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Symbols components of culture
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Ashis Nandy, the author of the article “Ethnic Cuisine: The Significant ‘Other,’” writes, “one suspects that the culture of ethnic cuisine and ethnic dining has become more and more sophisticated and complex because it has become a major symbolic substitute for the cultures it is supposed to represent. ‘The Significant ‘Other’” (250). Past few years, food from the different culture and ethnicity became the symbol of their culture. The restaurant owners started to open their business with the food from different cultures, and people are able to get their hands easily on not only the food, but have second hand experience through the cultural food. I chose this activity over the others because I love to eat. I love to explore and visit different types and environments of the
According to Nanda (2015, pg.83), symbols refers to something that stands for something else in reference to language and culture. Since they are both Asian cuisine, I assumed they will have similar food, however, the food at these restaurants are very distinctive and unique to their culture. Izakaya Takasei had salads, deep fried and grilled dishes, udon, soba, miso soup, ramen, sashimi, sushi, rolls, and yakitori. The food that was served in Izakaya Takasei symbolized the Japanese culture. Din Tai Fung had xiaolongbao, dumplings, buns ,fried rice, soups, and noodles soups. The food at Din Tai Fung symbolized the Chinese culture. Izakaya Takasei had different types of seafood such as deep fried and grilled seafood, sashimi, sushi, and rolls. The server informed that their yakitori is their one of signature item. They had a lot of different types of poultry, seafood, and vegetables that go on skewers. Din Tai Fung’s signature item was dumplings. They had two different types, xiaolongbao and steamed dumplings. Most of the food on their menu, from dumplings to noodles and buns, had flour as their basic
In Lavanya Ramanathan’s Washington Post article published in 2015 titled “Why everyone should stop calling immigrant food ‘ethnic’”, she discusses about people’s preconceptions on the type of food that should be labelled ethnic. Ashlie Stevens also touched on a similar topic in her Guardian article published in 2015 titled “Stop thinking and just eat: when ‘food adventuring’ trivializes culture”. She talks about how people assume that just by eating food from a certain culture, they are able relate to the culture as a whole. Both authors acknowledge the importance of appreciating authentic cuisines, but takes different approaches to convince the audience. Both authors establish credibility by using a wide range of substantiated evidences. While,
-Nara’s Buddhist temples were another result of cultural diffusion, Buddhist began in India in 500s B.C.E. about 1,000 years later, it came to Japan from China by way of Korea.
It could be argued that every nation and every ethnic group has its own soul food. But the contemporary connotation of the term "soul food" refers to the gradual blending and developing o...
In Michael Pollan’s “The End of Cooking” shares the message of what we are losing something important in this day and age because of all our pre-made and processed foods. This can be compared with Kothari’s “If You Are What You Eat, What Am I?” and her argument that food is part of one’s own identity. By using the examples from these two texts you can analyze the state of food and culture in the United States today. All of the processed and pre-made foods are causing people all across America to lose their sense of Culture. We no longer know what it’s like to make one of our cultures specialty dishes from scratch which can help people identify with their culture. This process helped newer generations see what it was like for those before them to cook on a daily basis and could help them identify your sense of culture.
The phrase, “We are what we eat” holds some essential validity and truth to it. Food is a constituent feature of our environmental ties to where we subside. It is a part of our daily lives. It can act as a form of communication with other individuals. Food can be an indicator of the nutrition idiosyncratic cultural groups are practicing. Notably, which ingredients hold higher placement of emphasis in consumption from a day to day basis. The way food is assembled or arranged has specific meanings in certain locations. From humble beginnings to global acknowledgment, the diffusion of Hispanic cuisine and some of it’s signature dishes will be analyzed under domestic and foreign context.
On one side, menu items of Chinese restaurants change a lot when the Chinese immigrants came to the United States. For instance, authentic Chinese restaurants does not have General Tso’s Chicken and fortune cookies. The dish of General Tso’s Chicken is originally from America. Since the General Tso’s chicken has a same name with a famous Chinese statesman in the last century. Most people think it is authentic Chinese food. But actually, it is inauthentic Chinese food. There is a joke of this disk. That is even Zongtang Zuo does not eat General Tso’s chicken because of the dish of name is from Zongtang Zuo (“The Strange Tale”). The other is fortune cookies. People do not eat fortune cookies after they finish all dishes in China because there are cultural differences. In China, the Chinese restaurants has not a traditional culture which eats fortune cookies after finish eating all dishes. Also, the cold water does not exist at the dinner table in China. Hot water is almost always served (Xiaoyu Yan). But, the cold water absolutely appeared in the Chinese restaurants in the United States. Even the authentic menu items do not include either fortune cookies or General Tso’s Chicken. On the other side, Chow Mein is a traditional Chinese food. But, the chef changes the cooking process of Chow Mein in the United States. The reason is the owner of restaurant wants to adapt
Cuisine is a big factor in the identity of a culture and many people will list food as a factor that makes a country what it is, even using Damper for an example, many people see it is an Australian classic and part of Australia's history. Analysing these two iconic recipes, we can begin to view what kinds of communication is used and by looking at this, the history and the shaping of culture we gain a deeper understanding of the impact and importance of food in both Australia, Japan and around the world. Through this analysis it is hoped that a better understanding of these topics is acquired and an in depth reflection is produced.
