Cultural Foods

Angela- Culinary Expert and Cultural Connoisseur

Angela had always known of her passion for food and cooking.  She explored the opportunities in the food industry by receiving her diploma in culinary arts in 2015 at age 56.  With central European roots, being raised in the melting pot of America, being married to a Mexican-American, and love for travel, it is clear that her experience with a variety of cultures would provide her as a suitable candidate to interview in order to understand the importance of culture and its relationship to food.  She was asked questions regarding her own culture, the exploration of other cultures’ food, and her perspective on the cultural importance in food.

            

Her European heritage was more prevalent in the cleanliness of her surroundings and meticulous behavior of her German mother.  When it came to food, she was familiar with the comfort food of her heritage although she noted it as being “bland” compared to other cultures foods.  She most regularly integrates Latin cuisine in her everyday life being that her husband is Mexican and “living in California” it is easily accessible.  When eating or preparing food of her German or Hungarian culture, she noted that it is “connected to memories” of when she had visited relatives in those countries.

In studying culinary arts, traveling, and trying new restaurants, she is regularly exploring the cuisine of other cultures and getting hands on experience with the unique flavors and techniques they use.  She was recounted being intrigued by Ethiopian cuisine noting that it had “lots of flavor and spices” that she wasn’t expecting.  She often attempts to replicate what she tried when traveling.  She mentioned her experience in Italy and interest in learning the techniques they use with making different breads, pizza, and pasta dough.   Asian cuisine is something she is more unfamiliar with and she understands the complexity and depth in flavor.

When it comes to exposure of other cultures through food, she noted that now that we are a “global society” it is increasingly important to explore so that we can relate to people of different cultures.  When seeing a new country she stressed the importance of experiencing the local cuisines, seeing where the food comes from and how locals use their surroundings in their food.  It can be a way to learn more about that specific place.  In an article by Stingfellow, MacLaren, Maclean, and O’Gorman (2013), it was stated that there is a “symbiotic relationship between the cuisine and cultural context of the destination” (p.77).  There is a close connection between the localities of agriculture to the cuisine that is produced within a particular culture.  Angela was familiar with this and recalled her visit to Greece where she was able to see where the food was coming from and the relation to the foods that the locals were consuming.  Angela provided great insight with her experiences with other cultures and her professional background in culinary arts.

Erik- Filipino Assimilating in America

Erik is a 22-year-old student attending CSUSM.  He is a San Diego native and is closely tied to his large Filipino family.  He was interviewed and provided personal anecdotes of his experience with his own culture, his exploration with food from other cultures as well as his perspective on the importance of cultural cuisines. 

Within his own Filipino culture he noted that the culture itself is closely tied to the food.  Many of their gatherings revolve around a large meal with exotic and colorful dishes that might not typically match the aesthetic of western cuisine.  He most regularly eats other Asian food and uses techniques of Asian cultures when preparing food.  These include Japanese and Chinese, often preparing rice, ramen or cooking with tempura.  He noted that growing up, the food that was prepared for him by his mother was more westernized where they would eat predominantly American or Italian dishes.  An article noted that “cultural dominance in general can be delegitimized through over-popularization” (Stringfellow et al., 2013, p. 83).  When growing up, Erik saw the dominance of American culture, however among his family, he was regularly exposed to Filipino culture.  Being that Filipino dishes were more popular within his family unit, the dominance of American culture was invalidated.

            

Erik is very open to trying new foods and exploring other cultures through their cuisine.  He recalls being exposed to Jerk Chicken and Paella and noted being very impressed with these dishes.  He wishes to explore more Middle Eastern cuisine being that he is more unfamiliar with the culture in general and the food of that culture might open his mind to other aspects of the culture. 

            

Erik stated that being exposed to other culture’s food is important because it can act as a “bridge between cultures”.  The article marked “the chef as a cultural agent at the centre of the social order” (Stringfellow et al., 2013, p.80).  Through food, the chef is able to convey the essence of the culture.  Erik was able to understand the different backgrounds of his childhood friends by sharing meals provided by their families and being able to try the foods that they valued.  He noted that he would tech the next generation about his Filipino culture through pride in the culture and the food.