New York City: A Cultural "Global Kitchen"
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
It unites. It creates a cultural footprint. It is delicious, rich, and comforting: food.
Beyond those qualities, food is a powerful resource. Unfortunately, the reality is that it is not equally accessible throughout the world, despite efforts to prevent world hunger.
There were 925 million hungry people worldwide in 2010. This is an unthinkably high number given that around 7 billion of us live on earth.
Global Kitchen
I recently explored an American Museum of Natural History exhibition “Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture.” Beyond the many interesting facts and beautiful presentation of the exhibition, what stood out to me is how culture shapes our outlook on food, how food ties into memory, and how it creates an interconnectedness between people.
This “Waste in America” statistic reveals that a family of four throws out 1,656 pounds per year.
A Journey in Your Fridge
Think about how much food you buy at the grocery store – milk, bread, eggs, vegetables, fruit, pasta, etc. If you’re not one to cook, take into account expenses for eating dinner out or ordering take-out. The numbers add up quickly. Now, consider how much you might be overbuying with those impulse purchases or seemingly great deals. At the end of the month, if you’re not careful, you might be growing “vegetation” you hadn’t planned for.
Do you often discover food in the back of your fridge or in the pantry that you’d forgotten about? What are your thoughts on the food waste statistics?
A Personal Highlight
The “Michael Phelps vs. Mohandas Gandhi” diet comparison isn’t entirely fair, but the focus isn’t on portion control. If you look carefully, you’ll see a visible difference highlighted in the food groups.
This is where culture most visibly comes into play. Pancakes, multi-layered sandwiches and an omelet for Phelps are true staples in the American diet. Naan and hummus for Gandhi are reflective of Middle Eastern and Asian influences.
Through my family’s celebration of food, cooking “lessons” with my mom and grandmothers, and travel, I’ve come to believe that food tells a story of a culture or even a person. Specific smells can trigger childhood memories. Your favorite dish might remind you of family, an event, or could conjure up different emotions. Find out about my appreciation for good cuisine in this older post, too!
YOUR INPUT
How important is food to your life? How do you manage your intake? What steps can we take to cut food waste? What associations do you have about culture with food types? Ever tried a dish you never imagined you would (while traveling)?
Hi! I'm the founder of Culture With Travel and #CultureTrav. Please chat with us on social media and contribute in the comments! Follow @Nicolette_O
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#CultureTravChat: Food & Culture | Cultural Reflections
02 Dec 2014[…] matter what you enjoy most, food has a certain binding power. It is over dinner that we often have lengthy, deep conversations. It […]