Friday, April 4, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Tuesday's class & Preparing for the exam
Yo.
I have spent the last few days putting (almost) all the reading responses up (there are one or two of you who didn't email them to me, which means I type them in by hand, which means I hate you and you're going to fail this course and thus university and never get a good job and your children will die of one of those weird skin infections that only ever happens to children whose parents don't submit things to me by email), so you now have the study guide. Use the labels on the right to look through them. If someone can figure out a sexy way to combine them into one easy to print off file, all power to you.
On Tuesday's class we'll have the last of the presentations and I'll hand out what I call "the cheat sheet" (I'll also put up a link to it for those who are missing).
Some people are bringing food: hey, just sayin'.
I have spent the last few days putting (almost) all the reading responses up (there are one or two of you who didn't email them to me, which means I type them in by hand, which means I hate you and you're going to fail this course and thus university and never get a good job and your children will die of one of those weird skin infections that only ever happens to children whose parents don't submit things to me by email), so you now have the study guide. Use the labels on the right to look through them. If someone can figure out a sexy way to combine them into one easy to print off file, all power to you.
On Tuesday's class we'll have the last of the presentations and I'll hand out what I call "the cheat sheet" (I'll also put up a link to it for those who are missing).
Some people are bringing food: hey, just sayin'.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Bentley - From Culinary Other to Mainstream America
The relationship that South Western Cuisine has with influencing America is a very rocky one. Millions of Americans benefit from the worldwide phenomena known as Mexican food. It’s supplied hungry Canadians, Americans, and other countries worldwide, with food items, such as tacos, tortillas, burritos, nachos, etc. America, on the other hand, has advertised South Western cuisine in numerous fast food establishments nationwide. Taco Bell is the perfect example of one of the fast food conglomerates that has flourished over the last few decades. It would seem that each has a mutually beneficial agreement, but all is not as it seems.
The South West feels that the concept that made their food unique, has been altered so much by America that the definition of Mexican food, has been forever changed; ingredients are added or removed, traditions and customs are lost, and, as a result, Mexican cultures have been absorbed into American culture, leaving almost none of its originality remaining. For instance, many people of Mexican decent hate the Taco Bell conglomerate; primarily due to the reason that Taco Bell focuses on everything that South Western Cuisine isn’t. It focuses on adding new ingredients that were never a part of traditional South Western food and preparing the food too quickly and with not enough care. Mexican peoples also detest the Taco Bell franchise, due to the wrong messages it purveys to the public; for instance, the Mexican Chihuahua that advertised the American Taco Bell was seen as stereotypical in the eyes of many Mexicans and even had to go through the courts at one point.
Americans, on the other hand, feel that they’re doing a lot for the Mexican Cuisine. They’re having chili cook offs, to promote one of Mexico’s staples; the chili pepper. Also, they’ve integrated corns, jalapenos, and many other South Western originated food into the everyday life of many Americans. America, while also bring the Mexican based snacks, such as Fritos and Tostitos, to the top of the junk food ladder, has also helped Mexican fast food franchises reach the pinnacle as well. They have attracted many customers, who gladly eat there everyday, enjoying the “authentic Mexican” cuisine that is provided to them. At the moment, America is trying to reach out more to the people who believe that the “Mexican” food served right now is not “Mexican” enough. They’re doing what they can to entice the few who want to see Mexican food, the way Mexico originally intended for it to be presented.
However, more recently South Westerners and Americans have enjoyed sharing their customs with each other at social gatherings. They enjoy the conversation, facts they learn about each other’s culture, and, of course, the amazing food that they get to indulge upon. The acceptance that America has felt for Mexican food, has also given an opening into society’s mainstay for Brazilian, Caribbean, Cuban, El Salvadorian, and other Latin cuisines. The various spices and tastes that Americans are experiencing, means that these new food ideas will surely flourish, as the next big businesses to spring up.
