The Food Culture of America Essay Example

phenomenon that have seen the supermarkets in the country selling varieties of American sushi.

In America, cooking has iconic significance. American hold in the highest regard celebrity television chefs, participate in as well as watch cooking competitions and gather at food exhibition and fairs venues. Various television programs in the country show dream kitchens. Numerous Americans obtain recipes and cookbooks contending on having equipment, gadgets, cutting boards or knives and pots and pans that are endorsed by celebrities that are recent. They attend cooking classes be it professional ones or even amateur. A considerable number of them assemble all the information they can acquire on cooking from magazines, television, culinary books, the internet even though a majority of them are either very busy or lazy to cook. This results to obtaining food from fast food joints most of which are not healthy health wise (Shapiro & Dana 44)

Many Americans prefer their food to be quick, cheap and convenient irrespective of if they from a supermarket or local fast-food franchise. They go for things that are fast and simple and which require less personal or financial sacrifice. They value their image and go for food items that are appealing with some even keen on spending a lot of money on the food items that makes them appear good as when they dine in restaurant that are expensive. Cost, convenience and appearance are the main characteristics of the dominant food culture of Americans.

This contributes to a lot of illnesses and eating disorders that are related to food and particularly obesity which in America is of great concern. Big industries dealing with weight loss issues are thriving. Obesity in

children and issues of nutrition in school are continuously being discussed in the news together with other food issues such as food contamination and safety and the likelihood of food supply being contaminated by terrorists. Also on the news are the subjects’ food items that are modified genetically, food additives and livestock treatment through hormone. Always in a flux are the Federal government nutritional standards with the labelling requirements. Thriving as a result of this is big nutritional supplement industry (Nazaryan 3).

The bad food habits and illnesses that results from them haveseen the emergence of new food ethics in the country that challenges the dominant values. The demand for organic food is growing at a rapid rate which approximates at more than 20% yearly for more than ten years. These foods are not cheap neither are they attractive as compared to conventional foods and they are not even convenient in their acquisition. The initial consumers of organic foods were labelled as counter-cultural and not trend setters as they were obviously expressing a food ethic that is different. Agricultural organizations that are community supported, farmers markets and other sources of direct food advertisement have experienced rates of growth that are same to those of organic foods. The new food ethic thus cannot be defined as avoidance to genetic engineering or agricultural chemicals(Nazaryan 4). The new food ethic intends to build relations with farmers, through farmers and with the universe. Some organic consumers are certainly concerned with their well-being physically even if not exclusively. Others purchase organic foods as the roots of organics philosophically are in community and stewardship, in taking care of the earth and its

inhabitants. A majority of the people who buy food at the markets of farmers look for farmers who share the new American food ethic irrespective of whether or not their goods are organic certified.

The new food culture if viewed only in terms of sales of substitute food items such as organic, natural, free from pesticide among others may seem insignificant. This is because the sales of such goods normally amount to little than 1% of the total food sold not including the labelling of food as natural or healthy that is not dissimilar from conventional foods in substance. A lot of doubts and outright displeasure is being expressed by an increasing number of Americans with the current food system in the country. The displeasure however in not in terms of cost, appearance or convenience but rather the lack of trust in the manufacturers and distributors of corporate food, or the safety and their food nutritional value be ensured by the government. These Americans are looking for food items that will echo a different set of values ethically and not only in the food itself but also in its production and who are the beneficiaries and losers as a result of its production (Newcomb 5).

In summary, just as we can’t be tied to particular food habits because of the fears we may have, we are tied to our society and often deeply dictated by its habits and values. The people living in D.C, occupied by people who are fit and SweetGreen stores are more probable to feel pressured by the public to live and eat in a similar manner. The ones who live in areas where

people mock those who are healthy obsessively are more likely to pass by KFC for dinner. Whichever the case, we are subjected from pressure both from within and without to eat and live in a particular way which seems extremely complicated.

Work cited

• Nazaryan, Alexander. "Eating Our Words." Newsweek Global 161.40 (2013): 1-4
• Newcomb, Tim. "From Steamed Hot Dogs To Fancy Flavors: NFL’S Stadium Food Revolution." Time.Com (2016): N.PAG.
• Shapiro, Laura, and Dana Goodyear. "Chefs Gone Wild." Atlantic 312.4 (2013): 40-44.