10/27/2016

FoodAndCultureEssayExample|Topics,SamplePapers&ArticlesOnlineforFree

Food And Culture Essay

Culture is broadly de ned as the beliefs, attitudes, values, customs, and habits accepted by a community
of individuals. Cultural behavior patterns are reinforced when a group is isolated by geography or
segregated by socioeconomic status. Culture is learned, not inherited; it is passed from generation to
generation. The term food habits refers to the ways in which humans use food, including how food is
obtained and stored, how it is prepared, how it is served and to whom, and how it is consumed. A. H.
Maslows theory of human maturation as applied to food habits explains how food use progresses from
eating for existence to eating for self-actualization.
1.Physical needs for survival: Daily needs for nutrients must be met before more complex food use can
occur.
2.Social needs for security: Once the immediate need for food is satis ed, future needs can be and are
considered. The storage of food, in a pantry or in a refrigerator, may represent security.
3.Belongingness: This use of food shows that an individual belongs to a group. The need to belong is
satis ed by consuming the foods that are eaten by the social group as a whole. These foods represent
comfort and happiness for many people; during periods of stress or illness, people often want the foods
they ate during childhood.
Sometimes people adopt a special diet to demonstrate belongingness. For example, African Americans
who live outside the South, may choose to eat what is called soul food (such as pork ribs and greens) on
certain occasions as an expression of ethnic identity.
Etiquette, the appropriate use of food, is also a way of demonstrating belongingness. Entirely di erent
manners are required when lunching with business associates at an expensive restaurant, when attending
a tea, when eating in a school cafeteria, when drinking with friends at a bar, or when picnicking with a
signi cant other.
4.Status: Food can be used to de ne social position. Champagne and caviar imply wealth, beans and
potatoes are traditionally associated with the poor. Status foods are used for social interaction. When a
man picks up his date, he brings her chocolates, not broccoli. Wine is considered an appropriate gift to the
hostess, a gallon of milk is not.
In general, eating with someone connotes social equality with that person. Many societies regulate who
can dine together as a means of establishing class relationships. Women and children may eat separately
from men, or servants may eat in the kitchen, away from their employers. This attempted separation by
class was also seen in the U.S. restaurants that excluded African Americans before the civil rights
legislation of the 1960s.
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5.Self-realization: This stage of food use occurs when all previous stages have been achieved to the
individuals satisfaction. Personal preference takes precedence, and the individual may experiment with
the foods of di erent ethnic or economic groups.
Food and Culture in America. A Nutrition Handbook, 2nd Edition. Pamela Kittler & Kathryn P. Sucher.
Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1998.
Cultural Paper
Complete a three to ve page paper
on the
nutritional
habits/customs,
Haven't
found
the Essay
You Want?health beliefs and practices of a
speci c culture. As you prepare GET
this paper,
about ESSAY
the issues
addressed in the previous pages and
YOUR think
CUSTOM
SAMPLE
how these in uences shape a cultures eating
habits.
As your paper takes shape, you may want to include
For Only
$12.90/page
some of the following points: History of the speci c culture
Common food rituals
Food beliefs: is food used symbolically, spiritually or does the culture use speci c food/foods for
therapeutic purposes? Are there any traditional or staple foods used regularly in their diet. What is the
meaning of this food? Do the people of the culture follow a speci c daily pattern related to diet and
meals? Does the culture change their nutritional beliefs or have di erent food customs throughout the
lifecycle, from infancy to adult years, during pregnancy and lactation or during sickness and health? What
did you learn about this culture?
Feel free to include personal experiences and any recipes to share with the class from this culture.
Please include a minimum of two references published within the past

ve years from a reputable

health/nutrition related journal and/or book. Suggestions include Journal of the American Dietetic
Association, Journal of Nutrition Education, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition or Journal of the
American Medical Association.

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