Cultural Changes in Dinner Manners, Research Paper Example

Cultural inclinations in the resolution of dinnertime can also pose challenges if the individuals do not take appropriate precautions. Some people will always observe the teachings of priests or doctrines of the church without questioning health aspects. This can cause health complications since it arises in severe eating disorders. Eating habits normally cause disruptions in the normal operations of meal times. This implies that a person who likes consuming industrialized meals obliges to taking natural meals will find it hard to adapt to the new system (Kulka, 2007). Therefore, eating the preferred meal in between meal times will lead to eating disorder. Another cultural aspect like fasting also affects people and can cause a dilemma if a suitable technique is not implemented. Fasting is a common ritual that different religious groups devout to and encourages starving for spiritual nourishment. Although it improves devotion to faith, starvation causes eating dilemmas as people save money for feasting festivities. Most Americans who prefer organic meals will find it difficult to eat the traditional foods (Kulka, 2007).

However, cultural affiliations can also hinder development of industrialized meals because of the opinions that people have on the foods. Most of the people who adhere to the traditional cultures are against buying of foods at the counters. This can contribute to collapse of the industries if demand drops. Industrialized foods are ready-made and can save time for a person who does not want to cook at homes. Alternatively, culture supports the practice of farming for domestic use. Pollan suggests that cultivating and rearing of agricultural produce is instrumental towards healthy development of the body organs. The church and other customary observers support this notion. This is due to the reality that people connect to their social group through identical food patterns. This involves modes of provision, preservation practices, food types and ingredient used, which are different to the ordinary foods from industries. This makes the people prepare their foods than buy from supermarkets or McDonald shops.

Dinnertime dilemmas arise due to difficulty in selecting the right food to cook, prepare or eat. This is because many socio-cultural aspects determine foods chosen and nutritional patterns that surface from these choices. Culturally, for many people, mealtimes observed as a chance to come together and reinforce social ties. Therefore, tradition plays a part in food varieties, and food habits linked to moral or religious beliefs (Kawash, 2011). Everyday factors also influence the decisions about the food to purchase, cook or eat, which entails preferred taste, price or available options. Young children are taught, on the suitable methods, to plan for mealtimes for their future preparations. This helps in developing a mealtime program that aims at resolving dilemmas at dinnertime. However, in America young people are not attaining the elementary skills of culinary that facilitate them to have independence over the foods they chose. This deprivation of traditional cooking abilities in an age of culinary evolution appears to be arising despite the growing exposure to raw produce. This is the main aspect that motivates them to purchase ready-made foods.

Cultural traditions are slowing losing value due to industrialization, and this influences increasing consumption of ready-meals and convenience foods. This happens because limited food is cooked from raw ingredients. According to Americans, convenience is time saving and minimizes the physical and perceptual effort required for food preparation. Several technological innovations influence the increasing demands for more commercial meals such as the microwave, cultural variations with multicultural civilizations presenting new foods as well as the rise in single families, a decrease in family feasting together and more women hunting paid work. The foods cooked at homes still use some industrialized ingredients to organize foods, for instance, tinned tomatoes or frozen vegetables (Kulka, 2007).

According to Kawash (2011), in addition to influencing food selections, and religious beliefs, culture also sways food related custom. This involves the cultural belief of eating food or dinnertimes at a table. The amount of food people eat and leave uneaten also varies as some consider food should not be insufficient at homes. This notion motivates preservation and conservation of food as people consider it appropriate to store food at home. This forms the etiquette criteria, which means that a visitor or a child must always find food to eat. It entails the role of conversation during mealtimes because it is a sign of satisfaction to many families from the Asian countries. It is essential that cultural beliefs that influence poor eating habits that may lead to complications due to inappropriate tendencies are avoided. This implies that traditional techniques suggested by Pollan are still useful approaches that can prevent dinnertime dilemmas. The cultural beliefs and traditions like fasting can offer varied repercussions to people if done without care. In conclusion, culture is an aspect that develops other elements in the food chains since it forms a behavioural inclination towards either industrialized, organic or traditional meals. It would be prudent that contemporary acquisition of foods does not interfere with the customary procedures (Kawash, 2011).

References

Kawash, S. (2011). New Directions in Motherhood Studies. Signs: Journal of Women In

Culture & Society, 36(4), 969-1003.

Kulka, S. (2007). Dinner talk: cultural patterns of sociability and socialization in family

discourse. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Assoc. Publishers. 32-38