter. For instance, do the family members play, watch televisions, are busy in the electronic and mobile devices or are keen in their meals. Tentatively, such an observation would be contrasted against the irreducible minimum and common practices in the traditional Chinese society in Asia. Similarly, it would be easy to observe the ingredients and spices being used such as the sweeteners and the additives-which are in all aspects and fairness different from the classical spices and ingredients as articulated above herein. Methods of data analysis and presentation Given the fact that this is an exploratory and qualitative research it would be important to obtain the commonalities from the research respondents since there would not be absolute numerical facts. Expressly, it would touch on the commonalties and the shared notion as articulated by the research respondents. For instance, if most of the research participants or the respondents point to the direction that the Chinese Americans copy the popular eating patterns as their way of coping up with the dominant culture in the United States of America. Then, such a response would be coded and all the other related comments related to it would be collapsed or grouped in the same category. It is important to note and mention the fact that in research it is possible that errors of commission or omission could occur and a cleaning technique would be needed to clear the data. The Analysis of Variation technique (ANOVA) technique would then be used an important tool thereof. In principle, any extreme variation would be corrected or cleaned using this technique so as to arrive at an unbiased and conclusive inferences on the reasons as to why the Chinese Americans have in the recent past abandoned their traditional eating patterns in favor of the American popular culture’s. Intuitively, the analyzed data would be presented in the easiest form to consume and interpret such as graphs and tables. Conclusion The above essay has articulated and explained some of the prospective reasons which have led to the Chinese Americans to divert their eating and food patterns to the American popular standards. In brief, it also articulated the meaning and implication of the concepts or notion of acculturation and why it was likely for the Chinese Americans to conform to the American popular eating patterns while they are in the United States of America. It is important to note and mention that the exposition also mentioned that culture is learnt and thus it would be highly prospective for the Chinese Americans to learn the way of life of the Americans and put it forth to practice in reality. However, the irreducible minimum and implication is the fact that there has been a considerable change or shift from the way the Chinese Americans perceive food and eating patterns. This is to say that it mentions that they have adapted, conformed and embraced some of the eating habits such as eating out, adding sweeteners and preservatives to their meals amongst others. Work cited Lv, Nan, and Katherine L. Cason. "Dietary pattern change and acculturation of Chinese Americans in Pennsylvania." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 104.5 (2004): 771-778. Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne, et al. "Family meal patterns: associations with sociodemographic characteristics and improved dietary intake among adolescents." Journal of the american dietetic association 103.3 (2003): 317-322. Racette, Susan B., et al. "Weight changes, exercise, and dietary patterns during freshman and sophomore years of college." Journal of American college health 53.6 (2005): 245-251. Satia-Abouta, Jessie, et al. "Dietary acculturation: applications to nutrition research and dietetics." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 102.8 (2002): 1105-1118. Read More