ANT 252 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Audrey Richards
Document Summary
Foodways are culturally constructed in that they are always surrounded by cultural beliefs and governed by systematic rules and etiquette. Rules regulate what and how people hunt and gather, what plants they raise, how they"re harvested etc. Ex) those of us who get our food from supermarkets think of food as material, impersonal, etc. Other cultures, like the hua, believe that food possess mystical dynamism, vitality, and danger - food is spiritually powerful. Founded nutritional anthropology in the 1930s based on research in what"s now zambia. Studied the relationship between human nutritional needs, ecological conditions, and what people eat. Because of her influence, nutritional anthropologists approach eating holistically, exploring how biology, health concerns, ecology, political- economic processes, and most of all, culture, shape people"s relationships with food. Food is a rich source of meaning and is used to communicate specific messages. Comfort foods - feeling connected to things that are symbolically important to you.
