Food In Cultural Anthropology: Differences In Food Productions Among Cultures

‘You are what you eat’ – it is the phase your mom told you when you were young and did not wanted to eat your vegetables. But how does food as well as this phase demonstrate itself in other cultures? ‘Next to breathing, eating is perhaps the most essential of all human activities, and one with which much of social life is entwined’. Food offers the opportunity to meet others and can often bring the change to get to know someone else by providing a similar interest that will bind the two parties. Food also helps to differentiate cultures from one another. Additionally, food offers intimate processes including family dinners, weddings, and religious ceremonies. This paper will examine some specific differences between cultures in the way that food production takes place. Food productions are defined as ‘a department which is involved in preparation of food. A process, in which raw material are cooked, combined and transformed to make a dish’. This production can be done through organizations, or even be done in the home. The American, Italian, Indian and Chinese culture will be displayed throughout this work.

The American culture has a lot of things to offer, including many varieties of food options that are wildly available throughout the country. One of the more commonly known organizations is McDonalds. This restaurant offers vast options that will satisfy most meat-eaters, however there is a special item on the menu that draws a younger audience; the happy meal. Kenneth Guest, a professor, author, and public speaker, writes in his book, Cultural anthropology: a toolkit for a global age what can be learned through this the happy meal. Firstly, he describes how this meal, as well as the company itself, is considered fast food and explains that the American culture is not a patient culture. Meaning, that most Americans will not appreciate food items made from scratch as much as other cultures. Next, the items included in this meal are listed: a cheese burger, fries, apples, a juice and a small toy and remarks that meat is the focus of American meals. Additional dishes which focus is around meat are burgers, wings, steak, stews, casseroles and sauces. Producing meat is very labor intensive and uses over lots of water. For just a pound of steak, it takes on average 1,799 gallons of water. Other cultures do not have meat as their focus because are not as willing to waste valuable water resources. The American culture puts focus of their meals on meal and highly values foods that can be produced at a quick rate.

The Italian culture is quite the opposite when preparing dishes. Italians have a passion for food, but this passion is directed towards the preparation of slow food. This culture is mostly known for their wonderful pasta, which is typically the focus of each meal. Moreover, while this pasta is delicious, it takes lots of work to recreate. Even a basic recipe can still take over an hour to produce. The time and labor that is included in each dish can be demonstrated through Italian restaurants as well. Most Italian restaurants are sit-downs that can include intricate courses during lunchtime and dinner. This behavior shows that Italians have a much higher value for food that takes time to create. Additionally, many Italians do not consume meat for several reasons, but mostly because of the view on death that this culture possesses. They believe that ‘life is the quality of the environment, and the lack of quality is death’. This means that once someone consumes dead meat, that the contamination is passed to the consumer. Italians enjoying creating various types of pasta from scratch, as they value the production of slower foods.

The Indian culture is typically known for their ability to add spice to any type of food. However, this society did not have the luxury of possessing refrigerators in most homes until the late 1970’s. This culture believes that ‘imbibing of cold foods and of foods that have been prepared and set aside for more than a few hours is regarded as unhealthy’. Therefore, most dishes would have to be prepared without perishables and be prepared close to each family’s appointed meal time. Food was not able to be produced in bulk, as these dishes would not be considered ‘alive’. Foods that were cooked much beforehand would ultimately lose their ‘live’ and would cause the consumer to become lazy and stupid. However, once the refrigerator was added to the homes of many, families are now able to produce meals much in advance and save whatever is left over. Before the 1970’s, the Indian culture placed their value on foods that were made fresh with ingredients that would not spoil.

Lastly, the Chinese culture has developed two levels of food production. However, before meals are consumed, there is a few moments decided to the ancestors of those eating: ‘people must worship and let him ghost and departed ancestors eat first’. The first of level of production is everyday food. These types of meals are supplemented mostly from foods that are grown in the fields of families. These meals are not very intricate and are made without special ingredients but did include lots of vegetables. The other level of production is Haute Cuisines which comes with a higher level of social status. This type of cuisine focuses on ‘the venue of eating, ornament of food, and color colocation’. It is when preparing this level of cuisine that the Chinese have gotten the most creative. It was also at this level of status that individuals had to opportunity to experience meat in their entrees. Individuals apart of lower classes did not get to experience the high level of food production that prominent people did. The Chinese culture had two different values for different social rankings. For the lower it can be determined that they appreciated simpler foods that could be produced with ingredients that were not hard to obtain. The upper-class individuals valued the location of the meal, color and the decoration put into the food.

In summary, each culture produces foods differently based on the individualistic beliefs and histories of each group. The American and Italian cultures are at opposing sides. Americans consider meat to be the foundation of most meals and appreciate when food is produced quickly. Italians have become experts of creating pasta that takes hours and lots of work to produce. The Indian culture would not experience the convenience of refrigeration until 1970’s and therefore would have to cook meals that were fresh and would not spoil quickly. Lastly, the Chinese culture had two levels of food production. For the lower class, they would produce meals that were simple and required ingredients that were easy to obtain. The upper class had more opportunities for their creativeness to show. These meals were created with expensive ingredients and were created to be ‘presented’. Each of these cultures produce foods that different, but enjoyable in their own ways. Without the background knowledge, the way one culture produces food might seem questionable, but once this background made known, people will begin to understand why each culture is different.