In conclusion, while I believe that the South West and America has done a lot for each other, that their customs clashing with each other was inevitable. There has virtually been nothing that has remained the same throughout the years, without changing in some way or another. A perfect example is cars; they started out as scrap metal with an engine thrown in. Due to ideas from Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Canadian, American manufacturers, etc., they have combined the best ideas from every region to benefit the consumer as best they can. Food is much the same; while one country originally started the food, Americans, Canadians, etc. do what they can to, in their eyes, improve it and, at the same time, give credit where credit is due. This, in the end, has opened doors to businesses, such as Taco Bell, who will provide the public with mouth watering meals for years to come.
The South West feels that the concept that made their food unique, has been altered so much by America that the definition of Mexican food, has been forever changed; ingredients are added or removed, traditions and customs are lost, and, as a result, Mexican cultures have been absorbed into American culture, leaving almost none of its originality remaining. For instance, many people of Mexican decent hate the Taco Bell conglomerate; primarily due to the reason that Taco Bell focuses on everything that South Western Cuisine isn’t. It focuses on adding new ingredients that were never a part of traditional South Western food and preparing the food too quickly and with not enough care. Mexican peoples also detest the Taco Bell franchise, due to the wrong messages it purveys to the public; for instance, the Mexican Chihuahua that advertised the American Taco Bell was seen as stereotypical in the eyes of many Mexicans and even had to go through the courts at one point.
Americans, on the other hand, feel that they’re doing a lot for the Mexican Cuisine. They’re having chili cook offs, to promote one of Mexico’s staples; the chili pepper. Also, they’ve integrated corns, jalapenos, and many other South Western originated food into the everyday life of many Americans. America, while also bring the Mexican based snacks, such as Fritos and Tostitos, to the top of the junk food ladder, has also helped Mexican fast food franchises reach the pinnacle as well. They have attracted many customers, who gladly eat there everyday, enjoying the “authentic Mexican” cuisine that is provided to them. At the moment, America is trying to reach out more to the people who believe that the “Mexican” food served right now is not “Mexican” enough. They’re doing what they can to entice the few who want to see Mexican food, the way Mexico originally intended for it to be presented.
However, more recently South Westerners and Americans have enjoyed sharing their customs with each other at social gatherings. They enjoy the conversation, facts they learn about each other’s culture, and, of course, the amazing food that they get to indulge upon. The acceptance that America has felt for Mexican food, has also given an opening into society’s mainstay for Brazilian, Caribbean, Cuban, El Salvadorian, and other Latin cuisines. The various spices and tastes that Americans are experiencing, means that these new food ideas will surely flourish, as the next big businesses to spring up.
In conclusion, while I believe that the South West and America has done a lot for each other, that their customs clashing with each other was inevitable. There has virtually been nothing that has remained the same throughout the years, without changing in some way or another. A perfect example is cars; they started out as scrap metal with an engine thrown in. Due to ideas from Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Canadian, American manufacturers, etc., they have combined the best ideas from every region to benefit the consumer as best they can. Food is much the same; while one country originally started the food, Americans, Canadians, etc. do what they can to, in their eyes, improve it and, at the same time, give credit where credit is due. This, in the end, has opened doors to businesses, such as Taco Bell, who will provide the public with mouth watering meals for years to come.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Smart - Cognac, Beer, Red Wine or Soft Drinks
This article is about Cognac in Hong Kong. Cognac is a French liquor that has a long history of being served at wedding banquets. Drinking was considered essential components of every major ceremony; some of the major events include, birth, marriage, death, and other major events in the Chinese calendar. Cognac was seen as a symbol of prestige, status, and to show people how much money you have or how sophisticated you are. The use of cognac in Hong Kong has become one of the common markers that Hong Kong residents use to distinguish themselves from Chinese in other localities. They think of it as being symbolic of their greater affluence and worldly sophistication than their components in China.
