Youarewhatyoueat人如其食社会学论文英文原创Word文件下载.docx

Youarewhatyoueat人如其食社会学论文英文原创Word文件下载.docx

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1.Introduction

Withtheprogressofglobalization,importanceofpeople’slocalidentityandglobalidentityrapidlybecomeprominent.Inabroadsense,localidentitymeansindividualsregardthemselvesasawholewithlocalcommunities,andglobalidentityreferstoindividualsseethemselvesasawholewithpeopleallaroundtheworld1.Basedonrelevantliteratureandtheresearcher’sownlifeexperience,likeotheridentities,localidentityandglobalidentitycanco-existwithinanindividual,whichmeansanindividualcanowntwokindsofidentitiessimultaneously.

Fooddonotjusthavethefunctionofsatisfyingone’shunger,duetothedifferencesinreligion,geography,economy,cultureandsoon,foodineachplace,groupornationhasdifferentcharacteristics,whiletheseuniquenessjustreflectpeople’suniquebackgroundsandidentities.AsLindlahrpointsout,“youarewhatyoueat”,thesetwoidentitiescanbefullyandfaithfullyreflectedfromone’sdiet2.

Inthispaper,theresearcherarguesthatfoodpeopleeatdoreflectwhotheyare.Twocasestudiesfromtheauthor’scurrentdietwillbeanalyzedtoprovethecloserelationshipbetweenfoodandpeople’slocal/globalidentity.

2.AcasestudyofChinesedumpingandlocalidentityofChineseChinesedumplingshavethesocialeffectofChinesepeople’sidentity.Itisnotjustakindoffood,butalsobelongstotheculturalfieldinwhichChineseconstructidentityandstrengthensocialrelationship.MaterialcultureanddietarybehaviorwiththecoreofdumplingisanimportantpartofChinese

1Ritzer,George.TheMcDonaldizationofsociety6.PineForgePress,2010.30.

2Lindlahr,VictorHugo.YouAreWhatYouEat.BorgoPress,1980.1.

people’sidentity.

DumpingisarepresentativecookedwheatenfoodinChina.SinceitsbirthinHanDynasty,ithaslinkedcloselytoChinesepeople’sdiet3.Afterover2000yearsofdevelopment,theuniquefolkcultureofdumplingshasformed.Dumplings’effectandpositioninChinesedietarycultureandfolkculturecannotbereplacedbyanyotherpopularauspiciousfood4.Characteristicsofdumplingsincludethinskin,fullfilling,uniqueshape,freshanddelicioustaste.Rawmaterialsofdumplingsincludeallkindsofmeatsandvegetableswithnumerousmixesandmatches,plusthecookingprocessofboilingmakesverylittlenutrientloss,theyreallyconformtotheessenceofChinesedietaryculture,whichisthegreatcombinationofcolor,aromaandtaste.Asafolkfoodwithaverylonghistory,dumplingsenjoygreatpopularityamongChinesepeople.DuringtheSpringFestivals,dumplingsarealsoakindofindispensabledelicacy.AsatypicalnorthernChinese,theresearcherhasadeepaffectionfordumping.

Intheresearcher’shometown,oneveryChineseNewYear'

sEve,familieswillgettogetherandenjoyabigmeal.Onthatday,makingandeatingdumplingsisanindispensablecontentofthefestival.Inordertocoordinatethefestiveair,someconventionsaboutthedumplinghavecomedowntilltoday.Forinstance,intheresearcher’sfamily,peopleusuallyrandomlypackafewcandies,peanuts,datesandcoinsinsomeofthedumplings.Familymemberswhopickcandiessymbolizetheywillhaveamoresweetlifeinthenewyear;

whilethosewhofindpeanutsintheirdumplingsmeantheywillbehealthyandlongevous;

peoplewhoeatdatesmeanstheywillhavenewbabiessoon;

ifapersonfindsoutacoininhisorherdumpling,itmeansthispersonwillbeveryluckytomakealotofmoneyinthenewyear.

Chinesedumplingsandlocalidentityhaveaverycloserelationship.MakingandeatingdumplingshasbecomeasignificantsymbolofChinese’sidentity,

3Avieli,Nir."

Roastedpigsandbaodumplings:

festivefoodandimaginedtransnationalidentityinChinese–Vietnamesefestivals."

AsiaPacificViewpoint46.3（2005）:

281.

whilesuchidentityisnotjustaconsensusofChinesepeople,butalsoanimportantmarktorepresenttraditionalandcontemporaryChineseculture.ValueofthedumplingisitscontentandformcontainvaluesofChinesesociety.Firstly,ancientChinesebelievedthatsoulsfromdivinityandtheirancestorsdominatedeverythingintheirlife,eventoday,modernChinesestillthinkthesesoulscanatleastblessthem5.Therefore,peopleactivelyholdalltypesofritualactivities.Theythinkgodsandancestorswillcertainlylikewhattheylike,sotheyusuallyconsecratemuchfoodduringritualactivities.Asthedumplingisadeliciouscuisine,itappearsatalmostallritualoccasions.SuchexchangeseemstobeequalandreasonabletoChinese,nowthattheygivegodsandancestorsthebestfood,godsandancestorswillinturngivethemwealthandhappiness.

