FOOD MEMORY
For this assignment, create a presentation using PowerPoint or another comparable presentation program and provide an analysis of food and ritual from your personal history. Pick ritual feast or gathering that features food event have attended (e.g. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Passover, Ramadan, Dia de los Muertos, St. Patrick’s Day, Nikkomo, family reunions etc.) and provide:
- A detailed description of the event, the context, and relevance to you.
- A detailed description of the food and its preparation. Be sure to include observations regarding the division of labor in preparation and the roles of people involved, as well as the interactions surrounding the preparation and consumption of food (e.g. talk etc.)
- A detailed analysis that addresses symbolic, structural, and other social meanings tied to your food memory.
- A detailed analysis of tradition and ritual significance, and explain how they inform the preparation and consumption of food.
In order to successfully address of these requirements you, be sure to do research in order to explain the cultural, symbolic, social, structural, or other meanings associated with the dish. Specify the social group for whom it has meaning, for what kinds of occasions and settings is this dish prepared, who is involved in the preparation, serving, and consumption of this dish, background, etc.
Other questions you can ask in order to address the required categories may include:
Is this a food that unique to your culture? What are its traditional names? (And, do these names have any special significance and/or meaning?) What ingredients go into making these foods? How and when are they eaten? Are there unspoken family “rules” about food consumption (e.g., what’s okay, and not okay, to eat; how and where should one eat, etc.)
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
For this assignment, students are required to analyze their food and ritual memory from their personal history. They need to pick a ritual feast or gathering that they have attended and provide a detailed description, analysis, and relevance to them. The students will also need to address the symbolic, structural, and other social meanings associated with the dish.
Answer to the Content:
For this assignment, students are required to create a presentation using PowerPoint or another comparable presentation program. They need to provide a detailed description of the event, the context, and relevance to them. The students must describe the food and its preparation, including observations regarding the division of labor in preparation and the roles of people involved, as well as the interactions surrounding the preparation and consumption of food.
In addition, the students are required to analyze symbolic, structural, and other social meanings tied to their food memory. They need to explain tradition and ritual significance and how they inform the preparation and consumption of food. To successfully address these requirements, the students should do research to explain the cultural, symbolic, social, structural, or other meanings associated with the dish.
They should also specify the social group for whom it has meaning, for what kinds of occasions and settings is this dish prepared, who is involved in the preparation, serving, and consumption of this dish, background, etc. Other questions that can help address the required categories may include whether this is a food that is unique to their culture? What are its traditional names, and do these names have any special significance or meaning? What ingredients go into making these foods? How and when are they eaten? Are there unspoken family “rules” about food consumption (e.g., what’s okay, and not okay, to eat; how and where should one eat, etc.)
Overall, this assignment will help the students understand the cultural, social, and symbolic significance of food in various communities and the roles food plays in their lives.
