Blog 6

The foodaway concept this week was very interesting. I suppose I overlook the importance of food in culture. I think of cultural traditions or festivities when I think about culture but food is probably the most identifiable aspect in a person's culture. It was amazing and sad how the Indians in Northern Washington were deprived of hunting whale which was a huge part of their tradition. The whale which was used as a means of food was also utilized in other ways and it was ultimately very symbolic to their culture. The mere ban of hunting whale made their culture incomplete. The rice in South Carolina was an identity to the geechee people. Rice was an overlooked cash crop during the 19th century. The slaves that cultivated the rice ate the rice and created their own community and cultural group based on this particular food. They take pride in how the rice is cook and the rice identifies their past and where they came from. In Hawaii the poy is very symbolic to the people because it is a difficult plant to cultivate, thus has meaning behind its challenge to grow. It is a staple food amongst them and is eaten every day. They expressed that their culture simply would not be the same without this particular food. The influence of food in a person or society's culture is simply fascinating and before I saw the video I didn't realize how important food is especially on my mom's side of the family. My mom tells me all the time that she could not live without her rice and beans. The Mexican food she grew up with is such a big part of her. The tradition and culture behind food is relative to tradition and culture behind even the Latin jokes I am researching because my mom told me that there is a saying or joke in Mexico related to food, and if you eat a certain food it means that you are poor or dirty, so food really correlates immensely into culture.