Students Again

The first website that I chose involved Hinduism. This website can be found at http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_food.asp. This website is very interesting and provides a lot of  information regarding Hinduism and food. The main thought of Hindu regarding food is that it is to be respected because it is a gift from God. For Hindu, the consumption of food is  greatly tied to their physical well being. For example, food that is considered bitter, sour, salty, hot and spicy is associated with unhappiness and disease. Hindu’s are vegetarian. The  vegetarian aspect is attributed to two beliefs: 1) eating meat may lead to the strengthening of animalistic qualities and lethargic nature in those who consume it 2) the killing of helpless  animals to fill one’s stomach is bad karma with harmful consequences. Hindu’s also believe in charity. The giving of food to those in need is associated with good karma. Fasting is also  another part of Hinduism. Fasting is considered a mark of respect to their Gods.

Another website viewed was posted by Bradley Cross and can be viewed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_cuisine. This website is about Jewish cuisine. I learned that Jewish cuisine is not one unified cuisine, but rather a collection of traditions governed by Jewish dietary laws. For example, non kosher foods such as pork and shellfish are forbidden, meat and dairy  cannot be combined, and meat must be ritually slaughtered to remove all traces of blood. Jewish cuisine differs regionally while maintaining the kosher dietary laws. Jewish cuisine is  heavily influenced by different Jewish holidays. A Jewish holiday such as Passover will have special foods such as Matza Ball soup. There is a great amount of history and tradition in the  preparation an consumption of Jewish cuisine.

The final website visited was posted in our class discussion by Paul George and can be found at http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/basic-beliefs/thecommandments/obey-the-word-of-wisdom. This website is about Mormon beliefs in relation to food. The Mormons belief is that your body is a precious gift from God. They believe that to keep your body healthy and strong the law of health given to Joseph Smith in 1833 by God should be followed. This law is referred to as the Word of Wisdom. This law teaches which foods and substances you should and should not use to keep you free of evil influences. For example, it is believed that God has advocated the benefits of proper eating and physical and spiritual health. God has also  warned against the use of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, and harmful habit-forming drugs. The main idea is that exercise, eating and sleeping properly, and a cheerful attitude will contribute  to happiness.