Our life histories shape who we are. The choices we make, the relationships we cultivate, the way we see ourselves and others – all of these depend on the experiences that we have built up over our lifetimes. Eating food is something we do every day. In turning a cultural anthropologist’s eye on this ubiquitous activity it is apparent how food and eating are cultural expressions that convey information about our families, the places where we were raised, and the manner in which we grew up.
THE ASSIGNMENT:
Drawing on the reading for Week 4, discuss the relationship between food and culture for the Kung. Then, in greater detail, discuss how the food you eat expresses your culture and note how that has changed over your lifetime.
• Think about the importance of place and how it has influenced what you eat and how you eat it. Some relevant factors might include your hometown, family moves, and travel.
• Briefly describe your family and how your upbringing shaped your food practices. Some relevant factors that might have encouraged or eliminated certain foods or practices might include race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or health restrictions.
• Consider the household as an economic unit. Explain how socio-economic class affected your family, the kinds of foods eaten, and tools available to cook with.
• In what way did gender roles inform how food was acquired, which foods were preferred, and how it was cooked and cleaned? How were household chores distributed across generational age groups?
• What can you cook? Describe the experiences that shaped your knowledge of how to shop for and prepare food.
• How have your eating practices changed over time? Discuss how major life events have required you to eat differently (leaving home for college, serving in the military, becoming a parent, etc) and how this has affected how you eat today.
• Think about how your relationship to food is different than or similar to the Kung’s. What might an anthropologist infer about your culture based on what you eat and how you eat it?
