AMERICAN FOOD CULTURE

Many Jewish foods are beloved in American culture. Everyone eats bagels, and the delicatessen is ubiquitous from Midtown Manhattan to Los Angeles. Jewish American Food Culture offers readers an in-depth look at the well-known and unfamiliar Jewish dishes and the practices and culture of a diverse group. This is the source to find out what parve on packaging means, the symbolism of particular foods that are essential to holiday celebrations, what keeping kosher entails, how meals and food rituals are approached differently depending on how religious one is and the land of one's ancestors, and much more.

An historical overview puts contemporary American Jews and their cuisine into context. Next, the main foods and ingredients of Jewish cuisine are explained. An interesting chapter on cooking practices follows. Chapters on holiday celebrations, eating out, and diet and health complete the overview. A chronology, glossary, resource guide, and selected bibliography make this an essential one-stop resource for every library.

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canadian food culture

Essentially, Canadian food culture is very similar to American cuisine, but with an added emphasis on traditional British dishes, and some uniquely Canadian dishes (poutine, nanaimo bars). 

Of course, as a multicultural country there are a wide variety of cuisines from different nations (Chinese, Italian, Indian, etc.) 
The favorite foods of Canadians vary slightly from region to region, and are strongly influenced by their family heritage, especially in relation to holiday celebrations. Along the Atlantic coast, seafood and dishes derived from English traditions (except in Quebec) are common. In Quebec, favorite foods come from the area's French heritage. Throughout Canada, maple syrup and maple products are popular, reflecting the significance of the maple tree, whose leaf adorns the flag of Canada. Many families enjoy a visit in early spring to a maple sugar "shack," the special rustic building where sap from maple trees is boiled in a large open pan to make maple syrup.

So yeah. Canada definitely has a food culture. And it’s more than just poutine and hamburgers.

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japanese food culture

 The Japanese call their homeland Dai Nihon or Nippon, meaning "origin of the sun." It is from this name that Japan has also been called "Land of the Rising Sun." It is an apt name. For in the short span of about a hundred years, Japan has shaken off the shackles of an ancient feudal system and hundreds of years of isolation from the rest of the world, united her people, elevated her standard of living, and today proudly stands prominently as a world class industrial nation.

The four main islands that make up Japan – Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu – are 80 percent mountainous. Picturesque lakes dot the mountain areas and small rivers water the rolling plains. Only 15 percent of the land is arable but it is from this that diligent Japanese farmers coax rice and other grains, vegetables, and a wide variety of fruits. From the surrounding seas come cold and warm currents and air masses that give Japan a climate that varies from short summers and severe winters in the North to torrential rains and whipping winds, hot days and humid nights in the South. But from the seas also come Japan's great harvest of fish, seafood, and edible seaweed.

Japan's first outside contact was with Korea in the early 300s C.E. Chinese industrial arts, crafts, and learning found their way through Korea to Japan. Shintoism, Japan's indigenous cult of imperial and ancestor worship, existed side by side'' with Buddhism since the latter was introduced from India (through Korea and China) in 538 C.E. Gradually the cult of ancestor worship blended with Buddhism and deeply affected many aspects of Japanese life. Appreciation of nature and a cultivation of simplicity and grace in everyday life influenced not only food and dress, but also literature and the arts.

One of the most exquisite examples of the infusion of the blend of Buddhism and Shintoism into art and thence into everyday life is found in the Japanese art of tsutsumu. This is the art of packaging, and includes everything from a farmer's quantity of eggs delicately laced in rice stray, to a gratuity that is not placed directly in the hand, but is wrapped in folds of delicate paper to resemble a flower. Tsutsumurepresents utility as well as beauty and simplicity. Materials and colors for wrapping, as well as the completed shapes, delight the eye and symbolize the spiritual essence of nature.

In this same way, although Japan adopted crafts, arts, language, industries, and even religion from other lands, she has given each an indelible Japanese stamp. From the Chinese
and Koreans the Japanese learned how to write by using Chinese ideograms, but soon simplified and refined the complex characters into two native kana syllabaries:katagana and hiragana. The Japanese word Kana means a symbol representing a syllable. This resulted in a flourishing of Japanese literature and learning previously unsurpassed...

Thanks

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7 Habits of Healthy Eating - The Chinese Way

7 Habits of Healthy Eating

1. Eat at fixed, regular times: Your body likes and responds to regularity, not just in mealtimes, but sleeping and working too. If you doubt this, next time you take a long trip notice what it does to your eating, sleeping and bowel habits. For optimum health and vitality it’s important to establish and maintain regular meal times, sleep times and bowel movements.

2. Eat mainly cooked foods: According to Chinese dietary therapy your meals should primarily be cooked and eaten warm. Raw vegetables and fruits, when eaten excessively, cool and weaken your digestive system, causing such problems as bloating, watery stools and lack of energy. Cooking is regarded in Chinese dietary therapy as a kind of pre-digestion process that makes it easier for digestion to occur. Cold, raw foods on the other hand require more digestive power to break them down. Suitable cooking methods are steaming and stir-frying as they cook quickly and lightly while still retaining nutrients.

3. Eat slowly, chew well: Digestion begins in your mouth - eating slowly and chewing food thoroughly before swallowing ensures smooth, complete digestion. Also, don’t eat when angry or emotionally upset as it greatly impairs digestion - wait till you calm down, or skip the meal entirely.

4. Don’t overeat: Be kind to your digestive organs and bowels and stop eating when you are 70-75% full. Overeating impairs your stomach and intestines causing indigestion, bloating, sluggishness, constipation, putrefaction, gas, weight gain and other problems.