In Hong Kong they have a normative code on drinking. (1) Drinking is a social activity in the company of others; it is not to be consumed alone. (2) Drinking is a blessing and a pleasure when consumed in moderation. (3) Drinking etiquette is governed by social hierarchy. If an elder has not raised his/her glass to drink, nobody younger or of junior rank should do so. (4) Snacks and meals should accompany drinking.
In the beginning of the article the author states that Chinese are relatively free of alcoholism, forms of alcohol abuse, and the proportion of who are regular consumers of alcohol are very low. To me it seems that they promote drinking and see it as sociably acceptable to drink, but has a few limitations. For example: you can get drunk, but not drunk enough that you make a fool of yourself. I can’t see how the author can justify the Chinese and say that they don’t have any alcohol problems. Alcohol is much easier to obtain in China (supermarkets, corner stores, and retail outlets) than here in Canada and we have so many problems with regards to alcohol. I think that they don’t want to admit that they have a problem and be compared to other countries that have a high rate of alcoholism.
In Hong Kong they have a normative code on drinking. (1) Drinking is a social activity in the company of others; it is not to be consumed alone. (2) Drinking is a blessing and a pleasure when consumed in moderation. (3) Drinking etiquette is governed by social hierarchy. If an elder has not raised his/her glass to drink, nobody younger or of junior rank should do so. (4) Snacks and meals should accompany drinking.
In the beginning of the article the author states that Chinese are relatively free of alcoholism, forms of alcohol abuse, and the proportion of who are regular consumers of alcohol are very low. To me it seems that they promote drinking and see it as sociably acceptable to drink, but has a few limitations. For example: you can get drunk, but not drunk enough that you make a fool of yourself. I can’t see how the author can justify the Chinese and say that they don’t have any alcohol problems. Alcohol is much easier to obtain in China (supermarkets, corner stores, and retail outlets) than here in Canada and we have so many problems with regards to alcohol. I think that they don’t want to admit that they have a problem and be compared to other countries that have a high rate of alcoholism.
Smart - Cognac, Beer, Red Wine or Soft Drinks (3)
Although surveys over a long period of time state that there is and always was a low level of alcohol consumption in Hong Kong, in her article, Smart tells us that in the mid-1990's there was an extremely high consumption of cognac. She compares Hong Kong's consumption of 15.2 bottles per capita to the United States' consumption of 1.2 bottles per capita.
Smart says that there have to be reasons why and how it comes about for cultures to try and then adopt new food and drink that is not culturally familiar to them. She says that drinking in the Chinese culture was always a social act or a ritual for a ceremony. They did not drink to get drunk. So she talks about cognac, which is an imported French liquor, and how it is the most popular drink at wedding banqets in the Hong Kong culture.
Cognac is not a cheap drink. It can cost from $300 to $1400 HK dollars per bottle. Smart tells us that it was the expensive cognac that Hong Kong had a high consumption rate for drinking. Due to economics, cognac is less socially consumed now but is still popular at wedding banquets. They choose to drink the more expensive brands because they felt that drinking or serving cheaper brands hurt your reputation.
French cognac was a symbol of status and prestige in the second half of the 20th century, we are told. Smart tells us that this is one of the reasons why cognac has become a part of their wedding banquets. She tells us that another reason is that Hong Kong residents feel that it distinguishes them from Chinese in other places. They think that the use of cognac shows that they are more affluent and sophisticated than the Chinese people in other parts of China and Taiwan.
This social peer pressure to make yourself feel or look better than others or at least to be as good as others is seen everywhere in the world. Do you think that everyone that goes to Harvard or Yale only go there because of the programs offered? No, because those same programs are offered at other universities but not with the same prestige. Lots of people that go there probably can't afford to go there but will make the sacrafice for the sake of status and reputation. The students and graduates that go to these schools feel better than their counterparts that go to lesser reputable schools. This is the same feeling that the Chinese in Hong Kong get when they consume cognac. They feel better than their counterparts in China. They will make the sacrafice of spending more than they may be able to afford for name's sake only. We can also see this as the reason why people are trying to out-do each other with designer clothing and designer wedding gowns and rings as part of their wedding customs. They will not only look better but be better because they feel better than others.
