Why Developing Food Culture is Important

Food culture is the reason you associate certain meals with seasons and regions. There's more to what we eat than just chewing or swallowing. It encompasses the production from its raw state to its final consumption.

You're walking down the snow-covered streets on a chilly December morning, and the scent of warm cookies from the bakery on the corner wafts through the air, then you know Christmas is around the corner.

Think back to the rainy mornings at home when you come down to the smell of hot coffee or a snowy evening with Rotisserie Turkey waiting for dissection on the family's long dining table.

Wholesome family and friends moments come from sharing a meal during festive seasons or regular days because it brings people from all works of life together. Consider the fact that meals considered poor people's food have become staples in the modern world.

When we study cultures, societies, and groups, we dissect their ways of life using their interaction with three basic human needs – clothing, shelter, and food. The reason for this is because it’s the simplest way to understand them since it’s the core of our existence.

How is Food Culture Defined?

Habits, rituals, beliefs, traditions, lifestyles, customs, attitudes, and practices affect all areas of food from production to distribution and eventual consumption – that's Food Culture.

Simply put, it's the interaction we have with our meals as humans based on our individual backgrounds and experiences. That's why basic food in one country can be sacred in another.

Food culture births the sub-genre of Food Anthropology that studies culture based on what the people eat or don't eat.

Worldwide Food Culture 

As you well know, one of the best ways to immerse yourself in a culture is through its food. Each community has unique dishes based on the indigenous plants and animals grown in the surroundings of where they originated from.

For this reason, food availability varies based on environment, weather, and heritage. Food Culture is so profound that the same country can have varied local dishes based on region – North, East, South, and West.

However, some things remain static in every country's region, like staple food. A typical example is the Asian Food Culture that relies heavily on rice. So, regardless of the regional soup, it's a sure bet that almost all regions will include a dish that contains a variety of Rice.

The best part about globalization is that no one has to travel to a specific country or community to taste a local dish anymore, except on rare occasions. These days, food villages have different restaurants and eateries that cater to unique cultural dishes.    

How Can Food Culture Influence Global Wellness?

Food culture is about the experience – individually and collectively. As individuals, food influences our moods and vice versa. Some people eat when they're happy and others when they're sad.

Collectively, food is a necessity during gatherings, whether happy or sad. Case in point, we eat as much food during celebrations as we do during mourning.

Seasonal and regional ingredients influence the unique taste and scents of food originating from each region. That's how signature dishes come about and why you can tell what's cooking by the smell.

The Mediterranean Diet has mastered the art of working with nature instead of against it by relying on seasonal produces when curating its meals.

That's one food culture that everyone can adopt to save the earth rather than stress it by planting out-of-season produces and forcing them to grow. Balance is the name of the game.

Unfortunately, the Western diet is notorious for doing the opposite by relying heavily on cravings and bodily wants. It dissociates the individual and collective experience from food and introduces control instead, except on rare occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Food Culture and Health – Does It Matter?

Of course, it does!

Cultivating a balanced food culture influences health and living habits positively. The phrase "you are what you eat" comes into play.

Focusing solely on controlling food for whatever personal reason makes it less fun and less about the experience, and that's where Western Diet gets it wrong. Food shouldn't be only about indulgence like getting a Big Mac (bad for the heart) based on emotions.

Instead, it would be best if you enjoyed your meals as a reminder of your heritage or to appreciate other's cultures. While the heart may be willing, the evolution of the fast-food market and technology in the USA and worldwide has reduced Food Culture to immediacy.

In fact, there's hardly an existent food culture in the West because everyone can now order meals on delivery apps like Uber Eats and Door Dash. People are detached from the cultural aspect of food and only focus on its function.

That's why many Americans love Chinese food, for instance, but don't know how to use chopsticks, or people who love Spaghetti but would break it into tiny pieces while cooking rather than boiling it whole.

To be fair, the American food culture does exist, albeit not centralized like most other regions. It's more of a mix of all the immigrants in the country, thus catering to the United State's diverse society.

Going back to the basics is the best thing for Americans because that's the surest way to fix the dwindling health in the country. We can take a leaf from the Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil (the healthiest cooking oil), nuts, grains, and natural herbs.

How To Cultivate A Healthy Food Culture

If you fall into the fast-food group and want to correct that, there's good news – food culture is learnable! It takes time and consistency, but it's not impossible. You can start small and pace yourself until it becomes a habit, then a lifestyle.

The first and perhaps most important step is the desire for change, and then every other thing falls into place. To cultivate a food culture, you have to reinstate the second part of the two terms – the Culture – and you can't have that without "Real Food." Not snacks but full meals that remind you of home.

Again, it's essential to borrow a leaf from the Europeans, who have a healthy food culture such that they typically grow their food in home gardens or shop for fresh produce at farmer's markets.

While retracing your steps, you mustn't lose yourself and try to be someone else. Remember that food is first a personal experience before a collective one. Don't force yourself to eat things you don't like; instead, rediscover your taste.

What do you crave during each season? What's available naturally at that period that you can use? Replace freshly pressed fruit juices with packaged beverages. Get creative and challenge yourself. Also, remember that food can take you on a journey, so don't be scared to explore.

All in all the most prominent takeaway should be that food culture is more about the experience than its function. So don’t be afraid to look beyond having food to satisfy a basic need, take every meal as a journey into its originating culture.