We do not have to travel far to find the foreign, or "other," expressed in food. Long lays out a system of definitions that describe the experience of culinary tourism and notes the methods of negotiation a person may employ to navigate difference.
Brent W.
In the article Culinary Tourism edited by Lucy M. Long i found this quote to captures an important idea from the piece.
ReplyDelete"Ethnicity like otherness, is a dynamic cutural construct and is more usefully thought of as a process contextualization rather than an acual objective state. Ethnic identiy is based on perceptions of shared heritage and of living with in a dominant host culture." (pg.24)
- this quote represents the reading in many ways for instance when realating the qoute to " the Other" it explains exactly why we see foods exotic in one culture but is a everyday food commidty in another. Its all based on our ethinic values or how we were bourght up. for example is you gre up in china where they eat dim sum with chicken feet every week chicken feet wouldnt be exotic to you. Although for an American tourist in China at a buisness meeting eating dim sum with chicken feet maybe completely out of the ordianry and may refuse to eat it only because the American was not bourght up eatign chicken feet in his domiant culture.
- My impression on the reading was that this is how we as culinarians should embrace every meal we have no matter where in the world we are. This artile in a way opened my eyes to many different ways we as consumers not only eat but also view the foods we eat. I believe if we mbrace food everytime with these views found in the article Culinary tourism we can learn much more from our dinning experiences.
BP
“the Culinary tourist anticipates a change in the foodways experience for the sake of experiencing that change”
ReplyDeleteI chose this quote because we talked about it in class and I really agree with it. Food ways being the movement of food, activities surrounding food, and so on. I do agree with this statement, because I think that people have some need or want to experience food on a level other than eating it, they need to travel and see it in a social setting, such as fairs and wine trails, rather than just buying food, or even growing food for our own consumption. It as become an activity, and I find it strange even though it is such a huge part of our industry how this has come to be. People going berry picking, or to get maple syrup. Its all things we do for survival yet that is not the reason in which we do these activities anymore. The social aspect it astounding.
SH
BP: Long's theory roots itself in the subjective quality of establishing the familiar and the unfamiliar. Even though food is a rather democratic way to announce and demonstrate one's identity, it is important to remember that food has also been the root of discrimination between groups for that same reason.
ReplyDeleteSH: You mention wine tails and the like--something that I am very interested in. It seems like some groups of people are turning to engaging their food in new ways (exploring the site of production) in an effort to reclaim a sense of authenticity in life. Food, with its bodily implications of ingestion, is an intimate medium for engaging the world in an attempt to achieve that which is "real" in an environment perceived as "artificial."
--Brent W.
Chloe Johnson
ReplyDeleteIn Culinary Tourism, Long writes of “otherness.” She defines “otherness” as a “notion of humans defining the world according to their own socially constructed perceptions of reality.” (Long, 23) Long more relates to food as a window to the culture in which the food originated from. According to Long “In the context of food ways, the crux of otherness involves three realms of experience—what I call the realms of exotic, the edible, and the palatable.” (Long, 32) Through truly understanding and accepting the food, one unfamiliar must experience negotiation. This involves five strategies for negotiating these realms. “These include: Framing, naming or translation, explication, menu selection, and recipe adaptation.” (Long, 37) Long’s overall concept of culinary tourism is the experience of something unfamiliar and the process one must go through to accept and understand. According to Long, one must understand the reasons for culturally not understanding something one will experience. Through those factors one can negotiate and understand the both the food and the culture it reflects. I especially enjoyed being introduced to this concept because I believe this can not just be said about food, but all experiences unknown to us. I feel that Lomg makes brings very insightful perspective with this reading.
Chloe Johnson
Julia Grossman
ReplyDeleteIn "Culinary Tourism," author, Lucy M. Long discusses the topics of culinary tourism, ehtos, religion, and otherness. To me, the topic of culinary tourism, as a whole, is quite interesting. Long defines culinary tourism "as the intentional, exploratory participation in the foodways of an other-- participation including the consumption, preparation, and presentation of a food item, cuisine, meal system, or eating style considered to belong to a culinary system not one's own." For me, this is the most fun element of the learning experience that goes into cooking and consuming food and drink. It's no secret that diversity in food preparation and ingredients show diversity between cultures. She then goes on to speak of items that are "time out of time," such as specific foods associated with holidays. Once again, it is no secret that the different holiday foods associate themselves with different forms of religion, region, and culture. I find this idea of culinary tourism to support the scientific truth behind "ethnic"
foods. Looking at a traditonal recipe or eating a traditional food item from a specific place or for specific religious practice, can explain a lot about that given culture. Terroir, climate, technological advancement, and dietary beleifs can be seen just by looking at the specific ingredients and techniques used to prepare different food and drink items. I think that this article helps the reader to realize and explore foods that are unfamiliar to them can demonstrate a lot about the cultures of the world wihtout actually having to do anything more than eating a meal.
