During the period of European colonialism, continuing through recent American political/military hegemony, indigenous cultures have been influenced by these outside cultures in powerful ways. Name an example of local people’s foodways incorporating the invaders’ or conquerors’ foodways
Week 8 Forum
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Discussion Week 8: World Cuisine
In this forum, you will explore how cultures influence each other’s foodways.
Answer one of the following questions:
1. During the period of European colonialism, continuing through recent American political/military hegemony, indigenous cultures have been influenced by these outside cultures in powerful ways. Name an example of local people’s foodways incorporating the invaders’ or conquerors’ foodways. [Avoid the American hamburger/pizza/Starbucks examples.]
2. Activists for cultural identity around the world claim that American foods are “crowding out” local foods because multinational corporations can undercut local producers on price. Analyze this issue and discuss the impact on the local economy.
3. Does the concern of the cultural identity activists seem less compelling if the Fusion Cuisine incorporated elements from a neighboring, non-colonial culture, like Vietnamese cuisine with Laotian elements or Salvadoran dishes with Mexican elements? Does the “homogenization” or “cultural colonialism” arguments seem less compelling?
Learning Objectives:
Compare and contrast a wide diversity of foodways, cross-culturally.
Examine various theories used to explain different cross-cultural food customs
Differentiate the meaning various foods play in the cultural traditions and beliefs of peoples world-wide
Analyze a variety of religious, economic, medical and ecological reasons for the various different foods people choose to consume
Instructions for all Forums:
Each week, learners will post one initial post per week. This post must demonstrate comprehension of the course materials, the ability to apply that knowledge in the real world. Learners will engage with the instructor and peers throughout the learning week. To motivate engaged discussion, posts are expected to be on time with regular interaction throughout the week. All posts should demonstrate college level writing skills. To promote vibrant discussion as we would in a face to face classroom, formatted citations and references are not required. Quotes should not be used at all, or used sparingly. If you quote a source quotation marks should be used and an APA formatted citation and reference provided.
