ANT214H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Marvin Harris, Entomophagy, Chopsticks
Document Summary
Ant214 - lecture 8: food systems, cultural identity and ritual. Foodways: shared cuisine, eating styles, and behaviours common to a group of people. Cultural materialism: food systems evolved to meet nutritional needs within particular ecological limits, cultural systems and behaviours evolved as adaptations to material needs, sacred cows - harris (1974) Slaughter of cattle part of a religious ritual and then shifted to strict taboos against. If they lose it, then farm will no longer function properly. Eliminating meat from diet reinforced through religious beliefs: ancient aztecs; human sacrifice, very little protein available and thus had to deal with population pressures. Food and culture: symbols to define ethnic, class, cultural, and gender groups, symbols to define relationships between people, important part of religious beliefs, foodways are imbued with social meaning. Home cooked meal by candlelight = a romantic evening. Sunday brunch = a casual group get together. Lunch at mcdonald"s = a routine meal in an extended relationship.
