Food Viewed Cross-Culturally

From one culture to another, food can play extremely different roles. Even within the boundaries of one culture, it is possible for food to have different meanings, whether it is eating with others to celebrate or eating by oneself for nourishment. There are also comfort foods, which may be eaten to console someone in a time of need. In the article we read for today by Brett Williams, we learned about migrant women and their role in their families, especially concerning their production of tamales. As the article went on, we discovered that these women are very concerned about submitting to their husbands, always doing what they are told, in hopes that they will please their husbands. These migrant women want all other women to do the same, and will not approve of their brothers or sons marrying a woman who will not follow his orders willingly. This situation is a feminist’s nightmare. In American society today, women are largely becoming providers for their households, putting an end to the traditional view of women as homemakers. However, in these migrant communities, the women work for hours upon hours to make perfect tamales for their husbands. These are their cultural traditions, but how have their been no feminists within the communities to entice women stand up for themselves?

            In the article by Verma, the relationship among food, body, and health in Patna-based adults was discussed. A study was conducted where 35 Patna-based English-speaking participants had focus group discussions on food, body, and health. A major part of this article was the description of Ayurveda, “the knowledge of life,” an Indian healing system. Ayurveda is a combination of “religion with secular medicine that looks at food, body, and health as a means for physical well being and self-evolvement.” This system is a way to describe how some people in India view food and health. Different food groups are seen as items that should be eaten separately to avoid bad combinations that can produce negative health effects. Also, health is viewed as one’s ability to continue doing their actions of everyday life, rather than as a perception of clinical fitness. This culturally based way of viewing food is yet another example of how cultures differ when food is involved. Why is it that in Ayurveda, food groups must be separated to avoid disease, but in other cultures, combinations of food groups are celebrated and cherished?