Cultural anthropology and food Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cultural anthropology and food - Research Paper Example Food has become extremely instrumental in clearly defining the differences among the diversified cultural groupings. Like all the other known culturally defined symbols and materials, food has also served in both solidifying group membership and setting groups apart (John 2001, 161). It strengthens the cultural groupings or national identity. Food clearly distinguishes people from different cultural backgrounds. John (2001, 243) argues that the correlation of one’s consumption, belonging and identity of feeds gives one imaginations of the person he or she is. The food consumed has been used in the western and African countries to identifying the cultural backgrounds of an individual. Although in the past language has widely been perceived as a marker of culture, food has always endured where the language is lost, or its use is limited. According to the cultural anthropologists, food has been used in observing prestigious festivals and rites. According to John (2001, 128), Korean and Americans have varied preferred food. For instance, Koreans culture can easily be associated with the inclination for moon cakes. While that of people from America is associated with pizza and hamburger eating behaviors. Conclusively, observing the kinds of foods consumed by one, can easily tell their culture. Therefore, according to the anthropologists food and culture are