DOES FOOD HAVE A GENDER?

While reading, “The Boy Who Became A Muni Bird”; by Feld, “sex roles are clearly demarcated in Kaluli society. Men and women have visibly separate routines.” Mothers tell there sons they are going to be strong and incorporate daily activities that involve aggression and assertion. This action allows boys to learn to be both demanding and persistent at an early age. “Young girls are quickly encouraged to gather firewood, weeding gardens, fetching water and other activities that help or serve others.” The same structures that are from the Feld article, exists in the United States. Society has set specific standards on what is masculine and feminine. These rules are often times adhered too and often times they’re not. Individuals that uphold societal structures are considered mainstream and those that deviate from it are often time frowned upon. When this happens the rules began to shift. Applying this to the question, is food gendered, seems very logical. Socially everything can be gendered.
Since the beginning of time women have been known to be the force behind nature, reproduction, and domestic work. Women are wholeheartedly directed to fulfill the needs of their family in general. This, would include, women providing a stable, productive, healthy lifestyle for the family. Women are known to be compassionate, understanding and tolerant and men are directed to be strong, warriors, and uncompromising. By no form or fashion am I trying to come from a sexist point of view, I just don’t know of any men that actually do or want to do women’s work (cooking, cleaning, family nurturing, shopping). I have heard of men coming out of the manly positions, that society has put them in; they’re just not a part of my personal life.
I would say that any food that cleanses the body and has compassion on the organs while creating a stable and healthy lifestyle can be considered women gendered. And anything that is hard to digest, probably not cooked in the healthiest ways are considered to be men. I took a survey at Seattle Central Community College. I asked 5 people, if they had to place gender on a food, what food would be women and what food would be men. Below is a graph of foods that are out into gender categories.

Men	Women
beef-steaks	cherries
apples	strawberries
chicken	bread
potatoes	chicken
rice	fish
beer	salad
nachos	pears
ribs	ice cream
hot dogs	tofu
jerky	granola
power bars	flour/corn meal
chef boyardee	marshmallows
honey dew	chocolate
peanut butter	eggs
pickles	yogurt
ketchup/mustard	milk
cream of wheat	cheese
oatmeal	kiwi
pasta	soy
coffee	tea

SOUL FOOD

“Soul Food” is a term originated from the cuisine developed by the African slaves mainly from the American South, which was considered to be a very repugnant time in American History. Africans that were brought to America also brought their cultures of food; this included all of their native fruits, recipes, spices and vegetables. “These crops included several basic starches central to the African diet, for instance rice, okra, tania, black-eyed peas, cassava, yams, and kidney and lima beans. Other crops brought from Africa included peanuts (originally from South America), millet, sorghum, guinea melon, liquorice, watermelon, and sesame (benne). Over time, these foods found their way into American footways and became a basic component of southern cuisine.” Africans that were enslaved were forced to use the ingredients that were left over from their masters’ home or what ingredients that were given to them and make a meal out of it. However these meals are not considered to be “healthy” by any means, but they were hearty and often times delicious.

African slaves needed to make a lot of starchy, breaded foods, to build up the strength to endure the horrible demise of their new home. Although Africans were now in a new place that they were forced to call home, they immediately began to incorporate a new life and this meant combining their traditional ways of cooking with the New World of cooking. Africans have a beautiful and rich culture and through this culture food was a must. Whether, it was considered to be a time for socialization, dinner or just verbal connection of love, joy, respect, and honor. This was also a time for “remembrance.” A time of remembrance of their original home, memories of faces and places that was once familiar. A time of remembrance of those who were no longer physically present. It was also a time to honor the souls of the people that endured so much heartache and pain on a horrible journey. Through this journey food was need to comfort and soothe these troubled souls and this is now considered “soul food.”

I believe every ethnicity has “soul food”, its food that comforts and soothes your soul. Often times many people may equate a special memories from their childhood and family with the presence of certain foods. It could be a special recipe or dish that has been passed down or something that was their favorite because of the person who prepared it (mother, grandmother, sister). When families sit down to eat and or prepare dinner stories, recipes and ingredients are told and recaptured and reinvented. This seems true for any culture that wants to hold on their family legacies and or traditions. From the Africans to the African Americans, one thing remained for sure and it was the hospitality of food. There seems to be certain dishes that are were and are to be prepared for holidays, birthdays, weddings, funerals, or just a plain family gathering.

For myself and many other African Americans I always look forward to a good home cooked meal. Many of these dishes are: fried/baked-(chicken, beef, pork, fish), seafood gumbo, grits, smothered pork chops, barbeque-(chicken, pork ,beef), cabbage, biscuits, potato salad, hush puppies, candied yams, red beans and rice, and fried okra. Over the course of time these main dishes have become the focal point of African American culture and are for sure to be present at any of gathering.

