The Experience of Food
I was born in the same town my father grew up in, and went to the same highschool he did. This same town has a population of less than one percent african american and for fun we go to our local grocery store and walk around. If I had to say, I’m from a small town. As a person from a small town I don’t get to see many different walks of life in my daily life, for some reason this bothered me and I felt as if I was being left out. I had an urge to explore the world and provide myself with everything that I was “missing”. One thing I was specifically missing was all the different types/styles of food this world had to offer.
Somethings as little as food, or just the experience of food, would provide me with that feeling of certainty that I didn’t know I was looking for.
I’ve traveled to various countries all over the world, and have been very fortunate to do many things others have not had the opportunity to do. From the countless encounters I’ve had with various cultures such as Muslims from Pakistan and India, to Hungarians who grew up during the soviet regime, were all humans yet so drastically different. Every person on this earth eats food, yet so many different types of dishes tell so many different stories. Being humble allows you to have gratitude for these various cultures, which allows you to put yourself into these uncomfortable situations that allow you to learn.
Before I was born my parents and grandparents traveled all over the world and had countless stories and pictures to go with their trips. I’d look at these pictures in awe, hoping one day I’d get the chance to travel to some of these places. This is where my curiosity to experience different cultures sparked, because frankly I just wanted to see how other people lived their lives, and compare how different we were. I specifically remember them telling me about the different restaurants and food they ate and was shocked to learn that different countries ate different food from my own. When it comes to the American culture it is the most diverse place on the earth featuring hundreds of different cultures all intermingled, however the American food system has no heritage or character giving it no identity. A common meal in America is a cheeseburger with fries. However, in places like Hungary they have Chicken Paprikash. A chicken dish which incorporates many different spices into a sauce with a side of vegetables and noodles. From a young age I started to realize how small I was in this very large world. However it wasn’t just the pictures from my Grandparents and Parents that had this impact on my life, it was a desire to not live like everyone else in my hometown. I wanted to get out and experience all the different languages, food, and religions this massive world had to offer. It made me very envious of these people who had the opportunity to travel to all these beautiful locations while I was stuck in my small hometown in Michigan.
Watching and viewing all these videos/pictures was great and taught me alot about these places, but it can only show you so much. You can’t learn much from all of the tourist locations that are tailored to bring Americans to, You have to get off the most traveled path and dive into the depths of these counties. Having the opportunity to travel to these locations allowed me to be immersed in the culture, something that cannot be taught through images. This really showed me how valuable it is to learn through experience rather than reading or being taught. Most importantly it taught me the cultural value of food. You aren’t able to taste and experience the atmosphere surrounding a dish or restaurant through a series of pictures. You just have to be there for yourself.
As mentioned many times, one thing I’ve noticed from the various places I’ve been, is how overlooked the uniqueness of food is. It is usually about the best place you can get a picture, or where you can get the most entertainment. I personally love food, so whenever I go to a new country, or even to a place I’ve never been before, I always try the local food. Even if the food just looks awful or I know I won’t like it, I force myself to try something new. Travelling overseas makes this experience so much more unique. There’s not history and heritage that goes into each meal that can’t be found in my tiny hometown. It’s not even necessarily fancy or expensive, it’s just the overall experience of the food.
A cultural dish or just different types of food presents so much unknown value as mentioned above. However, it’s not just the food but the overall atmosphere of where you’re eating the food. “When you think about it, in the history of mankind, eating alone was never something truly normal. Perhaps a hunter would snack while out alone in the forest but meals were always something shared. Families and friends would gather together to eat. All major social events seemed to include food, from weddings to funerals”, (Global Gastros). In Budapest Hungry we were recommended a restaurant to try by a local, that he claimed was the best in the city. This restaurant didnt have a website or any internet presence, all we knew was an address. I was very skeptical as we approached this place tucked between two large buildings in the back of an alley. This wasn’t a fancy restaurant that required nice clothes, or you to have any social status to eat there. We walked in and from floor to ceiling it was decorated with traditional Hungarian clothes and decor. Men were speaking Hungarian and laughing at the bar. The waiting staff spoke very little english, but were able to understand us by the pointing of our fingers at the menu. This was the first time all of us on the trip really got the chance to sit down and talk to one another and get to know each other. This food experience coupled with laughs and good stories allowed us to connect on a deeper level that would set the tone for the rest of the trip. Something as simple as a dinner would provide more of an impact on our friendship than any of us would realize.
Food humanizes us, as it is all something we do on a daily basis. “Cooking as a family or with friends and loved ones brings us together because we are able to share our culture and heritage through food and give each other nourishment. Coming together and sharing a meal is the most communal and binding thing in almost every place in the world. Being able to make a dish and share that with the people you love is one of the most universal concepts because it’s at the root of our survival,”(HUFFPOST). I learned so much from this event, when I was caught off guard by the quality of the restaurant. I was so caught up with what I had perceived as nice, or what I thought the standard was. After being blown away, it made me reevaluate myself. Ever since this experience I’ve tried to go into each place, conversation, event with an open mind. Not only does this increase the experience but it allows you to let your guard down once again and experience things that you would have never tried in the first place.
