A Critical Overview of the Global Politics of Food - Assignment Example

The Global Politics of Food and Eating Part One 1. Culinary Modernism Rachel Laudan invented the term culinary luddism to denote individuals who preferred to eat naturally, and who were opposed to industrialized and modified food. Culinary luddism is not limited to taste, and since the advent of the counter-culture it has portrayed itself as a crusade with moral and political leanings. Thus, the Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust in Boston, undertakes concerted efforts to establish a scientific underpinning for the revitalization and preservation of the traditional foods. Laudan contends that natural food is, in general, inedible, and grains, the staple diet of the multitude, had to be threshed, ground and cooked, in order to render them fit for consumption. The societies that did not partake of grains used to depend upon tubers and roots, several of which were poisonous[Lau01]. Eschewal of the fast food industry constitutes unnatural eating, and this has been stated by Laudan. She promotes Culinary Modernism, by highlighting that prior to industrialization, the majority of the population were chiefly engaged in producing and preparing food. For instance, until the advent of the tortilla machine in the 1950s, Mexican females were compelled to allocate a third of their waking hours to preparing the corn for making tortillas. Industrialization ensured greater regularity in consuming meals among the poor[Lau01]. According to Laudan, Culinary modernism provided humans with the opportunity to engage in activities other than agricultural or kitchen labor. 5 Cosmo-Multiculturalism Hage has provided several insights in his essay, “At Home in the Entrails of the West: Multiculturalism, Ethnic Food and Migrant Home-building”. In essence, he states that despite the possibility of achieving positive interaction via the sharing of food, it is commonplace to find issues relating to power and subtle racism behind such casual interactions[Hag97]. For instance, the elite ethnic restaurants of the inner city suburbs of Sydney depict a preference for multiculturalism sans migrants. This trend prompted Hage to invent the term cosmo-multiculturalism. This term is dependent upon consuming the differences in food to obtain value. Furthermore, in a multicultural nation, it is not possible to find a dominant ethnicity, invariably. The new immigrants and longstanding citizens indulge in identity grazing, via the preparation and consumption of food[Hag97]. This has the effect of nullifying the assumed power associations of culinary imperialism. A detachment of ethnicity from its ethnic producers is essential for producing cosmo-multicultural food. Notwithstanding the tremendous effort made by cosmo-multiculture to achieve authenticity, several aberrations have been discerned[Hag97]. Examples being the owner of a Tuscan restaurant being a Scottish manager, and a Vietnamese restaurant being managed by an American. According to Hage, cosmo-multiculturalism has strived tremendously to nullify culinary imperialism in western multi-cultural societies, such as Australia. 8. Food Sovereignty The food sovereignty principle, which is in marked contrast to the World Trade Organization (WTO) proposals, every nation is considered to be entitled to formulate policies relating to its agriculture and food system. However, these policies should prove harmful to other nations. Such harm takes place when the major agriculture export powers flood the markets of other nations with their products that are priced below the cost of production. This effectively eliminates the local farmers from engaging in agricultural activity. The presence of food sovereignty would enable nations to safeguard their national markets from such depredations. The contemporary period has been witness to a transition from artificially engendered low prices to high prices. An analysis of this situation, indicates that the causes behind this development are not significantly different.[Ros08]. According to Rosset, food sovereignty could provide a solution for the existing problematic situation. Food sovereignty exhorts governments and social movements to regulate the food commodity markets, which had been deregulated under the guise of neo-liberalism. In addition, these markets should be regulated in an improved manner than what had been obtaining prior to deregulation. Supply management should be authentic so that it become viable to fix prices that provide justice to the consumer, as well as the farmer. This necessitates retraction to a position that promotes the protection of food against the dumping of artificially low-cost food and the artificially costly food imports[Ros08]. For instance, the international food sovereignty movement, consisting of small farmers, fishermen, consumers, environmentalists and indigenous peoples, aims to rectify the flaws of the extant food system. As such, this movement demands policies that are suited to the existing circumstances. 