TASTY FOODS THAT ARE BAD!!!

I am a true native of Chicago and the food there is great. I have been to other major cities and have come to the conclusion that nothing is better than Chicago style foods and there are many: gyros, gyro chicken/beef sandwiches, Italian beef sandwiches, pizza and popcorn. Now I have to admit that if I still lived in Chicago, these foods would all be my personal favorites. There are two foods that I love to consume: Chicago based pizza and Chicago based popcorn. I had to make a note to say Chicago based because no matter what city I visit the food is not going to be the same. It doesn’t matter if the food says Chicago style; the taste just can’t be reinvented.

Although I know these foods are bad for me, I just can’t come to sense and resist them. I now understand how the characters felt in the movie Tampopo and I think the scenes ties the movie together because they are all enjoying and appreciating and living for food. This movie captured the true essence of how deep feelings can take about food. There is only one place in Chicago to get best popcorn in the whole wide and it’s called Garrett Gourmet Popcorn. When you experience the ultimate taste of Garrett’s you will definitely melt.

There is the exact moment when the amazing rush hits your mouth, and may be the best thing that you have ever felt because once you have the Chicago mix

(half cheddar, half caramel corn), so warm and salty/sweet, crunchy/sticky....there is no going back. As you lick your orange-coated fingers thinking that you have had enough, your hand takes on a life of its own and before long it is plunging back into the bag to get more. You might feel sick, bloated, and ready to pull the car over and purge - but your hand still can't get out of that damned bag of popcorn. This is a time to put away the napkins and go all out. Many people can say that popcorn is popcorn but if they ever have a chance to get to taste it fresh from Garrett, I guarantee that they will never eat popcorn from another vendor. Garrets will put Orville Redenbacher to shame.

Now there may be many people that would think that the mix of cheese and caramel is just as disgusting as the scene in Tampopo, where the sexual exchange of an egg yoke between the gangster and his mistress. There is also a passionate description of “yam sausages” from the insides of a wild boar and surely not as salivating as Chicago based pizza but a “delicacy” might surely exist and have its devotees. The scene in Tampopo, when a mother was on her deathbed but the thought of cooking the very last meal her family would consume had become so intense that it brought her to her feet to complete this task and when she was through and satisfied that her family would be enjoy her last meal; she died in peace. She knew that in the moment of taking her last breath, her children would be satisfied for the night.

Among the many foods that I named Chicago based sausage pizza is another one of my weaknesses. I would love to see someone try to resist the irresistible, deep-dish pizza with cheese oozing in every bite and full of sausage, extra deep red rich sauce, and other fresh toppings from the crisp, cornmeal-infused crust. The best place to go is Gino’s, the downtown store. Gino’s lets its patrons carve their names in the walls and tables. The lines are always long but people will wait because Gino’s is considered to be the best pizza in the town (or maybe anywhere). I think many people come for the food but they also get a chance to legally partake in the graffiti. The other incentive to Gino’s is if you call ahead they will even let you take home a frozen pizza to enjoy at your leisure. I have two words SIMPLY DELICIOUS!!

The future of food and Ozeki

Momoko & Lloyd (Ozeki’s character’s) are very similar to Percy & Louise Schmeiser (The Future of Food) in cultivating and preserving their lives. I say lives because these individuals put all they have in farming and making sure that other people are consistently happy with their products of seeding and food ingredients. People around the world depend on things of quality and not quantity. Small farming makes this possible. It’s very prideful to see that they are providing services that are free of chemicals and genetic modifications. Momoko and Lloyd’s relationship only seemed to enhance through their fondness in seeding and natural pollination. The only difference between the two was that Momoko and Lloyd wanted to give their seeds away and the Schmeiser’s was taken away from them by force, thievery, and unethically.

The main focal point for me was when these two individuals that do not know each other but are fighting the same plights are linked with so much support to the people of communities across the world. Momoko and Lloyd receive promise notes about their seeding and planting and how people have dedicated certain spots in their gardens exclusively for Lloyd and caring on his memory. The Schmeiser’s also received help from local framers and letters promising to attend hearings and court dates

Food for the Future provided me with answers to questions that I can honestly say I have never taken into consideration. Consumers need to stick together it’s a long hall and very exhausting, emotionally and physically taxing. Major 500 companies are taking advantaged of small to medium size farms that people jump at because of the services they provide.

I honestly know that many people including myself care very little about food and the exact location and process of which was made. This has truly changed my thought process and get involved in helping to preserve our future. I already stray away from fast food places because of the fats, and unhealthiness of them. The main point would be for small communities to continue to stick together and support each other because that is the only means to survival. The other would be for people to STOP being so dependent on grocery stores and the whole idea of organic this or organic that. Everyone is going to have to do their own homework and find out what ingredients mean what. Support your local farmers market and the little people because they are going to be the ones to remain true to form.

