You are what you eat人如其食 社会学论文(英文原创)

“You are what you eat” (Victor Lindlahr). Does the food that you eat reflect who

you are? Or is who you are an effect of what you eat? Using two case studies

from your current diet, discuss the relationship between food and identity.

1. Introduction

With

the

progress

of

globalization,

importance

of

people’s

local

identity

and

global

identity

rapidly

become

prominent.

In

a

broad

sense,

local

identity

means individuals regard themselves as a whole with local communities, and

global identity refers to individuals see themselves as a whole with people all

around the world

1

. Based on relevant literature and the researcher’s own life

experience, like other identities, local identity and global identity can co-exist

within an individual, which means an individual can own two kinds of identities

simultaneously.

Food

do

not

just

have

the

function

of

satisfying

one’s

hunger,

due

to

the

differences in religion, geography, economy, culture and so on, food in each

place,

group

or

nation

has

different

characteristics,

while

these

uniqueness

just reflect people’s unique backgrounds and identities. As Lindlahr points out,

“you are what you eat”, these two identities can be fully and faithfully reflected

from one’s diet

2

.

In this paper, the researcher argues that food people eat do reflect who they

are. Two case studies from the author’s current diet will be analyzed to prove

the close relationship between food and people’s local/global identity.

2. A case study of Chinese dumping and local identity of Chinese

Chinese dumplin

gs have the social effect of Chinese people’s identity. It is not

just

a

kind

of

food,

but

also

belongs

to

the

cultural

field

in

which

Chinese

construct

identity

and

strengthen

social

relationship.

Material

culture

and

dietary

behavior

with

the

core

of

dumpling

is

an

important

part

of

Chinese

1

2

Ritzer, George.

The McDonaldization of society 6

. Pine Forge Press, 2010. 30.

Lindlahr, Victor Hugo.

You Are What You Eat.

Borgo Press, 1980. 1.

people’s identity.

Dumping is a representative cooked wheaten food in China. Since its birth in

Han Dynasty, it has linked closely to Chinese people’s diet

3

. After over 2000

years

of

development,

the

unique

folk

culture

of

dumplings

has

formed.

Dumplings’

effect

and

position

in

Chinese

dietary

culture

and

folk

culture

cannot be replaced by any other popular auspicious food

4

. Characteristics of

dumplings include thin skin, full filling, unique shape, fresh and delicious taste.

Raw

materials

of

dumplings

include

all

kinds

of

meats

and

vegetables

with

numerous mixes and matches, plus the cooking process of boiling makes very

little nutrient loss, they really conform to the essence of Chinese dietary culture,

which is the great combination of color, aroma and taste. As a folk food with a

very

long

history,

dumplings

enjoy

great

popularity

among

Chinese

people.

During

the

Spring

Festivals,

dumplings

are

also

a

kind

of

indispensable

delicacy. As a typical northern Chinese, the researcher has a deep affection for

dumping.

In the researcher’s hometown, on every Chinese New Year's Eve, families will

get together and enjoy a big meal. On that day, making and eating dumplings

is an indispensable content of the festival. In order to coordinate the festive air,

some conventions about the dumpling have come down till today. For instance,

in

the

researcher’s

family,

people

usually

randomly

pack

a

few

candies,

peanuts, dates and coins in some of the dumplings. Family members who pick

candies symbolize they will have a more sweet life in the new year; while those

who find peanuts in their dumplings mean they will be healthy and longevous;

people who eat dates means they will have new babies soon; if a person finds

out

a

coin

in

his

or her

dumpling,

it

means

this person

will

be

very

lucky

to

make a lot of money in the new year.

Chinese dumplings and

local identity have a very close relationship. Making

and eating dumplings has become a significant symbol of Chinese’s identity,

3

Avieli, Nir.

–

Vietnamese festivals.

Asia Pacific Viewpoint

46.3 (2005): 281.

4

Avieli, 282.

while

such

identity

is

not

just

a

consensus

of

Chinese

people,

but

also

an

important

mark

to

represent

traditional

and

contemporary

Chinese

culture.