Most American citizens remember December 7, 1941 and the significance that the incidents of that day had. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a shock to the United States of America and it engaged our country in the Second World War of that century (Pearl, 2009). Unfortunately, due to that incident, many Americans harbor many negative feelings and attitudes towards the country of Japan. While this is an understandable sentiment, it is unnecessary, because Japan is an influence on not on the United States but the entire world. Throughout this paper, we will look at the country of Japan as many have never viewed them before. Their actions of the past are just that, the past. Japan is a thriving and successful country within our environment and it is in our best interest to understand that country better. Japan, as a culture, is the
I will examine the function of food as signifier of ethnic identity and the culinary code-switching that occurs in Fred Wah’s Diamond Grill. My analysis will be between two different types of food items in Diamond Grill: the sugary sodas and ice cream that Fred makes in the restaurant and the Chinese rice soup which his Grandfather eats and which Fred eventually begins to make. This comparison reveals interplay between the cultural memory of the nation his grandfather immigrated from and the North American identity that Fred is creating in Canada. Negotiating between these two culinary identities becomes a form of culinary code-switching, to modify Mary Louise Pratt’s terminology.
Many of us, if not everyone, has heard of the country of Japan through various means. Possibly through popular films such as Godzilla or the renowned horror films which the country produces. Perhaps through the various anime TV shows that have been dubbed in English creating a massive fan base here in the United States, or the massive franchise Nintendo that has filled our child memories with countless hours spent in front of a screen playing Mario or Pokémon. One way or another the Japanese have shared their culture with a huge audience but thats only scratching the surface of the Japanese culture. The country of Japan wasn’t always the islands that we see there today, the formation of the islands occurred during 50,000 BC and ended in 10,000 BC following the end of the last ice age. This is when we find the first signs of civilization in Japan but they are nowhere near the modern day Japanese culture today. The early beginnings of today’s Japanese culture dates back to the year 538 AC with multiple time periods slowly building up to today. The Japanese culture of today shares a few aspects with our American culture we are familiar with, both cultures love baseball, we both have representative democracies as a form of government, and both cultures do not label outsiders differently and accept them just as equally. Even though we may share aspects of our culture with the Japanese our cultures couldn’t be anymore different from each other.
The movie “The Hundred Foot Journey” is a great representation of different cultures interacting as well as the different food habits. The movie is based on an Indian family who moves to Italy and wants to open an Indian restaurant across street from a famous Italian restaurant in the small town. The Kadam family wants to bring the Indian cuisine to a new culture and share some of their values. They have trouble expanding their culinary delights to the public because Marquerite the sous-chef doesn’t want any competition. Throughout the movie, secrets on certain dishes are shared and tricks to improve the certain style of food is greatly appreciated by both restaurant chefs.
Some ethnic restaurants do not conserve authenticity in their food. For multiple reasons, such as the lack of certain ingredients and the difference of the local’s taste that forces restaurants to change the way they cook their dishes to serve their customers what they want. Therefore, this can give culturally inexperienced people the wrong idea of a certain culture. For example, the fast-food restaurant chain “Taco Bell” that serve Mexican food may give Americans the idea that this is what Mexican people usually eat. Taco Bell would represents the Mexican culture in a different way than what it truly is. This does not only happen in the United States. For example, in the middle-east (where I am from) people believe that McDonalds, KFC and Carls Jr. are American foods and that an American family’s regular dinner would usually be these sorts of foods. This reflects differently on what is true about the culture. Although it is true that altered versions of an ethnic dish may present the culture differently than what it really is, this is not the case for everyone. Even Taco Bell could be the starting point for a person to start exploring authentic dishes of Mexican food. Therefore, it boosts the chances that the person will be motivated to learn about Mexican culture. According to Kwast and Kim, “It seems that Ms. Sibley’s efforts to foster
Throughout the course of history Taiwan has been under the rule of multiple nations such as the Dutch/Portuguese and Japanese. The effects of the influence that each of these nations had on Taiwan can be seen throughout multiple facets of Taiwanese culture. Food is an integral component of culture as each dish contributes a unique understanding regarding the particular culture. As I was exploring the streets of Taiwan a few hours after arriving, I was able to develop a basic understanding of Taiwanese history simply through passing by various restaurants and storefronts. Sushi, pasta, dumplings, and burgers were only a few of the dishes that I saw while wandering around.
Hawker centres and food courts are Singapore’s pride and jewel. These dining areas make up our food culture which we have loads of pride in. What makes the food courts and hawker centres in Singapore so different from others in the world? Well, due to the presence of multiculturalism in Singapore, we have many foods originating from many different races, mainly Chinese, Indians and Malays are the three main races in Singapore. Due to this, our food courts and hawker centres sell a myriad of cuisines ranging from local cuisines to western cuisines. Thus, those do dine there are often spoilt for choices and do not know what to buy. However, one thing for sure is that they would most definitely feed their hunger with the delicious food available there. Moreover, on average the cost of food, there is inexpensive. The cost of food ranges from as low as one dollar to a maximum as seven dollars! Thus, what’s there not to love about
It is vital to recognize the value of a certain culture in the country through a common “tool” such as food. Located in Ohio, in Oberlin College’s newspaper, a number of students complained about the cultural appropriation on Asian food. Among many students, a Junior Japanese student, Tomoyo Joshi, criticizing the college’s serving of sushi, stated: “When you’re cooking a country’s dish for other people, including ones who have never tried the original dish before, you’re also representing the meaning of the dish as well as its culture” (Dunham & Friedersdorf). The unique taste and characteristic in a country’s dish reveals a meaning of its culture. Through common accessibilities like Japanese food, for instance, many people are able to understand and learn the Japanese culture. However, many misunderstand the Japanese culture due to the modification of Japanese food in the West. Without the same tasting, Westernization of Asian food corrupt originality in the culinary world. As a matter of fact, “the traditional cuisines of Japan is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes such as soba or udon or meat based products called tonkatsu… Japan has simmered many dishes such as fish products in broth called oden or beef in sukiyaki and nikujaga” (Wikipedia). In comparison to the original Japanese food sold in Japan, Japanese