Relationship between food and memory!

My experience with food as a memory goes way back. My family is from New Orleans, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Chicago. There are so many different dishes that I was taught to cook as a young girl. I realized that when it comes to food people from the south do not play. I always thought there was some hidden book somewhere that told you about the rules of cooking. As I got older I realized that is was totally a culture thing. When preparing a meal for your self, friends, or family it should be done right and with care. Food is a very open and prideful thing. It’s even better when the person consuming the dish is a 100% satisfied with what was on their plates.

I am a chicken and seafood lover and anything that has to do with these to things I would probably eat and love. I can eat chicken all day, you can fry it, bake it, and sauté it, I wouldn’t care I would still eat it. My first memory is gumbo. Oh my goodness!!! That is the best dish that anyone can make for me and I have many!!! My mom uses shrimps scallops, crab and sometimes lobster meat. There are so many ways to make it. It was so exciting and the process was very long. We had a dinner party and gumbo was on the list. My mom had fresh everything and we were just cutting, slicing, and chopping vegetables, shredded chicken parts, okra, filé, bay leaves, thyme, and a whole bunch of other seasonings. It was great and I couldn’t wait for it to be done. When she made gumbo it was a necessity that she also made white rice and hot water cornbread muffins!!! DELISCIOUS!!

When the gumbo was served I saw everybody and they were in heaven. All you heard at the table was smacking, licking and the cracking of the crab legs. No one wanted to talk about nothing unless they were asking for more. It was funny!!!

Bento Making

I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical about my skills in the Bento making. I was searching online and found some of them to be way out of my league. But once I got to the kitchen and listened to the directions and saw the ingredients I was relieved a little. The process was extremely simple and I just had to let my imagination and creativity run. Which is sometimes hard for me to do. It was so fun and I can clearly see why an individual can be the center of jokes or the center of envy/jealousy. I have never been a big fan of taking the time to make my own lunch, because I am always in a rush to get to my destination. The Bento boxes have the history of being prepared with the tender loving care of a mother’s duty, love and dedication. This is a written rule for Bento making. This connects children to their parents, education and society as a whole.

While the Bento making probably was new to a lot of the class members I saw everyone having a great time. They were laughing and joking and this made the Bento making a lot more interesting. I found the Bento boxes to be refreshing. I love the fact that the history of Bento making is used with healthy foods. I myself am not a person to try new things and there are certain things that I will not eat. I just have to remember that Bento boxes are from another culture and not to offend the person that is making it. My partner and I went through the ingredients and asked each other about out likes and dislikes. I know this probably isn’t the correct way but since we are very new to making the boxes we both felt it was necessary. I enjoyed the activity and we talked around the table like we had known each other for years. I think food has the power to allow people to relax and enjoy themselves in places where they normally wouldn’t.

I loved my Bento box so much that I actually took it to my all girls meeting (A Wonderful You) and made an experience out of it. The ladies had fun and it allowed them to get a little history behind the food. I showed pictures from the Internet and had a great activity. Thank you Ann for introducing me to this wonderful entity of Bento making!!!

SHARINGS FOODS THAT BUILD SOCIAL CONNECTIONS

Food is universal and is needed for the nourishments of every living organism. Food builds relationships across spatial grounds. "A Boy Who Became A Muni Bird", shows perfect examples as to why and how food plays a very important part in social People are always looking for ways to improve their culinary skills, whether it is a recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. In my family food is the center of all conversations. Somebody always has the taste for something and when my mom cooks, she throws down! When we were younger she used to cook a very big dinner every holiday but every since we moved to Seattle she cooks every Sunday.

We couldn’t wait for Sunday to come because we would have some of everything: fried chicken, greens, potato salad cornbread, and some kind if dessert. Man I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. My family, like others is somewhat dysfunctional but through it all we may not like each other but we love each other and food makes dealing with them a lot easier. Cooking time in my family is definitely a team effort and everybody has a distinctive job to do. Our cook time motto is “if you don’t help cook you don’t help eat!” When our family gets together to cook we always keep some of the traditional foods, but we always try to incorporate other foods that we learn from others. "Food sharing embodies a deeper reality, one even more basic than assisting someone who may be experiencing a bad crop in the gardens or making or making ample prestations at formal social events-Feld." There is never a time when get a recipe form some one else and make personal. That is what makes food interesting.

I personally try to cross to the lines of social connections and food sharing dishes. I have friends from all over that have introduced me to many different foods, from fried alligator to Japanese cuisine. I will be the first to admit that some of the things I did not and probably are not that open to trying. I think there are just certain foods that should remain in the pet store and not on my plate. But I whole heartedly appreciate the experiences and now every month my friends and I will go out to dinner and visit restaurants that cater to a different culture. This month is Ethiopian Cuisine. Yippee!!!