152743_Selma_Mohamed_final_exam_2219937_643990808 (1)

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Selma Mohamed What makes food cultural? 1 Culture and food can correlate in so many ways and here is why. Food is a way for culture and memories to be shared. Everyone can identify with a specific culture, and within each culture there are a variety of foods that bring back nostalgic emotions that are unique to that community. Food is not just a human need and a nutritious energy source for our bodies, but it is more than that. First, cultures are significantly shaped by food because food signifies value and tradition. Since food may affect how individuals eat, these characteristics are what set us apart from other people. For example, some people hold the belief that some foods are holy or that certain meals are only appropriate for particular events or special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It is passed down from one generation to the next to help maintain and appreciate those roots that give each country its own distinctive flavour through homemade meals due to the strong relationship between food and culture. From an anthropological perspective, culture is a community of people who share the same beliefs and values about where they come from and it also correlates with forming and maintaining social relationships. It talks about the relationship between food and social communities, the action of sitting down and enjoying the food at a table with those who share the same culture as you, which establishes a strong relationship. All these things can have a positive impact and allow one to develop a strong bond with others, but what about the negatives? Food may sometimes have a negative impact on those who are minorities, like black people, Asians, and Native people, for example. In the readings, Counihan discusses the bad side of how food can be used to perceive a certain group of people. For instance, watermelons and chicken are used as a food stereotype towards black people because others assume that this is all they eat because of their “culture,” which is not true. It is a racist stereotype that is rooted in slavery and was created by white southern Americans. Counihan (2012, pg. 5), states that “...food stereotypes which uncovers both the harmful effects of controlling images on African Americans, and

Selma Mohamed What makes food cultural? 2 also the ways in which Black women have resisted oppression and fostered cultural survival by reversing the stereotypes surrounding chicken and using it as a source of income and community bonding”. From this, we can see that stereotypes surrounding food and a specific culture of people can be harmful. Moreover, food is not only significant to culture, but also to religion. Back in the middle ages for Christian medievals, food represented a variety of elements. However, fasting and eucharist were the two most significant Christian dietary practices. By forgoing food, Christians, especially the women, acknowledged their own depravity and gave homage to God's strength. And in that sacred meal when he was made manifest in bread and wine, they embraced their God very personally. “We have retained Caroline Bynum’s striking discussion of how medieval women used food to gain religious and cultural power. By giving food to the poor, exuding milk from their bodies, and relentlessly fasting, they were able to subvert the economic control of husbands and the religious authority of male priests to commune directly with God” (Carole Counihan, 2012, pg. 6). We can learn so much from the significance of food and its roots; the cultural meals that we have eaten growing up gives us comfort and a sense of belonging to our communities. For example, I come from a Somali household. Even though my parents have lived and were also raised in Canada for most of their lives, they still keep in touch with their culture and taught my siblings and I about our background, food, music, language, and mannerisms, which I felt was really important for us growing up in a western country as black, African children where we may have been viewed differently than others. Food plays an incredibly big role in our culture because, even though we are all grown up now and busy with our lives, we would never miss a moment sitting down, eating and just enjoying each other’s company over plates of delicious foods at the end of a long day. Another important aspect in our culture is drinking coffee, not only because we use it to stay awake for the whole day but

Selma Mohamed What makes food cultural? 3 because we enjoy the different flavours and aromas of the coffee. But what is it good for? Drinking coffee is something that we may share with others, including friends, family and even colleagues but before we even realize it, we may end up meeting someone at a cafe, and catching up and talking about life over a simple cup of coffee. This a good example of how things like coffee and even food can sustain relationships which strengthens bonds and contributes to culture. “Our small coffee shop was filled with the aroma of coffee beans, and the voices of people competed with the sound of the coffee grinder. At the counter a chalkboard listed the daily specials of sandwiches and desserts. (Coffee shops have their own language, with vocabulary such as macchiato and latte. It can feel like entering a foreign culture.)” (Katie Nelson, pg 30, year 2020). Thirdly, food can influence people's perception of one’s identity. For example, when Indigenous people in America make land claims, they are often judged by the types of jobs they have, the homes they live in, as well as the types of food they eat. In the Gitksan/Wet’suwet’en case, for example, the identity of a group of Indigenous people who wanted rights to their land was questioned in part because they “held paying jobs, lived in houses, consumed pizza and other European foods, and in general lived contemporary lives” (Monet and Skanu’u 1992, 141–69). In the reading material, Monet and Skanu’u talk about how white people were telling Indigenous peoples that they were not “Indigenous enough” because they were living normal lives, which seems stereotypical, as all Indigenous peoples are expected to be living in poverty and to be enduring difficult times, which is incorrect. Negative perceptions like these can create harmful effects on culture, which, in turn, affects the community as a whole. In Malaysian culture, one way of connecting with one another is through food. It is important to them because it is a way of bonding with each other and strengthening their social relationships. Dinners, lunches, and breakfasts are foreign to them if they do not eat with their loved ones, especially family they

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Selma Mohamed What makes food cultural? 4 are living under the same roof with. Food is important to kinship in Malaysian culture because it has an important role in developing and maintaining kin/familial and social relations. As stated in an article by Janet Cartsen (pg. 225, 1995) “Food creates both persons in a physical sense and the substance-blood-by which they are related to each other. Personhood, relatedness, and feeding are intimately connected”. The article also discusses how blood is important to kinship and food in Malaysian culture because food is the source of both physical personhood as well as the blood-based connection between them. To put it simply, intimate links exist between a person's individuality, nourishment and affiliation and that’s part of the reason food is so heavily emphasised in Malaysian culture. To get back to the main point, food gives us a cultural understanding of how, why and where it comes from. It adds a rich history to all of our cultures which makes every culture beautiful and special in their own way. Food gives tales of a person's identity and background. Even the smell of food can bring us back to the memory lane of our childhoods, special events, or even a person who we may have shared a meal with during that time. That is what I mean when I say that food is more than just something to put in your system; it’s a culture. Food has an important role in society and in human culture. Trying new foods from a different culture is a way to show our love and appreciation for others and an openness to learn. I think sometimes as humans, we take for granted what we already have because we want something bigger and better and we do not appreciate what is around us and what we have everyday. Many others are not fortunate enough to have the nourishing food that we have. That is why it is important and interesting to talk about the topic of food and how it is interconnected with culture because our identity as people is heavily influenced by the foods we eat in our culture. As individuals, we use food to establish and differentiate ourselves from other communities, but also use it to find common ground with others. These are the reasons why I believe that food aligns with

Selma Mohamed What makes food cultural? 5 culture and clarifies how and why people's conceptions and experiences of sameness and difference, feeling connected and belonging, are influenced by food and food practices. Citing page: https://eclass.yorku.ca/pluginfile.php/4127433/mod_label/intro/646700.pdf https://perspectives.americananthro.org/Chapters/Perspectives.pdf https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/york/detail.action?docID=1097808 https://eclass.yorku.ca/pluginfile.php/4127433/mod_label/intro/Gender%2C%20Race%2 C%20and%20the%20Regulation%20of%20Nat...ada%20and%20the%20United%20States- %20An%20Overview%20copy.pdf .