But in spite of their various cultures, africans do share some dominant traits in their belief systems and have similar values that mark them out from other peoples of the world. Commensality is the practice of sharing food and eating together in a social group such as a family. Cooking as a family or with friends and loved ones brings us together because we are able to share our culture and heritage through food and give each other nourishment. Sharing meals commensality is a common everyday practice and a symbol of so ciality in many. Food as a means of communication 7 broadly speaking, the levels of communication can be categorized in a fourfold pattern as intrapersonal, direct interpersonal, mediated interpersonal, and mass communication. How sharing a meal is about sharing a culture ut blog. In some inuit cultures of canada, its an act of appreciation to fart after a meal again, continuing the theme of your cousin jeff being totally cool in other cultures. Communication is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of. Coming together and sharing a meal is the most communal and binding thing in almost every place in the world.
Pdf food sharing is a human universal trait that forms the centerpiece of economic and social life in huntergatherer societies. Eating together confirms the sense of belonging, being part of a community. One definition of communication is any act by which one person gives to or receives. The code of food sharing reveals hierarchy, inclusion and exclusion, boundaries and transactions across the boundaries. China, all the people sit around the table and share the meal. Canadian anthropologist gillian crowther stresses that commensality sharing a meal with someone, eating and drinking together behind the same table is one of the most important manifestations of sociality in all cultures. This thesis expounds the differences in terms of food culture between china. The shared meal is an opportunity not only to eat, but also to talk, to create and strengthen bonds of attachment and friendship, to teach and learn. Food sharing and feeding another person suggest intimacy. In my family, we tend to eat this variety on its own, as finger food. From pho to falafel, eating across cultures has never been easier. Continuing to make food from their culture for family meals is a symbol of pride for their ethnicity and a means of coping with homesickness. Amid the enormous variety of different foods are super foods, such as. Immigrants bring the food of their countries with them wherever they go and cooking traditional food is a way of preserving their culture when they move to new places.
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