ANTHROP 1AA3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Omnivore, Zoonosis, Intensive Farming
8 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Food and Nutrition
Food as Biological Necessity
Six Major Classes of Nutrients
1. Carbohydrates
2. Fats
3. Proteins (amino acids)
4. Vitamins
5. Minerals
6. Water
Essential nutrients are those we need but can’t make ourselves (vitamin C).
Micronutrients don’t produce energy but works to regulate the energy we have.
Cultural Aspects of Food
- Food choices are determined by:
o Ethnic
o Religious
o Environmental
o Economic
o And personal factors
Aztec Relationship with Food and Religion
- Believed it was sacred duty to sacrifice blood of human heart
- Believed the end of the world would be avoided by sacrificing hearts
- Partook in cannibalism
- Mexico
o Day of the Dead & Feast of the Dead
Celebrations, Rites of Passage
- Birthday cake
- Thanksgiving turkey
Food as Competition
- Climbing towers of buns
- New York hotdog eating contest
- Potlatch ceremonies
o Competitive distribution of property
o Hosts distribute gifts to guest who are meant to reciprocate
o The guests are expected to one up the hosts when time comes
o Meant to validate status, make alliances, etc.
FOOD IS…
- Sustenance and symbol
- Biological and cultural
- Linked to status and power
- Defining & maintaining social relations
Macronutrients
Micronutrients
Adam and Eve
The Eucharist
- Transubstantiation
Ramadan
Algonquin
- Feast of the dead
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Modern Food icons also exist.
Eating like our ancestors
- The Paleodiet
o Unprocessed food
o Food only our ancestors had access to
o Christina Warinner
▪ Paleo diet is targeted mostly to men
▪ No grains, dairy
▪ People didn’t eat that much meat in the past
Early Food Production
- Earliest evidence from Near East
- Wild Grasses – 12,000 BCE
- Domesticated grains – 10,000 BCE
Influences on early food production & diet
- Geography
- Access to water
- Growing conditions (temp,seasons)
Universals in Human Food Use
- Omnivorous diet
- Cooking
- Intensive food preparation
- Distribution, sharing, and exchange
- Prohibitions and preferences
Food Classification System
- People tend to classify foods in different ways, according to their
culture
Foods can be:
- Edible-inedible
- Hot-cold
- Male-female
- Wet-dry
Hot and Cold Classification of Foods
- Common in Latin America and Asia - Originally from Greek theory of health (4 humours) - Health –
balance of opposing elements - Basic idea in Greek, Indian, Chinese, & Arabic medical systems
Food Restrictions
- Food preferences & aversions – like/dislike
- Food restrictions – periodic denial of certain foods (eg pregnant women)
- Food taboos – deliberate avoidance
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Six major classes of nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, proteins (amino acids, vitamins, minerals, water. Essential nutrients are those we need but can"t make ourselves (vitamin c). Micronutrients don"t produce energy but works to regulate the energy we have. Food choices are determined by: ethnic, religious, environmental, economic, and personal factors. Believed it was sacred duty to sacrifice blood of human heart. Believed the end of the world would be avoided by sacrificing hearts. Mexico: day of the dead & feast of the dead. Potlatch ceremonies: competitive distribution of property, hosts distribute gifts to guest who are meant to reciprocate, the guests are expected to one up the hosts when time comes, meant to validate status, make alliances, etc. The paleodiet: unprocessed food, food only our ancestors had access to, christina warinner, paleo diet is targeted mostly to men, no grains, dairy, people didn"t eat that much meat in the past.
