'Food is culture Essay\r'

' correspond to the Executive Director of the Washington International Center, Robert Kohls (1984), â€Å"the distinct behaviors of a community or a horti elaboration make sense only when seen through the underlying beliefs, assumptions, and determine of that particular group. ” This legendary statement that was uttered more than two decades ago was intended to explain American values and to compare these values with those that give way to separate elaborations.\r\nBut, as time went by, Khols insightful experience near grow has taken on world(prenominal) meaning and it was one of the fundamental concepts espoused by Montanari in his book entitled â€Å"Food is Culture. ” Using diachronic reference to Hoppocrates, Montanari insisted that forage has never been coadjutord with nature and this contradicts the familiar idea advertised by people who iron for organic foods. Montanari explains that food is the result of the efforts of a family to tame, trans form, and interpret nature.\r\nThis ruling can be support by two related observations. First, societies every everywhere the world encounter contrasting environments. That is, societies in the peaceful region may find tropical climates whereas societies in the Mediterranean region have temperate climates. The differences in weather, together with the differences in geography, lead to the different slipway that the members of the society learned to deal with their varied environments. Thus, the indorse observation is that the different societies have produced their own laughable food and food culture.\r\nFor example, Italian food reminds people of spaghetti, tiramisu, and other pasta dishes. Asian food, on the other hand, brings to mind bowls of rice. Kohls’ perception, when combined with Montanari’s view about the relationship of food and culture, evolves into something different then. That the different values of a people or a culture are revealed and understo od when seen through the food culture of that particular group. Feedback from a reader: At first, it would take some stretch of imagination to associate food with culture.\r\nThere are two major(ip) reasons for this difficulty. First, people eat food in tell apart to survive and perhaps live a relatively healthy life. The desire to live and survive is so fundamental that all peoples possess this particular desire. And if all peoples and culture uphold this desire to live, then take food is very common that it cannot be immediately related to the uniqueness of culture. And second, food is almost eer taken from nature. This means that food is obtained from farms and from woodss. â€Å"Farm” and â€Å"forest” are two concepts that are associated with things raw(a).\r\nFood, therefore, is a natural resource. And despite the fact that most people in America consume processed food, food is emphatically associated with nature. However, using a more critical mentation and a wider observation of the world, the statement that food is culture begins to make some sense. The values of a culture can be reflected in the kinds of food that people eat and the ways that people eat their food. For example, the Japanese culture carries out a tea ceremony, specializes in sushi, and usually serves food in small flake sizes.\r\nAll these reflect the fact that the Japanese culture gives great importance to tradition. Thus, when Japanese encounters a problem, he turns to the knowledge of his ancestors for guidance. The typical American, on the other hand, seldom imitates the actions of his ancestors. When he encounters a problem, he tends to find jockstrap by himself and establishes some measure of declare on his problem. The way that Americans value individuality and personal control over their environment can be seen in the way they wanted their food to be served individually.\r\nThe Americans overly wanted their foods to be served fast and this preference echoes the values of practicality and efficiency. Therefore, as a reader of Montanari’s ideas about the relationship of food and culture, I am convinced(p) that food culture does reflect the values upheld by a society.\r\nBibliography Kohls, R. (1984). The values Americans live by. Retrieved September 18, 2007 at http://omni. cc. purdue. edu/~corax/kohlsamericanvalues. html Montanari, M. (2006). â€Å"Introduction. ” Food is Culture. A. Sonnenfeld (trans. ). New York: Columbia University Press.\r\n'