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Food is not only a vital part of life - in terms of actually having to eat to survive - it is also an important part of social life. To bring it closer to home, we will take a look at the Greek culture. Now of course it goes far beyond just food, but a big part of what makes culture important is food. It brings people together, and encourages conversation. The influx of Greek migrants to Australia brought with them their wonderful and vibrant food culture. From honey puffs to souvlaki, Australians swallowed it up whole! As Kuttainen (2015) said; "food is not just food", it is the social fuel which ignites the flames of conversation and passion. In the very first sentence of The Origins of Taste, Atkins & Bowler (2001) wrote that next to a biological necessity for food, there is equally a socio-culutral necessity for food.
What is it about food that sparks conversation? Perhaps because it usually exists in a place of communal gathering, and as social beasts, we do what is natural to us, talk. Perhaps it is because we feel at ease when eating, something to occupy our hands, and reduce the anxiety of the situation. To tie this in with the digital realm; look at Instagram, the phone application which allows you to upload pictures of things you have taken during your day and display them to your friends. A lot of people use this application to upload photos of meals they have consumed during the day, much to the ire of many people, but it just goes to show that people are interested in food in ways more than just a pure biological form. To add to this point, the reality TV show revolution is in full swing, and cooking shows are the big craze of the day too. People love food, in more ways than just eating it. It gives us a forum to talk and to interact with each other, and that is what we love to do.
References
Kuttainen, V. (2015). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narratives, and the Making of Place, Week 7 Notes [PowerPoint slides. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au
Atkins, P. and Bowler, I. (2001). Food in Society: Economy, Culture, Geography. London, United Kingdom: Arnold.
Your blog does a great job outlining the influence that food has on individuals and communities. Exploring the way in which food can influence our society is a great example of the power that food can have. I agree that food can be empowering in many situations for example as outlined in your blog conversation can be enhanced by food, but furthermore to this I think food can be equally disempowering. An example of this relevant to us living in Australia would be the negative affect that the introduction of foreign foods has had an on Australia’s indigenous population. The reading by Atkins and Bowler lists some of the negative affects of food as leading to illness and disease. The introduction of foods such as sugar, salt and flour have left Indigenous Australian’s with high numbers of chronic illnesses and diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and overall lower life expectancies.
ReplyDeleteReference
Atkins, P., & Bowler, I. (2001). Food In Society: Economy, Culture, Geography. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc.