To begin with, think about a couple of different kinds of celebrations in your home food tradition (this can include holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Passover - and/or "occasions" like birthdays). What do you notice about the grammar of those special meals? What about content (referring to core foods, secondary foods and other signifiers)? What makes these meals "good" (as discussed today in class)?
Now, compare and contrast these special meals with celebration meals from other cultures. You can include Williams and anything from the cookbooks as well as the material from Menzel & D'Aluisio. In M&D, as I mentioned in class, I found four specific mentions of holiday celebrations with food (pp. 49, 72-3, 86-7 and 142-3), so look at those for sure. Are there any universal features of celebration meals across cultures, or do they seem to be culture-specific -- or some of each? Illustrate your response with specific examples.
No comments:
Post a Comment