Value of the dumpling is its content and form contain values of Chinese society.

Firstly,

ancient

Chinese

believed

that

souls from

divinity

and

their

ancestors

dominated everything in their life, even today, modern Chinese still think these

souls can at least bless them

5

. Therefore, people actively hold all types of ritual

activities. They think gods and ancestors will certainly like what they like, so

they usually consecrate much food during ritual activities. As the dumpling is a

delicious

cuisine,

it

appears

at

almost

all

ritual

occasions.

Such

exchange

seems to be equal and reasonable to Chinese, now that they give gods

and

ancestors the best food, gods and ancestors will in turn give them wealth and

happiness.

Secondly,

the

dumpling

is

a

carrier

of

emotional

transmission

in

Chinese

people’s social contact. When people treat guests, they usually use delicious

food to express their sincerity to friendship. Or in other words, a plate of hot

and tasty dumplings is enough to fully express people’s deep friendship, and

there is no need for any language. This is because most Chinese do not like to

use direct words to show their affections, so they just adopt this implicit way

6

.

While the “inclusiveness” implied in dumpling seems to be more appropriate to

show

their

inner

world.

As

a

result,

the

dumpling

is

an

ideal

carrier

for

emotional exchange. Such implicit exchange way may be one of the unique

emotional expression ways of Chinese nation.

Thirdly, the dumpling is also an ideal form to show Chinese people’s aesthetic

view. A feature of Chinese folk activities is the groupment

7

. For example, the

Spring Festival is a great opportunity for family reunion. When people use the

dumpling to express ideological content, they also make judgments on the look

of this carrier. Though during that time, dumplings are not artworks, families

5

Mintz, Sidney W., and Christine M. Du Bois.

Annual review of

anthropology

(2002): 100.

6

Anderson, Eugene Newton.

Everyone eats: Understanding food and culture

. NYU Press, 2014. 15-16.

7

Avieli, 290.

still tend to use their own aesthetic standard to judge them, such as whether

the

shape

is

elegant,

whether

the

making

method

is

exquisite,

whether

the

taste

is

first-class,

whether

the

cooking

is

proper.

Unconsciously,

these

activities also become good changes for people to show their cooking talent.

Sometimes, even the quality of dumpling making becomes a key part to show

people’s pious mind for blessings from gods and ancestors. In the researcher’s

families, all family members would participate in the family contest of dumpling

making, people always get a lot fun through it. Such unmeant competition is

actually

an

initiative

action

to

create

beauty,

as

well

as

a

reason

for

the

long-lasting

prosperity

of

Chinese

dietary

culture

8

.

Moreover,

it

also

reveals

Chinese

people’s

pure

and

unadorned

aesthetic

taste

and

their

consistent

pursuit for a beautiful life.

The

researcher

has

come

to

Australia

for

over

three

years

and

got

used

to

local

festivals,

however

the

significance

of

Chinese

festivals

becomes

even

larger

for

him.

The

Spring

Festival

is

still

looked

forward

by

the

researcher

every year. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, even if the researcher could not got

back to China, he still held a big party with his Chinese friends in Australia and

making dumplings was a vital activity. All in all, dumplings on New Year’

s Eve

are

a

symbol

of

Chinese

identity.

It

always

reminds

the

researcher

that

no

matter where you are, you are always a descendant of the Chinese nation.

3. A case study of McDonald's and global identity

When the researcher went to Australia for the first time, the researcher had no

idea what to eat because of the huge differences between Chinese food and

Australian

food.

The

researcher

finally

chose

to

have

meals

at

a

nearby

McDonald's restaurant because McDonald’s is highly standardized around the

world.

There

is

no

script

there,

staff

do

everything

totally

with

accurate

machines

and

the

operation

manual.

Besides,

when

they

serve

customers,

they also use a full set of standardized skills. Therefore, customers would feel

8

Fischler, Claude.

Social science information

27.2 (1988): 283.