Food Cultures - Home & Corporate

The traditional food consumed in America is worldwide known as to be hamburgers and hot dogs. This fattening food has been consumed for so many years in the history of America. Branches such as McDonald's or Burger Kings, have impacted the daily life of thousands of Americans. These offer fast food and it is very convenient for the American way of life.

Focusing more in how American families eat at home, It is usually the housewife cooking for the rest of the family and the children setting the table. Lately, for some families there is no gender role for cooking for the family. The children or the father can also contribute or do the entire cooking. While eating, they watch T.V while eating or talk to one another. The often consume meals consist of beef, pasta, ham sandwiches, hamburgers, vegetables, potatoes, fried chicken, salmon, etc. These are often cooked with many spices or artificial ingredients to falvor the food. This way of life is often seen on T.V shows and movies, which mostly communicate a better if not the perfect way of living, so therefore many families unconsciously attempt to imitate that way of life.


Through time it has been more important for the food to taste good rather that it being healthy. As a society we have been blinded by this ideal and therefore do not consider how healthy is the food we consume on a day to day bases. Media communicates that eating greens is good for you. So families add some greens in the meals with another substances to flavor it. Nowadays because most foods are too modify it is complicated to say what is healthy food and what is not. People choose to trade their own health for 30 minutes of consuming unhealthy but delicious food.

In my original culture families tend to mostly eat at home instead of going to restaurants. Usually it is a female who cooks for the rest of the family. It could be either the housewife or the housekeeper. I n this culture, it is also expected for the food to taste good however, my family does not have as high expectations as other families. The meals consist of rice, steak, soup, pork, beans, chicken, fish, vegetables, legumes, etc. It is very important to spend time together as a family during meals. Therefore families do not watch T.V. or listen to music while eating.

In my own family we assimilated with the variety of cultures that surround us in New York, in terms of food. New York being so cosmopolitan I cannot say we blended in with the American culture. During my first year I ate everyday at home. My father and step mom used to cook. Our meals consisted of mainly white rice, fish, pasta, beef, bread, fruit, legumes, etc. We did not watch T.V. or do anything else that could distract us from eating and spending time together. Manners were also very important. My step mom would always correct our way of eating and teach us the importance of learning it. According to her it would help us in society, which is her own cultural ideal.


After that as a family we went separated ways in terms of culture. I personally spent more time with the Japanese culture that any other culture. They have raised me into their way of life ever since I was 14 years old. At home we eat fish, gohan, vegetables, fruit, green tea, dango, etc. Before eating we give our thanks for the food and do not watch T.V. or distract ourselves with something else. Mostly we eat and sometimes we talk. Manners are very important in this culture. A person should be able to porperly use the chopsticks to eat different things. Cutting meat with these is also included on how educated you are in terms of eating. I think they way Japanese cook is very healthy because they always use natural ingredients and do not use flavorings for most meals. I feel very good physically and emotionally after eating Japanese food. I personally consider that this is the best way of eating, so therefore I will pass on this culture to my own future generation.


Currently I only eat dinner with my family and we watch T.V while eating. I cook must of the time, and it is mostly Japanese food. When my father cooks, he cooks beef, pasta, salad, etc. We also eat separately sometimes due to the time we dedicate eating that day. Comparing my ways of eating to the ones we see on TV it is not similar. However after sharing with my class, it seems that most students eat separately and they vary what they eat. My way of eating is similar to this, but i would not say is the American way because of what I previously mentioned.

I personally think that the way we eat is irrelevant from what we are actually eating. Healthy food or non healthy food, for most people it is not important as soon as it tastes good. When these people experience consequences, such as their liver not functioning, then they begin to worry. That is the usual lesson to bring people to eat more healthy. What concerns me is the amount of food resources remaining in the world. It is a worldwide problem and so far no much is being done. Some culture consuming more than others is irrelevant to the consequences we are currently experiencing. At some point the country that finishes their resources would buy off food from other country at a very high price. That country would not be able to trade and therefore, stabilize it's economy. This is an important matter that must people do not think about. The only think in their mind is a good and tasty dinner enough to satisfy them. The leftovers are thrown away and at the same time thousands of kids starve in other parts of the world.