JG
“Menu selections clearly reflects the intentions of the producer and they anticipated consumer. “
ReplyDeleteAs a society we look for something familiar to all of us. Without this sense of security we are very reluctant to try something new. Many menu’s try to accommodate us so that we try the food that is put down in front of us. The menu is not only responsible for this. It is also the producers of the food that bends our perception of it. However it is the only way that we will take a step outside of the box and take a risk by trying a new food.
As a society we are accustomed to convent foreign food. All you simple need to do is pick up the phone and call somewhere for delivery. However it is just as easy to take a quick drive around the corner. We have moved foreign food into the familiar, well actually the producer has take it from “other” and adopted it to something that we recognize and relate to. For some oen to truly want to try to other they have to go into it with an open mind. They cannot pass judgment onto the food because after all it is unique and different. Trying different foods is the only way that we can expand our minds.
-Catherine s
In the article Long explains that Culinary tourism is the learning of new culture through food. It is the openness to being willing to try new foods. The food is an outlet in understanding why foods are eaten, how it is prepare, why it is prepared? Questions like this is what Long explain as the otherness. It is the acknowledging of something different. Otherness affects can be culture, religion, or socioeconomic classes. Giving into to these different avenues is what Long has as the negotiation. This is where culinary tourism comes in. at these point, we give up our selves, and place ourselves in this other realm. We try the chitterlings or the fried okra, or portage, or Rockie Mountain oysters.
ReplyDelete“A key concept in [the]definition [in the term tourism] is the idea of tourism being voluntary; becoming a tourist is a choice, and with the choice there is an implied openness to the new” (page 21), this is very important because forcing someone to be open is not always the best if at all. I believed that being forced to experience the other is almost the worst thing there can be. Being forced runs the risk of a person reject the multi dimension the Culinary Tourism hold. It runs the risk of rejecting the understanding of people and culture. Voluntary stepping in the new opens channels of foodway, and all the noise is killed. Volunteering to participate in the otherness means that that person is willing and ready to accept and experience adventures of food.
Long pulled a quote that says ” Heritage is a construction of the past based on contemporary identity and represents the interpretive and purpose of whoever is doing the interpreting (Lowenthall 1985; Handler and Gable 1997). The she further explains that heritage is one of the destinations through the foodway. She says “it is a common destination of tourism, and food frequently plays a role in ‘making history come alive’ ” (Page 28). I totally agree, and I feel that there are enough barriers in the tourism such as the will to accept or will to participate in different ritual. Why complicate it more with an added on rejection?
Long writes very passionately about culture, the otherness, and food. All of these things we experience each day even though we may no realize it especially the otherness and realization through perception and observation. The article is an eye opener for me the reader in that instead of seeing the same thing each day ex. work, one should look at the situation with a new perspective and method of analyzing the surroundings.
ReplyDeleteThis new way of thinking will enlighten you to realize new things and learn new ways of thinking. THis is how one is able to gain a massive amount of experience and knowledge in a short amount of time in one place or extended learning and observing in one place. The author does a great job of getting this point to the reader.
nicholas karoly
3. “Americans are mad for new flavors, yet never stray far from the familiar-macaroni, meat load, and “nostalgia driven flavors.”
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about food this is what it should be, a play on what we know reinventing the wheel in a way. We find comfort in food because it speaks to the soul, it reconnects us to our childhood to a time we feel safe and loved. While people grow older they look to try new things expand their palate and be adventurous as so food should be, but it should also remain as humble as it is and not go overboard. Food is a basic necessity that has always been their for us and shall always demand respect. The nostalgia driven flavors is the best line from that quote because it is truth, when we eat it sends us to another time and when a chef cooks he is trying to bring that back to those who encounter it.
--Liz V.
On Long vs Mintz
ReplyDeleteMintz writes about how food has traveled and evolved with human migration, long distance commerce, and travel. Long writes about how food is a window into the culture of the area the food is from. Both culture and food have historically traveled and evolved in the same way. The two are in fact intertwined with eachother. Food is an aspect of culture, and culture is an aspect of food. By studying or observing one, you can gain deeper insights into the other. Looking at the types of food different cultures consume can tell you a lot about their history, the land that surrounds them, their daily lifestyle, and social lives, just to name a few.
Ryan C.