5. Don’t drink cold drinks: Consuming cold drinks especially iced ones at any time, but particularly with food, is very bad for digestion. The digestive process requires heat to break down what you eat and drink. Cold is, by nature, slowing and contracting - therefore cold drinks, and very cold foods like ice cream, slow and impede digestion, causing digestive upsets, abdominal pain and discomfort. Instead, drink warm water or green tea. Warm-hot water helps flush out toxins and green tea prepares your digestive system for food. Drink a cup of green tea 10-20 minutes before you eat - this is particularly beneficial if you know you’ll be eating heavy foods like meat, or fried foods. Drinking green tea after meals also benefits digestion.

6. After meals take a slow walk: Whenever you leave a restaurant in China the staff thank you for coming then say, “man zou”, meaning, “walk slowly”. A slow, leisurely stroll after meals for 10-20 minutes facilitates digestion and nutrient absorption. Rubbing your abdomen with one palm on the other in slow circles around your belly button in the direction of your colon also helps digestion. This is also an excellent preventative and remedy for digestive disorders. Do it while standing still, or while taking a slow, leisurely stroll.

7. Do the Ab Lift: If you’re looking to lose weight, exercise before breakfast. As you haven’t eaten for maybe 10-12 hours, your body relies on its fat stores for energy. One exercise that is highly recommended before meals, and especially before breakfast, is the Abdominal Lift. It’s easy to do and takes a couple of minutes only. Basically, it involves using your abdominal muscles to lift your abdomen up and towards your spine, and holding, then gently releasing it. The Ab Lift can also be done an hour after meals to help digestion, absorption and elimination.

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KERALA FOOD HABITS

The Namboothiris of Kerala used to follow a full yet simple and unique life style. Their natural hospitality was related in a way to their art of cookery. Uninvited guests were invariably offered food. True to the Upanishad Manthram "Athithhi Devo Bhavah:", they honoured their guests. The simplicity in their life style was reflected in their food habits too. Their scientifically systematised preparations used ingredients that were locally and seasonally available. Their eating habits were also scientifically evolved. Some of the habits are followed even now.
Eat only after Bath
Taking food only after having a bath is an example of being scientific. Bathing was not only for physical cleanliness, but also for total rejuvenation of the body and mind. Namboothiris discouraged eating when the body was tired and mind disturbed. But children had to be fed soon after bath.
Nutritious Food
The general practice was to avoid very rich food, be regular and give priority to food prepared from seasonal, locally available ingredients. Food that helped in the growth of the body and its existance and which suited the local climate was selected, like horse gram ("Muthira") in cool weather, mango in summer and jackfruit during the monsoons. The realisation of the importance of the type of food resulted in turning this practice into an art, and in producing eminent Namboothiri cookery experts.
The kitchens in Illams were given a sanctified prominence, paralleling that of the "Thitappally" (where Nivedyam is cooked) in a temple. Those who were not in any way connected with the preparation of food were banned entry.
Adukkala Namboothirimaar (Kitchen Namboothiris)
There used to be such a category of Namboothiris [Click here] though apparently not in central Kerala. There were quite a few who had traditionally taken up cookery for a livelihood, in the great temples and in aristocratic families. The Muttassu Namboothiri family, for example, were assigned to the Vaikkam Siva temple for preparing "Praathal" (feast in the Oottupura). There were specific Adukkala Namboothiris for food preparation during the Murajapam [Click here]. Namboothiri children (both boys and girls) used to start assisting in the kitchen at an early age, in addition to studies. In some areas, Namboothiri women (Antharjanams) had a greater role in cookery. Making "Appam" for offering at Trichambaram (Kannur district) temple was their prerogative. Even small feasts in some areas were prepared by them. Royal and some non-Braahmanan families often employed Namboothiris to do their kitchen work. They realised the dignity of labour.
Simplicity in Food Habits
As mentioned in the beginning, the simplicity of their life-style could be seen in their food habits too. Right from childhood, mothers ensured that children ate lots of good but simple food in a timely manner.
Vegetarians
Namboothiris were strict vegetarians. This low protein diet resulted in larger food intake, for which they were well-known. Namboothiris were generally immune to many of the diseases. The current global thinking and conversion to vegetarianism and natural foods perhaps have a similar basis. Timeliness and avoidance of mid-meal snacking added to their dietary discipline. Traditionally they ate only two meals - mid-morning around 10 - 11 and night 7 - 8.
Eating Habits
Meals used to be served and eaten in a calm atmosphere. Children were not allowed to make noise. These were practised even during major feasts, to the extent feasible. Food was served on plantain leaves and eaten with the right hand while seated on the floor or on wood "Palakaas" (seats). For males, "Keezhila" (two small strips of plantain leaf) was placed under the "Naakkila" (unsplit, terminal portion of a leaf), and pointing outwards. For major feasts, the leaf was withered ("Vaattuka") over fire. In some areas, the two parts of a leaf split along the mid-rib were placed under the main leaf with their margins facing each other. During the off season, when there was a shortage for banana leaf, the sheaths of banana stem were used, often called "Pondi", for eating.
Only after serving "Kutikkuneer" and doing "Praanaahuthi", accompanied by chanting Manthram, other items were served. There is a shorter version of the Manthram for Kutikkuneer at the end of the meal. In a way, this practice ensured all to start eating and get up after meal, at about the same time.
In Namboothiri Illams, leftover food was not stored for later use, not even from the noon to the night meal. Untimely meals were avoided or skipped altogether.

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