yummy food

This commentary discusses the Sutton readings Whole Foods: Revitilization Through Everyday Synthetic Experience and Mannur’s article Culinary Nostalgia.

Sutton’s article discusses the role of food and eating as part of migrant communities’ response to the experience of displacement. Sutton talks about how migrants use food as a strategy for creating community and cultural continuity. Through food events, migrants displaced or newly settled abroad are able to participate in a kind of cultural revitalization. Sutton uses the example of the Greek community to illustrate her various claims and arguments. For Greeks, the herb basil holds special resonance as the smell reminds Greeks around the world of the homeland, Greece. Sutton also talks about how families send food abroad to migrants in “Western” societies or where food from the homeland isn’t readily available. In her Greek example, Sutton notes how many of the individuals she talked to had food sent to them from mothers, fathers, siblings, grandmothers, etc. and that this type of participation with food, again, resonates with memories of home. Sutton argues that for the Greek community, food helps them come to terms with their experience of displacement. She uses the term “wholeness” to mean that through food, migrants are able to return to the whole, wholeness, a cultural site that is familiar to them. Honestly, I thought the article was going to be about whole foods, trends towards eating whole foods when reading the article title but actually the term denotes migrants countering the fragmentation that often occurs with experiences of displacement.

The Mannur article similarly discusses cultural identity and food. Mannur remembers the different kinds of Indian food she has eaten all over the world, from the Indian food she was raised with in Papua New Guinea to in the Indian food she is now exposed to in the United States. Mannur talks about the innovative way her mother (and other women, other cooks of ethnic cuisine) have had to substitute ingredients for ethnic ingradients were not available in countries of settlemtnt. This brings to bear Mannur’s point that food for migrants also has the ability to develop and create entrepreneurship activities. We see examples of this all over Toronto – immigrants, either by choice or not being able to find 9-5 jobs – set up ethnic food restaurants/shops thereby supplying the immigrant community not only with the “right” ingredients but also supplying the community with memories of home.

I also want to bring up the point that food for diasporic communities can do more than recall memories of home or create entrepreneurial opportunities. For some diasporas, food can actually mobilize a community to achieve better status within the host society. Take for example, the large Turkish population in Germany. The massive popularity of the Doener Kebab in Germany has made it possible for Turks in Germany to access powerful levels of government, and in doing so, begin discussions with policy makers about important topics like integration and citizenship rights.

Q. Can you think of some other functions food has for diasporic communities?