The Influence of Food on African American’s Cultural Identity

The Influence of Food on African American’s Cultural Identity
Name
Institutional Affiliate
The Influence of Food on African American’s Cultural Identity
Introduction
It is an undeniable fact that food plays a significant role in the life of a human being and humanity as a whole. The food consumed by an individual or a group of people is integral to their sustainable growth and development across the social, political, and economic dimensions of life within the equally diverse communities around the world. The impact of the food consumed by such individuals or groups goes beyond providing the nutritional value and energy as basic needs for survival to defining the people’s way of life. In essence, the food consumed by or within a group of people functions to create an impression and expression of the individuals’ cultural background. The analysis and evaluation of various elements concerning the consumption of food within a given social setting determine or rather reveals a lot about the people’s way of life. Elements such as the ingredients or the unique recipes used by members of a given group, the dietary habits, as well the values and beliefs pertaining to food consumption play significant roles in determining the social integration and interactions within the community. Hence, it suffices to say that food refers to a lot more than meet the plate of an individual having a meal at home or an eatery as it creates a platform for the establishment of a person’s historical background, opinions, views, principles, values, and beliefs. Such revelations further create an impression of a person’s personality, which reflects their overall cultural orientation. The analysis of some of the elements of food among the African American community, for instance, provides an excellent framework for the development of an informed understanding of their way of life. Provided herein is the evaluation of the relationship between the African Americans and some of the elements of food towards whether or not it influences the former’s cultural orientation or identity in the American community as a whole.
The Correlation of Food to Culture
It is imperative to establish an effective framework for the analysis and evaluation of the different elements of food or practices concerning food and their influence on the African American cultural identity. The development of an understanding of the inter-relationship between food and culture is thus paramount to the research provided herein CITATION Alm14 \l 1033 (Almerico, 2014). The consumption of food, for instance, makes for one of the elements for evaluating the influence of food on the African American culture and that forms an important factor in the development of the equally diverse social constructions concerning intake of food CITATION One15 \l 1033 (Oney, 2015). The distinct expectations on the consumption of food such as the time and number of meals to consume in a day as well as the choices of food items consumed make for one of the characteristic features defining the culture of an individual or a given group in society. The type of food consumed by a given group of people or its members in society further functions to provide a sense...