Unfortunately, most people associate status with expensive material possessions and luxuries. Companies can market their products as much as they can but it will be for social reasons more often that people will buy products. In order to make it appealing to people they should link the product to something of importance to them. Whether we all want to admit it or not, it's all about "What's in it for me?"
Smart says that there have to be reasons why and how it comes about for cultures to try and then adopt new food and drink that is not culturally familiar to them. She says that drinking in the Chinese culture was always a social act or a ritual for a ceremony. They did not drink to get drunk. So she talks about cognac, which is an imported French liquor, and how it is the most popular drink at wedding banqets in the Hong Kong culture.
Cognac is not a cheap drink. It can cost from $300 to $1400 HK dollars per bottle. Smart tells us that it was the expensive cognac that Hong Kong had a high consumption rate for drinking. Due to economics, cognac is less socially consumed now but is still popular at wedding banquets. They choose to drink the more expensive brands because they felt that drinking or serving cheaper brands hurt your reputation.
French cognac was a symbol of status and prestige in the second half of the 20th century, we are told. Smart tells us that this is one of the reasons why cognac has become a part of their wedding banquets. She tells us that another reason is that Hong Kong residents feel that it distinguishes them from Chinese in other places. They think that the use of cognac shows that they are more affluent and sophisticated than the Chinese people in other parts of China and Taiwan.
This social peer pressure to make yourself feel or look better than others or at least to be as good as others is seen everywhere in the world. Do you think that everyone that goes to Harvard or Yale only go there because of the programs offered? No, because those same programs are offered at other universities but not with the same prestige. Lots of people that go there probably can't afford to go there but will make the sacrafice for the sake of status and reputation. The students and graduates that go to these schools feel better than their counterparts that go to lesser reputable schools. This is the same feeling that the Chinese in Hong Kong get when they consume cognac. They feel better than their counterparts in China. They will make the sacrafice of spending more than they may be able to afford for name's sake only. We can also see this as the reason why people are trying to out-do each other with designer clothing and designer wedding gowns and rings as part of their wedding customs. They will not only look better but be better because they feel better than others.
Unfortunately, most people associate status with expensive material possessions and luxuries. Companies can market their products as much as they can but it will be for social reasons more often that people will buy products. In order to make it appealing to people they should link the product to something of importance to them. Whether we all want to admit it or not, it's all about "What's in it for me?"
Smart - Cognac, Beer, Red Wine or Soft Drinks (2)
This reading discusses the importance Cognac plays in Hong Kong culture and society. Cognac is an imported french liquor. Cognac is a brandy aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 30 months under tight guidelines and quality control.
Hong Kong is very light consumers of alcohol. In Hong Kong alcohol is viewed as something that is used during special occasions ( weddings). People on Hong Kong don’t drink to get drunk but it is away to be social.
Cognac is viewed to have an "otherness" which makes it harder to get, co Cognac is for the upper class. Cognac is a way to identify where someone stands on the social ladder ( at a dinner party in Hong Kong people with higher status get served better liquor (cognac) and served before those of lower status.
The serving of alcoholic drinks at wedding banquets has a long history in Chinese culture. What kind of Cognac is served at a wedding shows what social class you belong to. It is away to show off your money and wealth.
This is not completely different in Canada’s society there is for sure some name brands of alcohol that are signs of wealth in our culture such as grey goose. The main difference between the Chinese consumption and Canadian consumption is it doesn’t matter the social wealth to determine when a person gets served their drink at a dinner. Chinese and Canadian culture see drinking alcohol as a way to celebrate an occasion.
Hong Kong is very light consumers of alcohol. In Hong Kong alcohol is viewed as something that is used during special occasions ( weddings). People on Hong Kong don’t drink to get drunk but it is away to be social.