In the video series ‘No passport Required’ they travel to Detroit, but more specifically Dearborn, MI. This is an area that is predominantly Muslim in a very diverse part of the county and state. Instead of causing conflict, food has been used as a means to bring many of these people together. Food presentes so many opportunities that not many realize. Just to act of trying new food makes connections with not only the people who are making this food, but the people you share the food with. A Language barrier will always be present, however it’s so easy to have a different type of food. Just this little push out of your comfort zone can expose you to so much different culture. Through this commonality of sharing food these people were able to get to know each other and push aside all the stereotypes that come with foreigners in America. These people were welcomed into these and seen with high regards from the people around them. All of this was accomplished by something as simple as food.
Growing up my best friends family was Muslim. Neither of his parents were born in America. I was never very curious about their culture, but I remember one day we were all in the kitchen and they were preparing us a dish that originated from India. The dish they were making was called pani puri. “It’s almost a snack that you and friends can gather around a table and eat them as fast as you can. It’s a great social food as you can watch them make your food in front of you and while socializing with friends. If you were to order pani puri in a restaurant it would look very put together and ‘fancy’. This pani puri was messy and all over the place, but that’s what added to the experience,”(Jenson). While they made this dish they were dancing and listening to their culture music and it made me feel for the first time that there is so much to learn about this world, that I would be very dissatisfied if I didn’t get the opportunity to give every culture some attention. His family saw how fascinated I was with different cultures and offered to take me to the middle east, an offer I couldn’t turn down.
The first step off the plane at the Dubai International airport was an experience I will never forget. For the first time in my life I felt like a foreigner (Jenson). It really made me take a look at myself and made me realize that no matter where you are you are not the only person who’s living there. The US was my home and it provided comfort, however to many it’s a second home where they are foreigners. Even in the middle east many people spoke english, which I found very odd. Why should others have to conform to the US? One study looked into foreigners in the US and found “how insistent immigrants are that learning English is critical for their success. Focus group discussions made it clear that this conviction is driven by pragmatism and the desire to be understood. Fully 85 percent say it is hard to get a good job or do well in this country without learning English; only 12 percent say it is easy,”(MPI). Why should others feel obligated to learn a language that isn’t theirs while people from the US refuse to learn anything but English. This made me realize how self centered and selfish I was, without even realizing it. This connects back to putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation. I have had it easy growing up, while others surrounding me have had to struggle for a living just so they can ‘fit in’.
When we were out at the restaurants I kept wondering what is considered right or wrong? When we were out eating I kept asking myself why do we use utensils in the US, and why is it seen as right? This then got me to thinking, what is considered to be right? The restaurants in the UAE were unbelievable, like nothing I’ve experienced in the United States. Every 15 minutes we were surprised with a large piece of naan put on the table for the people to eat their food with. It was very common to eat your food with your fingers and have no one question it. If you went to a restaurant in the US and ate your food with your fingers, heads would turn. So why is it wrong to use your fingers when eating? Paulo Friere talks about this in his book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, how education is gained through the banking system. Banking education, primarily used in the United States as a way of gaining knowledge due to its ability to create an inferior relation with the teacher, is all about teaching, but without telling the learner why. This is a big issue when it comes to questioning the education system. Reasons such as why there is a right when it comes to social norms. I’ve attempted to break the banking system in my life and approach knowledge from a different perspective. I’ve done this by not making a judgement until I’ve experienced multiple different angles of the topic before being told which way was perceived right. For example, I have established an opinion on Muslims that not many Americans would agree with because I’ve been able to be around them and get a more indepth experience. The banking education experience doesn’t give the learner and chance to ask questions or allow for those more in depth analysis of a specific topic. It’s hard to get out of this cycle of the banking system because everyone is used to being taught and to not question the teaching, but if you are able to learn synchronously with the teacher without being told which is right and wrong with no explanation you are able to establish a much more personal and knowledgeable connection with the subject matter.
Overall food has played a pretty impactful role in my life and who I’ve developed as a person. I’ve learned many lessons that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience if I didn’t place myself in uncomfortable situations that pushed myself to try new things and meet new people. Whether it be to not judge things by the way they look, questioning the way I learn, or just the overall way food is able to bring people together. I’ve definitely been more fortunate than others and have been able to travel all over the world. These various countries have all presented different aspects of life impossible to find in the US. We are all dramatically different people and each culture allows this to be amplified. Restaurants bring people together in situations that may seem uncomfortable or even unnecessary. I’ve made bonds with friends that I will never forget all over a simple dish of food. At the end of the day food has done more than most will realize and has bonded cultures together in ways that are unconventional but necessary in this progressively changing world we live in today.
References
Farkas, Steve. “What Immigrants Say About Life in the United States.” Migrationpolicy.org, 2 Mar. 2017, www.migrationpolicy.org/article/what-immigrants-say-about-life-united-states.
Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Bloomsbury Academic, 2018.
Global Gastros. “The Role of Food in Human Culture · Global Gastros.” Global Gastros, Global Gastros, 30 June 2017, globalgastros.com/food-culture/role-of-food-in-human-culture.
Jenson, Max. “Max Jenson.” Medium, 2020, medium.com/@mcjenson.
Quora. “How Food Brings Cultures Together.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 15 May 2017, www.huffpost.com/entry/how-food-brings-cultures-together_b_5913e153e4b002274b9469c8.
Shibboleth Authentication Request, video-alexanderstreet-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/watch/detroit-2.
