Blog Entry 8: Research Project

I have been working on my second research project for roughly two weeks now, and I must say it is going fairly well. While I certainly feel more comfortable writing papers, I was detered from the daunting 12 page essay, having already written a 10 page one and not feeling up to repeating the same topic. Instead, I have decided to use a different type of medium to create my next project; a WordPress blog.

Having already become familiar with the WordPress website through means of writing these blog entries, I created a blog showcasing the American culture’s stance on food related taboos. The website will feature animals America refrains from eating, as well as food related activities that Americans engage in that are considered taboo by other cultures. I have incorporated pictures, facts, and links to outlying sites, in order to make the blog both informative and engaging.

One thing I wish I might have known when writing my first entry is an idea introduced to me by a fellow peer, which is an experiment of sorts. As I work in a Deli, I am conducting an experiment on food taboos where I sample out pieces of Lebanon Bologna, which in reality is an entirely beef based bologna, but instead I tell the customers that the bologna contains horse meat, and then gauge their reactions. I am very excited to see the results of this experiment, and to post it on this new blog!

Blog Entry 7: Works Cited

“Keeping The Faith: Religious Taboos In Islam.” CNT Traveler. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2013. www.cntraveler.com/travel-tips/travel-etiquette/2010/11/Keeping-the-Faith-Religious-Taboos-in-the-Middle-East. This website details what items are taboo to consume in the Islamic faith, as well as what times some of them may be exceptions upon. This can be useful for the religious taboos section of my project.

“Leviticus 17 / Hebrew – English Bible / Mechon-Mamre.” Bible and Mishneh Torah for All – Jews and Gentiles / Mechon Mamre. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Sept. 2013. http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0317.htm#10. This website has a section from the Torah, the Jewish book of faith, and details what is taboo for Jewish peoples to consume. Very helpful for the religious taboos section of the project.

Riess, Jana. “What’s Not on the Mormon Menu – For Dummies   .” How-To Help and Videos – For Dummies   . N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Sept. 2013. http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/whats-not-on-the-mormon-menu.html. This website details what Mormons can and cannot consume, as per their own faith, and also has information beyond food. This will be highly useful in the religious taboos section of my project.

Blog Entry 6: Works Cited

Haidt, Jonathan, Silvia Helena Koller, and Maria G. Dias. “Affect, Culture, And Morality, Or Is It Wrong To Eat Your Dog?.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 65.4 (1993): 613-628. Print. This thoughtful and in depth article cites a variety of reasons why human beings refuse to eat companion animals, such as dogs and cats. An excellent resource I can use while describing the food taboo against pets.

Serpell, James. “After Horse Meat Scandal, Why Is Some Food Taboo?.” NPR. National Public Radio. NPR, Boston, Massachusettes: 19 Feb. 2012. Radio. In this interview, James A. Serpell, a college professor and food taboo expert, explains to NPR why some people get squeamish around certain foods, following the Ikea Horse meat meatball scandal. This can be used in the section where I describe why Americans dislike eating horse meat.

Gonyea, Janelle. “Pica–do you know what your patients are eating?(Issues in Renal Nutrition: Focus on Nutritional Care for Nephrology Patients).” Nephrology Nursing Journal 1 Mar. 2007: 64. Print. This Medical Journal is an in depth look into Pica, a disorder where people have a tendency to eat generally inedible items, such as glass or paper. This disorder is considered taboo and can even have it’s own section within my research project.

Blog Entry 5: Works Cited

Alberts, Jenna. “The Cultural Food Taboos of the United StatesCooking Recipes Food.” Cooking Recipes Food. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. http://cooking-recipes-food.com/the-cultural-food-taboos-of-the-united-states/. On this page, there is a very brief layout of various ingredients people within the United States refuse to cook with. Although this page lacks details on each category, it presents me with a list of food items I can investigate further with other sources. I can then use these items within my project to show the viewer what the United States feels is taboo as far as food is concerned.

Andersen, Kurt. “Celebrity death watch; Could the country’s insane fame fixation maybe, finally–fingers crossed–be coming to an end? One hopeful sign: Paris Hilton.(THE IMPERIAL CITY).” New York 3 Apr. 2006: 36. Print. This magazine article by Andersen has a section that describes various things the American culture idolizes, as well as a listing of things they disdain, or find “taboo”. I can use the items listed here to illustrate other, non-food related taboos the Western World might have.

Burg, Kenneth. “Whaling Ban Strains U.S.-Japan Relations; Tokyo Seeks to End Moratorium.” The Washington Times [Washington, DC] 26 Apr. 2007: 4. Print. This new’s article describes the gruesome act of whaling, and provides details as to why Americans dislike the practice. I can use this as a reasoning behind why many cultures find whale and dolphin meat taboo.

Dan’s Diet Dilemma

The sad tale about a simple man during lunch break

PG 1. Here, we meet Dan, your average every day office worker. Tired of eating the same fast food each day, he announces a grand plan: to try something new! A coworker reccomends Indian, the hottest diet craze, and Dan sets off to his first destination.

PG 2. Upon arriving at the Indian restaurant, Dan discovers that the food traditionally takes up to 25 minutes to prepare! It seems India holds a taboo against fast food and convenience, and believes all good meals take proper time to bring together. Sadly for Dan, his break is only a half an hour.

PG 3. Moving on, Dan tries out another new diet craze: veganism. The hipster girl at the counter promptly begins rattling off everything the cafe WONT sell, which seems to be… Everything. Dan takes his leave.

PG 4. Dan’s feeling frustrated, so he tries out the good go to: Chinese. However, while there, Dan’s inability to use the traditional Chinese chopstick proves to be a hindrance. You see, in China, food is an offering for spirits, and misplacing your chopsticks or stabbing your food is a grievous offense. This time, Dan decides maybe he’ll try his own, native culture’s food.

PG 5. With his ancestry in Iceland, Dan checks out what his root culture would snack on for lunch, using his smart phone. Little did Dan realize that Iceland’s food includes “Hakarl”, which translates into “Rotten Shark Meat”; this food fit for Vikings is aged in a sand pit for weeks before being eaten.

PG 6. Returning to his office, Dan’s coworker notices he’s brought back yet another bag from the go to fast food restaurant. Defeated, Dan has returned to the familiar.

Dan’s tale shows us that even though we may wish to set out and try new, different foods, from different places and lifestyles, we find our own innate lifestyle may clash. Certain cultures carry with them particular traditions or taboos, that another culture will have a hard time grasping onto. In the end, we all wind up back in our own familiar territory, unwilling to leave, because of food taboos.