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Are You What You Eat? Food, Culture & You Carmen D. Samuel-Hodge, PhD, MS, RD September 13, 2007 Food for Thought “Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are.” Jean Anthelme BrillatSavarin, 1825 Today’s Presentation Food & Culture – Who are You? What is ‘culture’? Diversity of cultures in America Food in Different Cultures Your Food Perceptions How Food Perceptions Influence Our Work as Nutrition Counselors What is ‘Culture’? Definitions Culture – a shared, learned, symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes that shapes and influences perceptions and behaviors Cultural values – standards people use to evaluate themselves and others; widely held beliefs about what is worthwhile, desirable, or important for well-being More Definitions Ethnic Group – a group of people of the same race or nationality who share a common and distinctive culture Ethnic – pertaining to a group of people recognized as a class on the basis of certain distinctive characteristics such as religion, language, ancestry, culture or national origin. Cultural Diversity America & NC Who’s Living in America? Whites (non-Hispanic) 66.9% Blacks 12.8% Hispanics or Latinos 14.4% Asians 4.3% American Indian & Alaska Natives Native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders 1.0% 0.2% Source: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37000.html Who’s Living in NC? Whites (non-Hispanic) 68.3% Blacks 21.8% Hispanics or Latinos 6.4% Asians 1.8% American Indian & Alaska Natives 1.3% Native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders 0.1% Source: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37000.html How has this cultural diversity in American affected our food choices? In the last month… What foods have you had from each of these ethnic groups? Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc.) Indian Greek or Mediterranean Italian Cuban, Mexican or other Spanish-speaking group African or Caribbean Other group? Food & Culture Trivia Quiz Food for Thought This spice was used as a method of exchange for Roman soldiers. What is it? Food for Thought Related to the mint family, this herb’s name is Greek for ‘joy of the mountain’ What is it? Our Food Experiences Eating is an important part of expressing and initiating ties of friendship, kinship and community. Sharing foods signifies togetherness and defines insiders as socially similar. Are You What You Eat? Small Group Activity: Food for Thought 10 Factors that Influence Our Food Choices 1. Food availability 2. Cultural eating patterns and family traditions 3. Cultural attitudes 4. Role of foods 5. Food and health beliefs 10 Factors that Influence Our Food Choices 6. Food preparation 7. Economics (socioeconomic status) 8. Gender 9. Age 10. Degree of acculturation Changing Food Patterns Acculturation – process of adopting the beliefs, attitudes, values and behaviors of a dominant or mainstream culture May involve changing traditional eating patterns Non-immigrants can also go through ‘acculturation’ Changing Food Patterns Factors that influence acculturation Language Employment Education Age Ties with family and involvement with ethnic group Family structure History of cultural group in the community Length of time in the community Your Food Thoughts How They Shape Your Role as a Nutrition Counselor Counseling Across Culture First know yourself … What are your cultural values and beliefs and how do they influence your behaviors? Then gain some understanding of your clients’ cultural values and beliefs Cultural Values Anglo-American Mastery over nature Personal control over the environment Doing– activity Time dominates Human equality Individualism/privacy Youth Self-help Other Ethno-cultural Groups Harmony with nature Fate Being Personal interaction dominates Hierarchy/rank/status Group welfare Elders Birthright inheritance Cultural Values Anglo-American Competition Future orientation Informality Directness/openness/ honesty Practicality/efficiency Materialism Other Ethno-cultural Groups Cooperation Past and present orientation Formality Indirectness/ritual/’face’ Idealism Spiritualism/detachment Successful Cross-Cultural Counseling Build rapport by asking about food experiences Ask about foods used for special occasions and celebrations Keep an open mind (and a sense of humor) Tell your own food stories Find out what foods are used to promote health or as medicine Ask about favorite foods, meals, and recipes Successful Cross-Cultural Counseling Respect personal space Learn the cultural rules about touching Ask clients to sit where they feel most comfortable Head and hands Establish rapport Ask questions if you don’t understand Open-ended and respectful Successful Cross-Cultural Counseling Listen to the answers Appreciate and use silence Notice eye contact Some cultures find it impolite to look directly at the person speaking Pay attention to body movements Observe what other cultures find acceptable Look for cues to identify gestures that should be avoided Note client responses When is ‘yes’ just a polite response? Communicating with Clients and Families Sticky Situations What factors should you consider? What questions would you ask? Cultures are heterogeneous and dynamic In some ways… All individuals are like all other individuals All individuals are like some other individuals or members of a cultural group All individuals are like no other individuals What Are Your ‘Keepers’? The next time you counsel across culture, what will you do differently or better? Resources & References References Eliades DC. And Suitor CW. (1994) Celebrating Diversity: Approaching families through their food. Arlington VA. National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health Randall-David E. (1989) Strategies for Working with Culturally Diverse Communities and Clients. Bethesda, MD. Association for the Care of Children’s Health Resources Websites with resources: http://healthliteracy.worlded.org/docs/cult ure/matl_websites.html http://www.health.utah.gov/cmh/culture.h tml http://ohioline.osu.edu/lines/food.html http://depts.washington.edu/pfes/culturec lues.html