11. Post-Pasteurian Politics The nutritional and gustatory value, safety and political ramifications of raw-milk cheese production have been analyzed by Paxson. In addition, she has assessed the consumption and regulation of such cheese in the US. Her interaction with raw-milk cheese producers and raw cheese fanatics provided her with a deep insight regarding their opinion about the microbial agents that pertained to this process, and the manner in which these individuals negotiated hygienic and post-Pasteurian attitudes[Pax08]. Moreover, she criticized the US government for making policies that were detrimental to the interests of the traditional users. For instance, the US Government prohibits the sale of cheese prepared from unpasteurized milk, when it is aged for less than 60 days. However, aficionados regard such cheese as a traditional food that has been processed for safety, due to the action of beneficial microbes. An escalation has been discerned, during recent times, regarding the production of artisan raw-milk cheese. It has been possible to develop the notion of microbiopolitics on the basis of discussions with cheese makers and sellers[Pax08]. In addition, the feminists have made several evaluations regarding the medical modernization of pregnancy. This has been extended by Paxson to describe the influence of raw-milk cheese upon the American risk culture. By employing microbiopolitics, Paxson illustrates the gaps in cultural analysis that disregards the microbial. The meaning of being human is derived by comparison to other species upon whose interactions mankind depends[Pax08]. 12. Punk Cuisine The aim of punk cuisine is to disseminate its ideas, ritualize them and to make them popular with the people. It strives to promote raw over cooked food. Punks regard contemporary American food as having been transformed to a cultural extreme that culminates in a fetishized byproduct. The objective of punk food is to have in place food that is devoid of brand names, pesticides, and labor exploitation [Cla133]. Punks brand mainstream society as the controllers and exploiter of food and people, whilst upholding autonomy, diversity and freedom. Moreover, convention food items are regarded as corporate-capitalist junk food by punks. These people consider mainstream food geographies to be similar to colonialism, due to their Third World links. Instances of these being the clearing of rainforests to promote beef production, cash cropping to service the interest on World Bank loans, and cancer resulting from the use of prohibited pesticides[Cla133]. According to punks, entire ecosystems are destroyed by large-scale rearing of pigs, poultry, and cattle, and agribusiness. Thus, Punks subscribe to an ideology that acknowledges the adverse effect of mainstream food on the developing nations and the environment. Cooked food has been portrayed as the objectification of nature, and the raw and rotten food categories have a major influence upon such portrayal. It has been declared by some individuals that the food eaten by punks constitutes an improved approach towards the consumption of food and the variety of foods consumed. [Cla133]. According to Clark, in contemporary society, people are exhorted to consume a greater proportion of organic food, instead of the processed and manipulated food products, by punks. Part Two Fischler has brought to the forefront the fact that food is associated with identity formation, which entails the following. First, the relationship between the nutritional and symbolic functions associated with this association. Second, the linkage between the individual to the collective, or the association between the social and the psychological. In the context of the relationship of humans to food, it is necessary to examine the omnivorous nature of man and its several implications. In addition, it is indispensable to consider the process of assimilation and its related exemplifications[Fis88]. Being an omnivore connotes a basic incongruity. As such, individuals are what they eat, and this is from the perspectives of beliefs, representations and the organic. The identity of a person is determined to a significant extent by food, and this has been highlighted by Fischler. The manner of consuming food by a human group serves to establish its diversity, hierarchy and organization. Simultaneously, it demonstrates the disparity of those who eat differently from a specific group [Fis88]. Food is crucially important to individual identity, as people are constructed biologically, psychologically and socially by the foods consumed by them. Fischler declares that there are two important features of the relationship between food and humans. The first of these