Food culture and its societal significance

Food is an expression of culture. Food plays a role in social interactions and ritual, as well as in daily life. Therefore, a culture's food transcends the mundane meanings of self-sustenance and survival. Visiting the restaurants owned and operated by persons from a specific culture offers a window into that society, however small that window might be. Culture is defined as a "full range of learned human behavior patterns," which are integral to the creation of individual and group identity (O'Neil, 2006). Culture is transmitted via processes like socialization and acculturation; and culture is also disseminated via the construction of social norms. Communication is integral to the definition of culture. Not only is language itself an expression of culture, but the ways in which people communicate nonverbally is too. As the text points out, issues such as power distance, particularism, and contextual cues will all become components of cultural communication styles. Not obviously linked to the role of food, communication is apparent when partaking of edible offerings. The way food is presented; the role of the server and of the chef, and the manner in which people eat (such as communal vs. single tables) are emblematic of culture. Add to those essential communication factors issues such as restaurant decor and music, and eating becomes the most multisensory encounter with culture imaginable.

For example, in the Ethiopian restaurant that I visited, culture was communicated via a series of symbols. First, the outside of the Queen of Sheba restaurant was not particularly attractive. It was the inside that mattered. Great care was taken to create a comfortable, cozy, and home-like environment in which guests could enjoy a meal. The artwork on the wall included overt cultural symbols: such as flags and photographs of the landscape and historical sites in Ethiopia. The cultural symbols were not only visual but audible as well, because the music was Ethiopian in origin.

Moreover, the service at the restaurant was laid-back. Many Americans would have found the service to be "slow," in a bad way. This is because of the cultural differences between American and Ethiopian society regarding concepts of time and communication. It is not expected to "eat and run" in an Ethiopian dining experience, but rather, to linger with a group of people for several hours as might be done in a country like Italy.

A classmate visited Besito, a Mexican restaurant. The classmate describes the ambiance as "authentic," "warm," and "inviting." One way culture was communicated at Besito was via the inclusion of Spanish words and phrases into the conversation between the wait staff and customers. The inclusion of Spanish language solidifies the group identity of the servers and anyone else in the restaurant who happens to be from Central America. However, English becomes the universal language of communication between persons from different cultures. This allows for the sharing of ideas, concepts, and cultural elements such as food. Clearly, the experience of Besito represents a fusion of American and Mexican cultural cues.

In Tibetan Kitchen, the same classmate enjoyed a meal of momos, thukpa, and other Tibetan delights. Encounters with the Tibetan culture through the food revealed the lifestyle of the people on the Tibetan plateau and nearby regions of the Himalayas. Although unavailable at the Tibetan Kitchen restaurant, yak butter tea is a staple of the Tibetan diet. Such cultural symbols are communicated in the act of sharing foods between individuals from different backgrounds. As the classmate points out, the owners of the restaurant were Tibetan but from India. The food they cooked represented a modern "fusion" interpretation of traditional Tibetan offerings. The history and plight of the Tibetan people can therefore be communicated via the food: as the food reflects the migration of the people from Tibet to India due to the Chinese incursion onto the Tibetan plateau.

A different classmate visited Obao, a Thai restaurant, and Panna II, an Indian restaurant. The cultural experiences at each restaurant were remarkably different, as were the different foods. At the Indian restaurant, the servers were "obnoxious" and "pushy" about ordering certain items. The aggressiveness of the servers might be a cultural expression; the ways Indians communicate might indeed be more assertive than North Americans are used to -- or Thai people, for that matter. Because of intercultural communication differences, enthusiasm for the food might be interpreted as "obnoxiousness." Alternatively, the "pushy" servers might be individual differences, rather than reflective of the culture as a whole. One must be very careful not to make generalizations about a culture, its communication style, or any other element for risk of stereotyping.