Cognac is viewed to have an "otherness" which makes it harder to get, co Cognac is for the upper class. Cognac is a way to identify where someone stands on the social ladder ( at a dinner party in Hong Kong people with higher status get served better liquor (cognac) and served before those of lower status.
The serving of alcoholic drinks at wedding banquets has a long history in Chinese culture. What kind of Cognac is served at a wedding shows what social class you belong to. It is away to show off your money and wealth.
This is not completely different in Canada’s society there is for sure some name brands of alcohol that are signs of wealth in our culture such as grey goose. The main difference between the Chinese consumption and Canadian consumption is it doesn’t matter the social wealth to determine when a person gets served their drink at a dinner. Chinese and Canadian culture see drinking alcohol as a way to celebrate an occasion.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Cwiertka - How Cooking Became a Hobby (2)
The author expressed his central theme at the very beginning of the essay. The whole essay follows the history period as its clue, and described Japanese social changes during the Meiji, Edo, and Showa Period. The Japanese government at that time carries out series propagation through whole country in order to achieve political and social stabilization. And it makes the “urban middle class” been involved deeply.
There is an ideology of ikka danran in the early-and mid-Meiji period. For example, in the September 1892 edition of the magazine Katei Zasshi the conditions for a happy family were illustrated as follows: 1. man and woman love each other; 2. their relationship is monogamous; 3. the family is nuclear; 4. the man is salaried worker; 5. the woman is a housewife. This is the beginning of changes; it also is the beginning of cooking changes. The following ideologies such as “The woman is the key of the home”, “The wise woman build her house”, and “The matters of house are under control of the wife” make deeper influence on cooking.
After social influence, the Japanese food culture became change. Culinary skills and sophisticated family dish became more and more common. “Culinary literature preoccupied with western food culture became popular in Japan in the second half of the 19th century. If you pay little more attention on that time magazine, you will found the introduction of cooking became more detailed. The most popular magazines develop a layout about cooking. Finally, it marks the cooking became a hobby in Japan. The whole essay reveals the impact of politics on policy, but also that the policy on food culture.
There is an ideology of ikka danran in the early-and mid-Meiji period. For example, in the September 1892 edition of the magazine Katei Zasshi the conditions for a happy family were illustrated as follows: 1. man and woman love each other; 2. their relationship is monogamous; 3. the family is nuclear; 4. the man is salaried worker; 5. the woman is a housewife. This is the beginning of changes; it also is the beginning of cooking changes. The following ideologies such as “The woman is the key of the home”, “The wise woman build her house”, and “The matters of house are under control of the wife” make deeper influence on cooking.
After social influence, the Japanese food culture became change. Culinary skills and sophisticated family dish became more and more common. “Culinary literature preoccupied with western food culture became popular in Japan in the second half of the 19th century. If you pay little more attention on that time magazine, you will found the introduction of cooking became more detailed. The most popular magazines develop a layout about cooking. Finally, it marks the cooking became a hobby in Japan. The whole essay reveals the impact of politics on policy, but also that the policy on food culture.
Cwiertka - How Cooking Became a Hobby
This reading was very interesting for me to read because I consider cooking a hobby of mine. When I was a child my dad and I would cook dinner every Saturday night. We would pick something from a cook book and make it together it was away for us to bund. So once I started reading the article I grew very interested as to how cooking became such a popular pass time for so many people around the world.
