Food is a pretty integral part of everyone’s life. This is a cross cultural phenomenon based in
biology and culture. Humans need food to
survive, and there are various different ways of acquiring food (as discussed
in this,
that,
and another
post). These aspects of food are
pretty well known, but what is still important but not as well discussed is how
food provides us insights into a person’s identity, which is the topic of this
blog post. An in-depth discussion of
food representing gender, national, regional, and social status identities will
be explored here.
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| Figure 1: Sex and the City was a television show that popularized the Cosmopolitan among women |
Gender is defined as the cultural meanings attached to one’s
biological sex, and these meanings are culturally contrived and varied. Part of these meanings are attached to food,
particularly what is appropriate for each gender to eat and drink. In American society is more acceptable for
women to eat salads and drink fruity alcoholic beverages than men, whereas there
is an expectation among men to eat meats and drink beer. This expectation is very much promoted in our
popular culture and visible in commercials and television shows (Figure 1).
Nationality, or one’s citizenship, is also evident in
food. There is nothing more American
than apple pie is what many of that nationality say, while kimchi is widely
associated with Koreans (Figure 2). This
same logic applies to all sorts of cultures, such as Canadians with poutine,
Germans with bratwurst, and curry with Indians.
Regional variations in cuisine also apply. For example, popular Midwest American dishes
include toasted ravioli for St. Louis (Figure 3) and deep dish pizza for
Chicago, which is why many different restaurants refer to their deep dish
pizzas as “Chicago style” pizza.
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| Figure 2: Kimchi is a diagnostic Asian food most often associated with Koreans |
Last but not least when it comes to food and identity are
the foods associated with social status.
There are definitely foods that one identifies as being associated with
the rich (e.g. caviar and foie gras) and those associated with the poor (e.g.
Ramen noodles and Spam). These
distinctions go so far as to affect the price of these items, as well as
cultural attitudes of individuals both within and outside of those social
status groups. Members of these groups
may elect to eat these items despite a personal distaste for them simply to
reaffirm their identity.
In conclusion, you are ultimately what you eat, both biologically
and culturally. Food very much can be an
identifier of one’s livelihood, geography, or gender. Consider how many times you may have passed
judgement on someone’s identity based on what they eat, and it becomes quite
clear that food really is part of our cultural identities.
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| Figure 3: Toasted Ravioli is a St. Louis favorite |
References
Welsch, R.L. & L.A.
Vivanco. (2015). Cultural Anthropology: Asking Questions About
Humanity. Oxford University Press.
