Students Again

War has a significant impact on food availability and preference for everyone involved. This is obvious during war. The blight of war may impact what foods are available to both civilian and military. However, after the war is over an interesting intermingling of the two warring cultures foods tend to be available and preferred in each others country. As a result of World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Korean War foods such as sushi, pho, and kimchi are readily available in many U.S. restaurants and supermarkets. In return, many western foods are now also available in these other countries. American-based food chains such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and Popeye’s Chicken can be found in many countries throughout the world.  Globalization, immigration, and access to different regions of the world as a result of war, displacement, or economic reasons have invoked and increased the likelihood of change in food availability and preference.

Food taboos are a result of socialization, parental training, religious teaching, and physical characteristics. Are all of these attributes equally resistant to change? After viewing the video, it seems that these attributes are unlikely to be equally resistant. Food habits acquired through socialization and physical characteristics are more likely changeable. Food habits are ever  evolving with increasing transportation modes, increasing multicultural diversity, and increasing supply to all sorts of foods. With all of this world change foods that are socially  unacceptable one day are introduced and become socially acceptable the next day. Food taboos as a result of physical characteristics are also more changeable. This is evidenced  through the introduction of modern medicine and modern technology. For example, many Asian people are lactose intolerant; however, this no longer has to prevent them from consuming dairy if desired because of the advent of lactose-free products and lactase enzyme caplets. Parental training and religious teaching are more resistant to change in taboos. A child is programmed the moment they first taste their mother’s milk to prefer sweet. Sweetness, from that moment on, becomes associated with pleasure, safety, and good feelings. This form of  parental training would be very difficult to resist. Religious training is also very resistant to change in light of the fact that some of their taboos create a group identity. For example, Muslims are recognized as non-pork consumers or the Jewish will not eat non-kosher foods. To change these habits may induce an uncertain view from the outside world as to the conviction of their religion.