The reading examines the changes in the food ways in Japanese culture. The reading focused on the middle class because lower class wouldn’t have the resources to go for other reasoning then for survival and they also didn’t have time for leisure activities. Upper class would have maybe had the cooking done for them or wouldn’t have viewed cooking as something to do as a pass time. The women were the ones who stayed home and cooked and cleaned while the men went out and worked. The females job was to be a " good wife/ mother". Western ideas start changing the idea of the role food plays. The role food played in Western society would be away to bring everyone together, it was a way of strengthening family ties. In the Japanese culture it was seen as something that needed to be done, for special occasions food would be ordered ( almost like it made the occasion more important or gave it a sense of different for example here we may say today is a pizza day and it means something different then if we had a "normal" meal.) Japanese cooking was for the most part rice and beef dishes. During this time there was a rise in cook books and magazines that had easy, healthy, different recipes. There was a change in the everyday duties of a housewife. Women started spending their leisure time cooking and creating new foods and food ways for their families. Creating the happy atmosphere within the family was an excuse for housewives to devote more time to cooking. Cooking was now treated as a sources of pleasure and not as a "job". "Food lost its religious meaning and gradually acquired an important role as a source of pleasure for the body and the soul." we see cooking as a hobby all around us in out everyday life such as TV, books and magazines and even if the change in food ways didn’t occur we probably wouldn’t even have this class. Cooking is viewed in a new way that makes it more fun and accept for any person or culture to cook and enjoy it.
The reading examines the changes in the food ways in Japanese culture. The reading focused on the middle class because lower class wouldn’t have the resources to go for other reasoning then for survival and they also didn’t have time for leisure activities. Upper class would have maybe had the cooking done for them or wouldn’t have viewed cooking as something to do as a pass time. The women were the ones who stayed home and cooked and cleaned while the men went out and worked. The females job was to be a " good wife/ mother". Western ideas start changing the idea of the role food plays. The role food played in Western society would be away to bring everyone together, it was a way of strengthening family ties. In the Japanese culture it was seen as something that needed to be done, for special occasions food would be ordered ( almost like it made the occasion more important or gave it a sense of different for example here we may say today is a pizza day and it means something different then if we had a "normal" meal.) Japanese cooking was for the most part rice and beef dishes. During this time there was a rise in cook books and magazines that had easy, healthy, different recipes. There was a change in the everyday duties of a housewife. Women started spending their leisure time cooking and creating new foods and food ways for their families. Creating the happy atmosphere within the family was an excuse for housewives to devote more time to cooking. Cooking was now treated as a sources of pleasure and not as a "job". "Food lost its religious meaning and gradually acquired an important role as a source of pleasure for the body and the soul." we see cooking as a hobby all around us in out everyday life such as TV, books and magazines and even if the change in food ways didn’t occur we probably wouldn’t even have this class. Cooking is viewed in a new way that makes it more fun and accept for any person or culture to cook and enjoy it.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Rotkovitz - Kashering the Melting Pot
1. ---The Jews have observed Kashrunt in America. The availability of foods certified as Kosher has grown exponentially. So, the American Jews have been able to keep the Kosher dietary laws:
n More ease
n Stringency
---The observant American Jewish community included some multiple phenomena of culinary tourism. It related to the burgeoning Kashrut certification industry.
---There are now Kosher Japanese, Thai, Italian, Indian, and French restaurants.
---The “Kosher Creole cookbook”
n Recipe for Kosher food
n Some without transgressing the Koshers laws
---Many observant Jews seek out Kosher ways to eat like Americans.
---Whatever tourist imperative, the observant Jew feels confounded.
---Reform Jews are not mandated to keep Kosher.
---Some Jews who define Kashrut-observant abide by the biblical laws only.
Some eat only Kosher food on a single set of dishes.
Some keep Kosher homes but not outside eat.
---The observant Jews today may have less freedom in determine their own standards of Kashrut.
2. ---The Kosher food industry has severing countless consumers, both Jewish and non-Jewish.
---The Kosher-certified products is a welcome convenience from the perspective of observant American Jews.
3. ---The Oreo cookie as an American Icon
u has held the imagination in 1912
u cited by poll immediately and definitively
u is a firmly entrenched symbol of popular American culture
u have symbolic meaning that extends even beyond more obvious food associations
---“Oreo” has been used as a racial descriptor.
---Oreo’s value in the lunchbox trade
---Oreo cookie contained lard until 1993.
u Representative of the United States
u Land of freedom and equal opportunity
u Was off-limits to American Jews
4. ---Jews in America
American Jews struggle to remain a distinct people.