pertains to the omnivorous character of humans the various accompanying implications. The second aspect relates to the nature of the incorporation process and the related representations[Fis88]. Cuisines constitute classifications carried out by a specific culture. In addition, it relates to the associated rules that regulate the related elements and which administer the entire class of practices and representations associated with the production, collection, preparation, attribution and consumption of food[Fis88]. Contemporary food is regarded as an unknown edible object that neither an origin or history, and no proper past[Fis88]. The uncertainty or insecurity regarding food produces reactions or a re-establishment of equilibrium. This is illustrated by the burgeoning demand for re-identification of foods. As a consequence, there is a strong demand for labelling that provides greater information, better and more comprehensive details regarding the ingredients, and guarantees relating to the purity and quality of the products [Fis88]. It is expected that the government will undertake these activities, in response to such demand. Adams provides several deep and thought provoking insights into virility and masculinity, and their association with the consumption of meat. In addition, she declares that the absent referent is crucial to the eating of animals. Furthermore, there has been a tremendous proliferation of depictions that animalize females and effect the sexualization of farmed animals. These have been designated as attempts to reinstate masculinity and meat eating[Ada10]. Thus, the animal movement strives to downplay the work of women, whilst ensuring that they engage in work. Such is the exploitative and insidious nature of the animal movement. In addition, Veganism entails an element of the contemporary, and compels a person to decide upon a course of action on the basis of the knowledge at that person’s disposa [Ada10]. It involves insistence and demands the attention of that individual. The process of objectification, fragmentation and consumption can be disrupted via a process of attention and compassion In “Industrial Tortillas and Folkloric Pepsi”, Pilcher directed further attention towards Mexican foodways. His work is distinguished by the employment of food to describe the economic and social development of Mexico. He demonstrates the manner in which state-supported globalization and modernization have different connotations for the poor. Despite dietary change, cultural identity can be preserved. [Pil04]. Thus, the peasants of Mexico managed to preserve a sense of history and tradition, despite consuming novel foods. It is quite common to find imported snacks and drinks being offered during the traditional rituals in Mexico. Nevertheless, serous nutritional and economic dangers have been envisaged by Mexico, due to participation of its peasants in the global food markets. Substantial amounts of money and employment are essential for procuring these unhealthy foods. A truly astonishing situation has arisen, as pointed out by Pilcher[Pil04]. The peasants have increased their consumption of industrialized foods, whilst the affluent have resorted to the food of the peasants. The latter consume such food at restaurants conducted by the refugees from the peasant communities. The consumption of fast foods is certain to ruin the health of the consumer. References Lau01: , (Laudan, 2001, p. 36), Lau01: , (Laudan, 2001, p. 41), Hag97: , (Hage, 1997, p. 142), Hag97: , (Hage, 1997, p. 145), Ros08: , (Rosset, 2008, p. 460), Ros08: , (Rosset, 2008, p. 462), Pax08: , (Paxson, 2008, p. 16), Pax08: , (Paxson, 2008, p. 41), Pax08: , (Paxson, 2008, p. 29), Cla133: , (Clark, 2013, p. 241), Cla133: , (Clark, 2013, p. 232), Fis88: , (Fischler, 1988, p. 276), Fis88: , (Fischler, 1988, p. 275), Fis88: , (Fischler, 1988, p. 283), Fis88: , (Fischler, 1988, p. 285), Fis88: , (Fischler, 1988, p. 292), Ada10: , (Adams, 2010, p. 302), Ada10: , (Adams, 2010, p. 315), Pil04: , (Pilcher, 2004, p. 247), Hage, G., 1997. At Home in th Entrails of the West: Multiculturalism, Ethnic Food and Migrant Home-Building. In: H. Grace, et al. eds. Home/World. Annandale, NSW, Australia: Pluto Press Australia Limited, pp. 99-153. Laudan, R., 2001. A Plea for Culinary Modernism: Why We Should Love New, Fast, Processed Food. Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, 1(1), pp. 36-44. Paxson, H., 2008. Post-Pasteurian Cultures: The Microbiopolitics of Raw-Milk Cheese in the United States. Cultural Anthropology, 23(1), pp. 15-47. Pilcher, J. M., 2004. Industrial Tortillas and Folkloric Pepsi: The Nutritional Consequences of Hybrid Cuisines in Mexico. In: J. L. Watson & M. L. Caldwell, eds. The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 235-250. Rosset, P., 2008. Food Sovereignty and the Contemporary. Development, 51(4), pp. 460-463. Read More