As I have mentioned in an earlier
post, food has a strong connection to history as well as the present. In this
first article by O’Donnell where he talks about the history of china and how
the transition from fish to beef was associated with the switch from communism
to capitalism. This article has been my favorite that we have read so far. With
the mix between history, culture and sociology it kept me interested, and it addressed
the issue from several different angles.
Anyways, the article discussed the
changing culture from one that valued a more community oriented and valued
self-sacrifice to one that valued individualism and focused on competition
(even in immoral ways) to get ahead. Self-sacrifice was a main disappearing cultural
value that the author focused on, and interviewed an elderly lady about why eating
cornbread was considered special. His comparison between the fishermen being
fast and cunning to the beef eaters that are slow was amusing. But it should be noted that cows can run fast,
and fish do not have horns or an aggressive nature.
The second article by Cate was also interesting
and kind of touching. I often have an incorrect idea that all men in prison have
lost their human traits, or are so hard core and that they prefer to do
everything alone. The picture of the three inmates praying over a creative
concoction of ramen noodles was like a reality slap to the face. I instantly
felt sympathy and compassion I would not have felt if I had simply just seen
them sitting at the table. I felt instantly connected to them in a juvenile
thought of “hey I do that too!” this entire article made me realize how separated
and dehumanized criminals are, and how difficult it must be to become accepted
again. I know that was not the point of the article, but the action of breaking
bread and sharing meals is such a universal idea that it seems to connect all
cultures and brings people to realize we are really not so different after all.
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