5. ---The meaning of Kashrut
u about food
u a logical association
u perhaps the most common application
u is a Hebrew word, means “fitness”
---Kosher is the root of the “Kashrut”.
6. ---The rise of “Techno-Kashrut”
---Fourth-generation animal by products would be considered non-kosher.
---The kashrut industry has become as technologically.
---Various intricacies regarding Kosher food manufacturing.
---Many people believe the Kosher food:
is cleaner
free from adulteration
contaminants
extra level of supervision
more stringently supervised
more stringently supervised
more wholesome
purer
7. ---The conversion
---“Spring Oreos” made by blue cream centers
---Oreo had selected the color in 1996.
---The cake with the red and green color combination resonates as symbolic of Christmas. It is an example for mom-Kosher food.
---“Conversion” is so often used regaining a company’s decision to begin manufacturing Kosher products.
8. ---Treif Chinese to Kosher Sushi
---Observant Jews want the opportunity to enjoy the foods of other cultures.
---“Eat out” has no longer required.
---Jews sought to shed the image of a ghettoized people, and want to fully experience the freedoms promised in America.
---Chinese food was perceived as exotic, while the Chinese restaurant owners welcomed all diners.
---Chinese as “safety treyf”, it is most important reason why Jess adoption of the cusine.
---Chinese cooking often use the pork an shellfish (overtly non-Kosher animals)
---Use the chopping and mining were hard to detect.
---Milk is absent in Chinese cuisine.
---Chinese food were tastes that both Jews and Chinese preferred, such as onions, garlic and sweet and sour flavors.
---Both Chinese and European Jews were tea drinkers.
---Both of them hold Chicken soup in high esteem for its purported healing powers.
---We also found sushi chefs at fashionable Kosher weddings.
---Kosher Persian in Baltimore
Kosher barbecue in Chicago\
Kosher Thai in New York
---Jews are becoming quite familiar with formerly exotic cuisines.
9. ---The gastronomic Jew means a person who may not attend synagogue or observe the Sabbath.
10. ---Nowadays, observant American Jews can shop with same convenience, for many of same foods as Americans.
Rotkovitz - Kashering the Melting Pot (2)
Main point is Kashrut observance which are dietary laws consisting of biblically mandated guidelines and prohibitions regarding permissible food and how its prepared, has been made both more complicated and simplified.
American jews can now shop for many of the same foods as other americans. They can travel the country or the world and find food from the oreo cookie M&M'S to the exotic chinese ,thai and Meixcan. This is due to the fact, that jews have opened up a market niche for kosher certified foods.
What does this mean to the individual jew and his spiritual connection to observe this biblical guidelines?. I think it will lessen it to some extent. In some ways each new food certified kashrut represents an invitation to tourism, the chance to experience their newly adopted American culture,but Americanising the process of instant kosher food without the traditonalobservances of not just including certain foods, but also preparing it mightovertime take away the inportance especially to the younger generation of jewswho won't have the history of practicing these dietary laws.
Look at the Catholic religion- most of the younger generation of catholics don't remember the stricter rules of observance regarding food during lentand Easter. The only thing most of my generation follows is you cant eatmeat on Good Friday.
American jews can now shop for many of the same foods as other americans. They can travel the country or the world and find food from the oreo cookie M&M'S to the exotic chinese ,thai and Meixcan. This is due to the fact, that jews have opened up a market niche for kosher certified foods.
What does this mean to the individual jew and his spiritual connection to observe this biblical guidelines?. I think it will lessen it to some extent. In some ways each new food certified kashrut represents an invitation to tourism, the chance to experience their newly adopted American culture,but Americanising the process of instant kosher food without the traditonalobservances of not just including certain foods, but also preparing it mightovertime take away the inportance especially to the younger generation of jewswho won't have the history of practicing these dietary laws.
Look at the Catholic religion- most of the younger generation of catholics don't remember the stricter rules of observance regarding food during lentand Easter. The only thing most of my generation follows is you cant eatmeat on Good Friday.
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