Secondly,thedumplingisacarrierofemotionaltransmissioninChinesepeople’ssocialcontact.Whenpeopletreatguests,theyusuallyusedeliciousfoodtoexpresstheirsinceritytofriendship.Orinotherwords,aplateofhotandtastydumplingsisenoughtofullyexpresspeople’sdeepfriendship,andthereisnoneedforanylanguage.ThisisbecausemostChinesedonotliketousedirectwordstoshowtheiraffections,sotheyjustadoptthisimplicitway6.Whilethe“inclusiveness”impliedindumplingseemstobemoreappropriatetoshowtheirinnerworld.Asaresult,thedumplingisanidealcarrierforemotionalexchange.SuchimplicitexchangewaymaybeoneoftheuniqueemotionalexpressionwaysofChinesenation.

Thirdly,thedumplingisalsoanidealformtoshowChinesepeople’saestheticview.AfeatureofChinesefolkactivitiesisthegroupment7.Forexample,theSpringFestivalisagreatopportunityforfamilyreunion.Whenpeopleusethedumplingtoexpressideologicalcontent,theyalsomakejudgmentsonthelookofthiscarrier.Thoughduringthattime,dumplingsarenotartworks,families

5Mintz,SidneyW.,andChristineM.DuBois."

Theanthropologyoffoodandeating."

Annualreviewofanthropology（2002）:

100.

6Anderson,EugeneNewton.Everyoneeats:

Understandingfoodandculture.NYUPress,2014.15-16.

stilltendtousetheirownaestheticstandardtojudgethem,suchaswhethertheshapeiselegant,whetherthemakingmethodisexquisite,whetherthetasteisfirst-class,whetherthecookingisproper.Unconsciously,theseactivitiesalsobecomegoodchangesforpeopletoshowtheircookingtalent.Sometimes,eventhequalityofdumplingmakingbecomesakeyparttoshowpeople’spiousmindforblessingsfromgodsandancestors.Intheresearcher’sfamilies,allfamilymemberswouldparticipateinthefamilycontestofdumplingmaking,peoplealwaysgetalotfunthroughit.Suchunmeantcompetitionisactuallyaninitiativeactiontocreatebeauty,aswellasareasonforthelong-lastingprosperityofChinesedietaryculture8.Moreover,italsorevealsChinesepeople’spureandunadornedaesthetictasteandtheirconsistentpursuitforabeautifullife.

TheresearcherhascometoAustraliaforoverthreeyearsandgotusedtolocalfestivals,howeverthesignificanceofChinesefestivalsbecomesevenlargerforhim.TheSpringFestivalisstilllookedforwardbytheresearchereveryyear.OnChineseNewYear’sEve,eveniftheresearchercouldnotgotbacktoChina,hestillheldabigpartywithhisChinesefriendsinAustraliaandmakingdumplingswasavitalactivity.Allinall,dumplingsonNewYear’sEveareasymbolofChineseidentity.Italwaysremindstheresearcherthatnomatterwhereyouare,youarealwaysadescendantoftheChinesenation.

3.AcasestudyofMcDonald'

sandglobalidentity

WhentheresearcherwenttoAustraliaforthefirsttime,theresearcherhadnoideawhattoeatbecauseofthehugedifferencesbetweenChinesefoodandAustralianfood.TheresearcherfinallychosetohavemealsatanearbyMcDonald'

srestaurantbecauseMcDonald’sishighlystandardizedaroundtheworld.Thereisnoscriptthere,staffdoeverythingtotallywithaccuratemachinesandtheoperationmanual.Besides,whentheyservecustomers,theyalsouseafullsetofstandardizedskills.Therefore,customerswouldfeel

veryrelaxedinanyMcDonald’srestaurantintheworldbecausetheyareaccustomedto“routines”ofthisinternationalfastfoodchain9.AftertheresearchergotusedtothelifeinAustralia,theresearcherstillvisitsMcDonald’sveryoften,mostlyduringbusydays.McDonald’salwaysservefoodwithinoneminute,sotheresearchercouldsavemuchtimeinwaiting.Besides,packagesofthesefoodareverysimple,sotheresearchercouldfinishthemealquickly.

Inaword,theresearcherbelievesthatMcDonald’sreallyprovidespeoplemuchconvenienceinthisfast-pacedsociety.LikesomeotherfastfoodbrandslikeKFC,BurgerKingandPizzaHut,ithasbecomeanimportantpartinmodernurbanpeople’sdiet,especiallytheyounggroup.Moreover,italsoreflectspeople’sglobalidentityinthecontextofglobalization.

ThereisnowonderthattheEconomistoncedevelopedasetof“BigMacindexes”tomeasurethepricelevelinallcountries10.ItisbecauseMcDonald’sisindeedasymbolofglobalization.Almosteverycountryandregionhasitschainrestaurantsandthetastesarealmostthesameineachchainrestaurant.Fortourists,immigrantsandoverseasstudents,itmaybethemostfamiliarplaceinthestrangeenvironment.ThisismaybethelargestachievementofMcDonald’sduringits74yearsofhistory11.Foodisacoreofanindividual’sidentity,whichisusuallycloselyconnectedwithfamily,cultureandnation.Asaforeignheterogeneouselementto