Cultural Representations of Food

Food means different things to different cultures. While it will never be disputed that food is necessary, many people add additional meaning to certain foods that goes far beyond nutritional value. Just from personal experience, food on certain occasions means gatherings of family or friends. It is more of a time to shift our attention away from ourselves and focus on making connections and sharing ideas. Some of fondest memories are wing night with the soccer team or Strip District street food with the family. While these are more personal experiences associated with food, certain social groups have their own cultural scripts associated with food.

For example, the Verma article, talks about the relationship with health and food in India. She attempts to explore the modern understand of health and food by finding the general population's dual view of western style understanding of health and traditional Indian style of healing, Ayurveda. In brief, it is the belief that health is influenced by what is consumed and food must be in balance so that the internal energies are in the correct amounts. It is also in line with many Asian philosophies that emphasize a return to a more natural state of living. While the more traditional understand of Ayurveda has faded from the populous, it has combined itself with more scientific understandings. Some old preconceptions still remain like "do not eat curds in July" and certain food should not be combined; some are recollections from the past origins unknown. All in all, there are some takeaways from the Ayurveda health system, such as, "eating well does not mean overeating, but rather eating a balanced diet." So while it is an Indian cultural belief system there are things that can be applied to all cultures.

Likewise, the Williams articles discusses Tejano, or Mexican-American migrant, lifestyle and culture by using tamales. Tamales mark festive occasions and usually require many days to make. They place so much emphasis on tamales (and other cultural foods) because of their demanding migratory lifestyle. It gives them identity and binds them together when life is harsh. Cited in the article, while tamales symbolize extravagance and occasion, the simple tortilla represents emergency and need. This is because eating only tortillas is a last resort because it is so simple and cheap to prepare.

In a cultural context, food means so much more than sustenance and survival. So much meaning is placed on food because eating is, at least traditionally, viewed as a social event. Everyone eats so people will connect food to different ideas and events.

Can a cultural as varied and as broad as American have widespread cultural representations of food?
What are some American cultural scripts in regards to eating?
Is it a bad thing that traditional cultural-specific food ideas or practices disappear in place of more scientific understand of nutrition and food?