TOPIC: 'Seeing' Culture in Food
SOURCE: Observations were made during a trip to the
cafeteria with some food-conscious girlfriends.
RELATION: This account exemplifies the differences
which occur between culturally constructed norms of what is 'good' or 'not
good' to eat, as mentioned on page 6 of RR.
DESCRIPTION: With so many dining options available on
campus, and with j-points to spare, I find myself in many different locations
during meal time. However, the things I choose to eat and the standards I apply
when making those choices are generally the same in spite of where I find
myself when the time comes to chow down. And this seems to be the case for most
of the folks with whom I share my meals; that is, that we all have very
specific eating habits. A specific issue I have noticed to arise among my
friends while in the cafeteria is that of whether a product has been cultivated
and harvested organically along with the question of where that food comes from. But it does not stop
there. Two friends of mine seem repeatedly to be at odds when these issues
arise as both insist on taking a firm stand on both of these subjects, but for very
different reasons. One of these young women insists only ever to partake of
those things which were brought to her free of pesticide, claiming to place her
concern in the fact that many such chemicals work to the detriment of the
surrounding ecosystems, but often cares not whether that ecosystem was a local
one or not. The source of the food in terms of location seems to be of little
importance to Diner #1. The second of these girls shudders at the thought that
our friend cares not for that which is produced locally, but also at the fact
that she reveres those foods which are termed 'organic' rather than
'pesticide-free', seeing as all foods would technically qualify as
carbon-based, organic matter. (Until the powers-that-be recognize and correct
such an abominable misnomer, she refuses to pay more for 'carbon-based' simply
on principle.) And sure, each of these quirks is harmless enough in theory, but
when the two find themselves eating together, trying to make their own
decisions based on values which are similar at a glance, while in fact and
reality, very different, I find myself in the middle of a real, live culture
sketch. As a result, I find myself wondering why these two feel the way
that they do, intrigued by the way that the opinions of these girls have
manifested themselves. What were they taught, and at what point in their
lives were these impacts made? How likely are they to change? And what would
that change reveal about the respective cultures which taught them to think
that way in the first place?
COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS: It seems that both of these young women have
become a product of the environments in which they were raised. As different
values were taught concerning the ever present matter of food, long lasting
decisions were made as to what would be okay or not okay to support as a form
of subsistence. It seems also that as these two continued to develop and learn
more in life, they continued also to apply all that they had learned to their
deciding what to eat or to avoid eating, and this appears to be the case for
many.
VS.
