At the beginning of this semester, I thought that we would just be reading recipes for 16 weeks because that was the only type of “rhetoric” that I associated with food. I now know that the rhetoric of food is much more than simple step-by-step directions for how to make a meal. Throughout our assigned readings we have been able to see that food can be used to define a culture. Culture-focused food writing is used to unite people of the same culture by using terms that are familiar to them. At the same time, it also allows for people outside of the group to learn more about the culture just by reading about the dishes they cook. The tone of the piece drastically changes depending on who it is primarily being written for. An engineer-aimed recipe will be short with visuals included. That same recipe more aimed towards women could be much longer and include a touching backstory. Both pieces end with the same dish but have drastically different ways of getting there. There is not one standard way of writing about food, just as there is no standard way of preparing a dish. The people that write about food have just as much freedom as the people that make it to express their feelings and identity.
Author: kc28862
The best readings of RHE309K
Assigned Reading
My favorite assigned reading for this class was “A Guide to Venezuelan Arepas”. Everything about the piece was very colorful– from the writing to the actual display itself. The post was very interactive and engaging which made for an easy read. I also really enjoyed the cultural aspect of this post. It showcased the very strong connection that this dish has with Venezuelan culture.
http://luckypeach.com/guides/guide-venezuelan-arepas/
Independent Reading
My favorite independently chosen reading for this class was “Lost Crops of Africa: Volume III: Fruits”. Discovering this piece caused me to completely redesign the purpose of my annotated bibliography. The dedicated chapter to tamarind in this book covers a lot of good background information on the fruit. This reading showed me that tamarind is much more than just a fruit in some cultures– it also has spiritual, economic and medical significants.
The Use of Tamarind Across Cultures
My annotated bibliography focused on the use of tamarind across cultures. Overall, this project and the sources that I have selected to be part of my annotated bibliography emphasize the fact that food is much more than just food. I started off my project thinking I would stick to recipes from each place but quickly realized that that the cultural aspect was much more significant. Tamarind has a very strong attachment with culture as well. For each region tamarind has much more than just the sole function to feed.
https://prezi.com/voipucgetkgw/the-use-of-tamarind-across-cultures/#
Chicken Spaghetti for dayyysssss
Deciding what recipe I wanted to do was an easy choice because for me food is about comfort and chicken spaghetti is a meal that reminds me of home. Everything about the dish speaks to the culture from which it came from, or at least the version that I am used to. It is a dish that is not meant for two but to be shared with friends and family. In his book, Southern Cooking, John Egerton emphasizes the point of southern hospitality in southern cooking, “The tradition of hospitality, of serving large quantities of good things to eat to large numbers of hungry people, of sharing food and drink with family and friends and even strangers, proved to be a durable tradition in the South” (Egerton, 1987). This dish is hearty, creamy, a little spicy and a casserole—all key characteristics of Southern cooking.
This recipe would be perfect for a rainy day or a full house. It is the definition of “comfort food”.