Since ancient times, food has formed the bedrock of cultures worldwide. More than mere sustenance, eating serves as a social glue - a means to gather, bond and enact rituals. "There is more to eating than survival," notes psychology professor Dr. Ara Norenzayan. "Eating and drinking are a medium through which we socialize and create bonds."
The globalization of cuisine, especially in cosmopolitan cities like Vancouver, exposes people to a kaleidoscope of flavors and traditions. Norenzayan's own children seamlessly sample sushi, samosas and tabbouleh in a single week, learning about and celebrating diverse heritages. "Through food, they have come to appreciate the wonderfully varied cultural identities that make Vancouver unique," he reflects.
Food often provides the first taste of unfamiliar cultures. Administrative coordinator Shirley Ting views eating as an opportunity for learning and connection. "If we approach food with curiosity, there is so much potential for cultural exchange," she enthuses. Even within communities, culinary diversity abounds. Ting's grandmother's distinct egg foo young recipe, honed during her travels from Jiangxi to Hong Kong, embodies a personal history in every bite.
Education can cultivate appreciation for food's cultural significance - and need not be confined to classrooms. Ting helped spearhead a community garden project in Richmond where food-based storytelling fostered intercultural ties. "There is so much knowledge outside of UBC," she affirms. "Food is an excellent medium for sharing these stories."
A society's culinary vocabulary mirrors its values and priorities. "A typical Italian child can name 22 kinds of pasta, whereas a Canadian child might know three or four," Norenzayan observes. Strikingly, research participants' food associations also diverge across cultures. The French equate fried eggs with "breakfast"; Americans say "cholesterol," betraying contrasting outlooks.
Beyond words, multisensory engagement with food communicates cultural mores. In the Japanese film Tampopo, a joyful diner slurping his noodles defies the restrained etiquette imposed on a group of women. "The joy he gets from audibly and physically interacting with his food is infectious," recounts history professor Dr. Kelly McCormick, highlighting how sound and touch shape food experiences.
Food preparation and consumption often reflect a society's gender roles and hierarchies. Sociology professor Dr. Amy Hanser notes that women dominate home cooking while men lead commercial kitchens. Eating habits also diverge along gender lines, with women tending to be more restrictive in their diets.
Historical examples further illuminate how food symbolism shifts with social tides. In wartime Japan, white rice provisioned to soldiers embodied militaristic masculinity. Post-war, this association transformed into middle-class aspiration for thrice-daily rice consumption. By tracing such evolutions, Hanser asserts, "we can challenge preconceptions about how a culture has developed over time."
While sharing meals can build community, UBC faculty emphasize the importance of intentionality and cultural sensitivity. "If our goal is to promote diversity and inclusion, it isn't enough to think of food just as refreshment," Ting cautions. "We need to consider the context in which the food is served."
This involves learning about the histories behind various food cultures and recognizing power imbalances. "Breaking bread together is an excellent means to building strong relationships," Ting affirms, "but it's crucial that we come to the table already having done the work needed to be good hosts."
Food history offers a lens for examining culture as an ever-evolving tapestry rather than a static monolith. McCormick cites the example of konbu, a kelp foundational to Japanese cuisine. For centuries, the Ainu people of Hokkaido traded konbu with the Japanese, a commercial relationship that eventually fueled colonial conquest of the island. "Most people don't see this history when they eat miso soup made from konbu," McCormick muses, "but it is all there."
By savoring such layered meanings, we can cultivate nuanced understandings of the ways in which food has shaped identities, power structures and human connections across time and place. In kitchens and around dining tables, the intersection of culture and cuisine invites us to partake in a shared story - one meal at a time.
