Learning Out: PKK 3100 Recommended Text-Book

2/23/2015
PKK 3100
Recommended Text-Book
FOOD, SOCIETY AND CULTURE

(MAKANAN, MASYARAKAT DAN BUDAYA)
By:
DR. NORHASMAH SULAIMAN
DEPARTMENT OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH
SCIENCES
UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA
Learning Outcome
At the end of the lecture students will be able
to:
Identify reasons for understanding food,
society and culture
Discuss the importance of food and culture in
Malaysian context
Define food, food habits, omnivore paradox
and self-identify
Identify symbolic use of food in different
culture
Why study Food, Society and

Culture
Each of these groups has
traditional food habits that
differ slightly or
significantly from the
typical Malaysian diet
These variation should be
acknowledged and
understood in order
effective nutrition
counseling, education and
food service to provide
Kittle, P.G., and

Sucher, K.P. (2012)
Food and Culture.
6th Ed. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth /
Cengage learning

Culture
The Malaysian population is increasingly
becoming very heterogeneous moving
toward a plurality of ethnic, religion and
regional groups

Culture
Dietitians, nutritionists and other health care
professionals should be provided with a broad
overview needed to avoid ethnocentric
assumptions (based on the attitudes ones own
group is superior)
For e.g. In nutrition/ dietetics counseling, where
many therapeutic interventions are on a personal
level, sensitivity to the strong influence of
culture on an individuals food intake, attitudes
and behaviors is especially necessary.
2/23/2015
Malaysian Food And

Culture
What do Malaysians eat?
Malaysian cuisine reflects the multicultural
aspects of Malaysia
Various ethnic groups in Malaysia have their
own dishes, but many dishes in Malaysia are
derived from multiple ethnic influences.
Food preparation differs from place to place,
although many of the foods used are alike
Spices, aromatic herbs and roots are all used
in Malaysian cuisine
Why is learning about the

history if food important ?
Each Malaysian ethnic, religion or
regional group has its own culturally
based food habits
Many of these customs has been
influenced and modified through contact
with the majority culture and in turn
have changed and shaped the food
habits of majority of Malaysians
Malaysian Food And

Culture
Rice is the main food of
most Malaysians.
It is served with meat or
fish, vegetables and
fruits.
Food in Malaysian
reflects its great ethnic
diversity. For Example ..
Nasi lemak, roti canai
and chicken rice etc.
What is Food?
Food as defined in the dictionary, is any
substance that provides the nutrients
necessary to maintain life and growth when
ingested
Is anything that can be used by the body to
sustain growth and bodily process and to
provide energy. Different food contain
different proportion of nutrients and
calories:
The plants and animals we consume.
FUNCTIONAL FOOD
Food that contain physiologically active
compounds that provide health benefits
beyond their nutrient contribution.
Examples of functional food
What is Food?
Eating is distinguished from feeding
by the ways human use food
Humans gather and hunt food,
cultivate plants and raise livestock
Humans also cook, softening tough
foods, including raw grains and
meats and reducing toxic substances
in other items such as root and
vegetables.
2/23/2015
What is Food?
This greatly expands the number
and variety of edible substances
available.
Humans use utensils to eat meals
and institute complex rolesmanners.
Human also share food
The Omnivores Paradox?

Humans are omnivorous can consume
and digest a wide selection of plants
and animals found in their surroundings
The advantages - Humans can adapt to
nearly all earthly environments
The disadvantage no single food
provides the nutrition necessary for
survival

This paradox results in two
contradictory psychological impulses
regarding diet
The first.. is an attraction to new foods
and second.. is a preference for familiar
foods
This Food habits developed by a group
provide a framework that reduces the
anxiety produced by these opposing
desire
What is Food Habits

Food habits (also called as food culture
or food ways) refer to the way in which
humans use food
Including everything from how food is
selected, obtained and distributed to,
who prepares it, serves it and eats it
The significance of this process is
unique to humankind.

Humans must be flexible enough to eat a
variety of items sufficient for physical
growth and maintenance. Yet cautions
enough not to randomly ingest foods that
are physiological harmful and possible
fatal
This dilemma the need to experiment
combined with the need to be
conservatism.
Is known as the omnivore's paradox

Rules about which foods are edible, how they
are produced and cooked safely, how they
should taste and when should be
consumed
Provide guideline for both experimentation
and conservatism through ritual and
repetition
2/23/2015
Self identity
The choice of which foods to digest is
further complicated by another
psychological concept regarding eating
the incorporation of food
Consumption conversion of food and
its nutrients into a human body
Incorporation is both physical and
associative fundamental nature of
food. How food absorbed by a person.
Self identity
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
Direct interpretation, it is the physical
properties of food expressed through
incorporation
Examples
Asian Indian: Eat Walnuts to improve their
brain
Vietnamese: Consume gelatinized tiger
bones to improve their strength
Native Americans: Because milk is a food
for infants, it will weaken adults.
Self identity
Food choice is influenced by self
identity a process whereby the food
likes and dislikes of someone else are
accepted and internalized as personal
preferences
Food as self identity is especially
evident in the experience of dining out
Restaurants often serve more than food
specific ambiance emotional and
physical needs
Symbolic Use of Food

For human food is more than just
nutrients
Human use food symbolically due to
relationship, association or convention
Bread is a good example Staff of life
Bread represents the body of Christ the
\Christian sacrament of communion
Self identity
Flavor and Appearances of food

Familiarity and culture background
Emotions and social influences
Desire to improve physical performance
and appearance
Food availability, cost and conveniences
Environmental concerns
Health concerns

White bread was traditionally eaten by
the upper classes
Dark bread eaten by the poor
Bread is shared by couples as part of
the wedding ceremony
Left for the soul for dead.
A rich person has a lot bread
2/23/2015

Rice is considered a super-food
Widely adapted to diverse environments,
rice is an important part of culture,
traditions, and subsistence in some
countries, especially those in Asia
Rice symbolizes abundance, as do most
grains- it also symbolizes security, providing
a hedge against future hunger. In Asian
traditional cultures, it is rice that is the
standard of wealth rather than gold or
money

In traditional Japan, people do not think
in terms of breakfast, lunch and dinner,
rice means meal.
They say: morning rice (asa gohan),
afternoon rice (hiru gohan), and evening
rice (ban gohan)
In Singapore, a steady job is an iron
rice bowl, so being out of a job is , a
broken rice bowl

In Malaysia, Bangladesh, China and
Thailand, instead of how are you? They
say, Have you eaten your rice today?
Also in China, people do not say, Happy
New Year! But May your rice never
burn!
In Taiwan, death may be symbolized by
a pair of chopsticks in a mound of rice
Summary
I hope students will be able to:
Identify reasons for understanding
food, society and culture
Discussion the importance of food
and culture in Malaysia context
Define food habits, omnivores
paradox and self identify
Identify symbolic use of food in
different culture.
Thank You..

Learning Out: PKK 3100 Recommended Text-Book

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Learning Out: PKK 3100 Recommended Text-Book

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Learning Out: PKK 3100 Recommended Text-Book

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

2/23/2015

FOOD, SOCIETY AND CULTURE

Why study Food, Society and

Kittle, P.G., and

Why study Food, Society and

Why study Food, Society and

Malaysian Food And

Why is learning about the

Malaysian Food And

The Omnivores Paradox?

The Omnivores Paradox?

What is Food Habits

The Omnivores Paradox?

The Omnivores Paradox?

Symbolic Use of Food

Flavor and Appearances of food

Symbolic Use of Food

A rich person has a lot bread

Symbolic Use of Food

Symbolic Use of Food

Symbolic Use of Food

You might also like