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| Retrieved from http://sipchompchew.com/tag/pasarbella/ |
Taste, according to Atkins and Bowler
(2001), has both physical and social meanings. To them, food is an important
expression of identity for individuals as well as the broader groups in which
they are a part of. All cultures have their own palate from which they choose
to eat, however, people are more than capable of making “self-imposed preferences which have nothing
to do with health”.
To many people food form part of their
cultural identity; it is what separates the French from the Italians, the
Belgians from the English, and the Germans from the Japanese. Not only that, food
allows form people to retain their identity far from their homelands or even
allow for the construction of new identities such as the creation of Caribbean
culture and identity which arose from the movement of peoples of various
ethnicities to the islands(Samuel, 2008).
One particular example of the power of food
to form a sense of identity is the alcoholic beverage of rum. Rum is most associated
with pirates, with phrases such as ‘Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!’ being what
comes to the minds of most people. In every region with a warm climate rum was
being produced form local ingredients. Many people migrated to such regions
including many Italians who moved to Australia and worked the sugar-fields while
others were victims of blackbirding and slavery practices (Van Luyn, 2015).
What happens to such cultural identities
with the growth of social media sites such as Facebook?
On Facebook many groups exist which are
dedicated to one cultural style of cuisine or another such as: Italian, French,
Chinese, Thai, German, Greek, etc. People can share their cultural foods with
people from vastly different areas of the world through such groups. On one
group page in particular people share recipes ranging from traditional food to
cultural fusion recipes.
The sharing of different types of food on Facebook
both reinforces and spreads the cultural identity of many groups beyond their
home country and the diasporas that have formed across the globe
References:
Atkins, P. J., Bowler, I. R. (2001). Food in society: economy, culture, geography. London. Arnold
Ministry of Rum. (1997). How rum is made. Retrieved from http://www.ministryofrum.com/article_how_rum_is_made.php
Italian Food. (n.d.). In Facebook [group page]. Retrieved September 16, 2015, from https://www.facebook.com/originalitalianfood
Samuel, J, D. (2008). New ethnicities: Caribbean cuisine and identity. Retrieved from https://www.american.edu/cas/american-studies/food-media-culture/upload/2008-Samuel-New-Ethnicities.pdf
Van Luyn, A. (2015). BA1002: Our space: networks, narrative and the making of place, week 8 notes[Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au
Yabier11. (2008, June, 6). Fifteen men and a bottle of rum - original version [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzcv5TJkJBA&feature=related
References:
Atkins, P. J., Bowler, I. R. (2001). Food in society: economy, culture, geography. London. Arnold
Ministry of Rum. (1997). How rum is made. Retrieved from http://www.ministryofrum.com/article_how_rum_is_made.php
Italian Food. (n.d.). In Facebook [group page]. Retrieved September 16, 2015, from https://www.facebook.com/originalitalianfood
Samuel, J, D. (2008). New ethnicities: Caribbean cuisine and identity. Retrieved from https://www.american.edu/cas/american-studies/food-media-culture/upload/2008-Samuel-New-Ethnicities.pdf
Van Luyn, A. (2015). BA1002: Our space: networks, narrative and the making of place, week 8 notes[Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au
Yabier11. (2008, June, 6). Fifteen men and a bottle of rum - original version [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzcv5TJkJBA&feature=related
Drew, I really enjoyed your blog and also I agree with you in some of your point of view, specially the points of identity and taste. I would like to add some point of my view,As we travel to other countries or sit down to eat with people from different cultures we naturally question our surroundings. And our sense of taste is as important as our sense of sight and sound. Tasting the foods of others is a powerful way of exchanging ideas and traditions. The foods we eat help to transport us to different worlds and to different times. Our meals might connect us to places we've lived in or travelled to, or to the rituals of past generations.
ReplyDeleteMany of the food traditions we associate with specific national identities have complicated histories. The spaghetti that is so closely linked to Italy has its origins in China, for example. Inside the British 'cuppa' is a history and geography that spans the globe from India through to the Caribbean. ( Reagan,2011).
Communication is a symbolic process in which we create, maintain and repair our reality. In the context of communication, culture, and identity, food is one of the most abundant symbols we have to transform our reality. Food plays an important role in the lives of families in most cultures. ( Kuttainen,2015)
Reference
Kuttainen, V. (2015). BA1002: Our space: Networks, Narratives and Making of Place
Lecture 8, notes [ power point slide] Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
Reagan, N. (2011). our food and our culture. p.32-45, associated press, U.K