Robert Seiler
WRIT 1133-63
Professor Leake
28 April 2013
America’s
Struggle with Food and Culture
Food
and culture in America has always been a melting pot. However, in recent times
the traditional values of socialization and respecting heritage have been put
at risk by our ever-accelerating paces of life. This struggle can be seen as a
tension between living to eat and eating to live. This pace of life has caused
many problems in America, but there has been a push back towards traditional
food culture. This ongoing process of food values in our culture has had many
effects on society as a whole.
American
culture has always placed a notable emphasis on socialization during meals and
appreciation of heritage that continues the idea of living to eat. Since we are
social beings, we enjoy eating with others. Scientific studies show a strong
correlation between happiness and sociable behavior and dining. In short, you
are more outgoing and happy while enjoying a good meal with friends and/or
family. Additionally, statistics from Mandala Research shows that Americans eat
out 4.8 meals a week, lunch being the most popular with 2.6 meals a week, and
1.4 meals are had a sit-down restaurants. Assuming that many of these meals are
quick, on-the-go meals that do not satisfy traditional food culture, one may be
discouraged by these statistics, but there is a much brighter side to these
numbers. These statistics show that Americans are not just eating on the go
more, but that we still try to preserve our traditional cultural values of
having meaningful dining experiences with friends and loved ones. On average,
we eat once or twice a week at a sit down restaurant meaning that we sit for at
least 45 minutes with one or more people to dine. During the majority of these times
stories are shared, conflicts in life are told, advice is given, and laughs and
good times are had. These figures demonstrate that even though we all have fast
paced lives, we still push towards our traditional values that have been set
before us.
Since America is a
collectivization of numerous people from around the world, all with different
traditional types of food, the ability for an America to identify with specific
cultures can be somewhat difficult. However, I personally have maintained my
family’s cultural history of dining. Many times a month I eat German dishes
including spaetzle, bratwurst, frankfurter sausage, apple pancakes, and more. Many
people I know have similar tendencies concerning preserving their heritage. I
have friends who are Indian, African, Asian, Latin, and European and they eat traditional
meals at least once a week to keep their homeland, their diseased relatives,
and their inner selves alive through the chaos of daily life. During these
meals the deepest conversations are had, the most love is shared, and during
these meals time seems slows down the most that is an appeal to everyone. This
identity with heritage has helped maintain the ability to live to eat rather
than simply eating to live.
Life in America
has been increasing in pace and as a result we, as a collective, have started
eating simply to live rather than placing traditional values on dining. Over
the last century life in all aspects has seemingly sped up dramatically. People
have more things to do everyday in an ever-expanding technological world. This
pace has bread things like fast food establishments. The Center for Disease
Control (CDC) reports that the average American’s diet was 11.8% fast food
between 2007 and 2010. However, for adults ages 20-39, fast food was a
staggering 15.5% of their food intake. This means that in a week the average
adult ate at least one meal at a fast food establishment. Additionally, since
people typically work 5 days per week they eat breakfast quick with little
social interaction (assuming they actually have time for a proper breakfast)
and they eat lunch at work which is usually no more than enough time to eat a
packed lunch or purchase food elsewhere. Since Americans eat out, on average, 5
times per week, about 1 to 2 of which are eaten at a sit down restaurant, it is
likely presumable that less than 6 meals are eaten in a traditional style. This
means less than 6 hours of interaction with family and friends that include
discussions of stories, events, places, and so and, and, additionally, deep
conversations about life lessons, goals, and more. According to the Journal of
American Medicine, 43% of American families eat dinner together. This
potentially cuts 6 meals per week of family dining down to as low as 3 times
per week. Additionally, the average American dinner together has the television
on more than 50% of the time. This means that even when a family eats together
they may hardly even talk because they are all watching the television.
Fast
food has been a contributing factor towards obesity and forsaking traditional
food values in America. Since the Average American eats fast food over 11% per
week the following statistics prove a correlation: In 1950 33% of Americans
were overweight and 10% were obese. Now 66% of Americans are overweight and 30%
are obese according to CDC research. Continuing from this Americans’ weekly
fast food intake accounts for 15% of their total calorie intake. This has
contributed to a 22% increase in calories consumed by women and 7% increase in
calorie consumption by men.
All these
statistics illuminate the struggle between traditional food values of social
interaction and celebration of heritage and the fast paced living many of us
have become accustomed to.
Though the tides
have shifted towards eating to live in American culture, there has been a
rekindling of living to eat including emphasis on healthy eating and family
dining. Many businesses now market their foods to be family friendly like
Kraft. Kraft has shifted their marketing strategy to appeal to family dining
and healthy eating that is quick and easy to make- thereby creating a hybrid
living style of traditional food values. By making cooking more simple, while
remaining healthy, the food values of socialization and celebrating heritage is
made possible while maintaining the fast paced lives that many people lead.
Additionally, there has been a heavier emphasis in American society placed on
getting fit and healthy that has yet to effect the population as a whole, but
has certainly changed the exponentially growing trends of overweightness and
obesity. Overall, the current state of food values in American culture can be
seen as in a state of turmoil. There are many contributing factors that
continue to change the balance of living to eat and eating to live. Though we
have been trending for many years towards forsaking traditional values, a new
bubble of thought has created the potential to rebalance these opposing
cultural phenomena.
Food in America is
a constant struggle between traditional values of socialization and celebration
of heritage and our fast paced lives that sometimes do not have time for having
sit down meals with family and friends. This ongoing tension can be seen as a
fight between living to eat and eating to live. Though we have been moving away
from traditional food culture in America, there has been a push back towards it
in the last decade and with more time we may again see these values become more
common.
Works Consulted
"Americans Eat out about 5 times a Week." UPI.
N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control
and
Prevention, 21 Feb. 2013. Web.
29 Apr. 2013.
"How Americans Eat Today." CBSNews. CBS
Interactive, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
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