Open Discussion (Why is food culture?)

11 May 2022

Blog by: Maelynn Le

All photos were taken by Maelynn Le

Photo: “Crab Cakes”

During my spring semester, I took a class called ITL Food for Thought: The Importance of Italian food culture. I took this class is college because knowing that I’m a foodie, I wanted to learn more about the Italian food culture. After taking the class, I realized I learn a lot about the Italian food culture but the main question that was the theme of the entire semester was “Why is food culture?” I want you to think about that question and type it in the comments below why food is culture.

Okay yeah, it’s a broad topic to discuss but I know my answer. Before you read about what I believe, write your answer first. My goal is to create a community with this as we discuss the main question. So now on to my answer. Throughout my food class, we discussed a lot about how food represents not just eating, but food is the way people tell stories, communicate with one another, our culture, and our identities. Why we can call food culture is because we as people can connect through our cultural and ethnic groups through food. Food has been passed down to many generations and has been made through family traditions and innovations. We use food as a part of our identity in our culture. I think about that a lot from reading the short stories in class to the videos, discussions, etc. and I really think these aspects are why we call food culture. As a food photographer, I am not only here to take photos of the food and eat, I want to learn about how businesses were created, what some traditional recipes were passed down to them and served to the community, and why the restaurant is authentic, etc. I know I keep saying how delicious and flavorful the food is but I also want to talk in my posts about a bit of a back story about the restaurants/businesses. I know IG has a word limit but that is something that maybe I can add to my blog.

Photo: Tofu Katsu Curry Plate, Kitsune Udon, Creamy Kabocha chicken Udon, Veggie fritters, Curry potato croquette

I think about how the fast food/chained restaurant industry is taking over and how we sometimes will not appreciate mom-and-pop shops. I think it’s so important to learn more about their shop, the owners, and why they do what they love to do which is to serve the community and build a foundational relationship with consumers and producers. I want to take a moment to appreciate every mom-and-pop shop out there that is cooking authentically and homemade. A lot of fast food chains will shortcut their way into feeding people but with mom and pop shops, it takes time and they want to serve customers with the best quality ingredients. Remember, quality, not quantity. This is pretty much my answer on why food is culture, I want you guys to write in the comments or DM me about this topic. Why do you think food is culture and what are some things you agree or disagree with within my little rant? Let me know! I encourage you all to eat more at small restaurants who are working so hard to build a community. Happy eating! :)