Food as an Interdisciplinary Study: A Taste of Chocolate PDF

Food as an Interdiscipli nary Study: A Taste of Chocolate U N D E R S TA N D I N G F O O D ' S R O L E I N C U LT U R E A N D IDENTITY Content Food and Culture Food Through History Literature and Food Studies Food and Medicine Food and Women...

Food as an Interdiscipli nary Study: A Taste of Chocolate U N D E R S TA N D I N G F O O D ' S R O L E I N C U LT U R E A N D IDENTITY Content Food and Culture Food Through History Literature and Food Studies Food and Medicine Food and Women Chocolate Food and Culture Food is more than just nutrition. It's a lens through which we can examine history, culture, economics, psychology, and more. Food studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores these multifaceted aspects of food.  Food studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines food in all its aspects, from production and consumption to cultural meanings and social impacts.  It goes beyond nutrition to explore the rich tapestry of human interactions with food.  Food studies examines genres and rhetorical traditions that chronicle the local conditions and global migrations of cuisines, commodities, and agricultural systems. These literary engagements with the edible world demand complex ways of thinking about food because they inter lace its cultural and corporeal meanings and move across the scales at which those meanings take shape. Food Through History Food history explores how food has shaped civilizations, trade routes, culinary traditions, and social structures. It examines the evolution of food production, preservation, and consumption over time.  Literature and Food Studies Literature has always been the mode of reflecting human psyche representing the language of people’s culture and traditions. The culture of food is age old and it shapes the individuals as well as a society’s culture. Complex human issues have been analyzed using food images on a metaphoric level to represent cultural identities.  Food (or its absence) can serve as an important metaphor or symbol, It has real, powerful impacts on bodies, habitats and relationships. Humble explains that rather than simply an object, food is a “process,” as it is produced, purchased, prepared and consumed, and the consumption is an entire process in itself, from tasting, chewing and swallowing to digesting. Food is literally a matter of life and death, yet it is also so ordinary and familiar that we often “underestimate its complexity,”  It is precisely the materiality of food, and how it “disrupts” literary texts, Swann’s Way, by Marcel Proust The madeleine in Swann’s Way is so unforgettable. On a winter day, the narrator comes home to his mother, who offers him tea and one of the “short, plump little cakes” called “petites madeleines”:. The Proustian Madeleine features a pivotal scene where the narrator tastes a madeleine dipped in tea. This seemingly simple act triggers a flood of vivid childhood memories, demonstrating the powerful connection between taste, smell, and involuntary memory. It's not just the taste itself, but the entire sensory experience (texture, warmth, aroma) combined with the context in which it was originally experienced, that unlocks the past. This scene has become a literary touchstone for discussions of memory and food. Novel, while looking at prose fiction, investigates a type of literature not often considered in scholarship. Food studies proposes a broader definition of "literary objects" beyond traditional forms like poetry, drama, and narrative. Humble declares that also “cookbooks and other practical food writings” ought to be taken “seriously as objects worthy of detailed textual analysis.”  Literature and Food Studies Explores the intersection of literary works and the study of food. Analyzes creative writing that engages with food- related themes. Food's Vernacular Literary Practices: Examines diverse forms of writing about food, including: Horticultural (Gardening) Manuals Recipes Cookbooks Restaurant reviews Agricultural manifestos Dietary treatises Culinary guides Protest writings about hunger "Commodity histories" of foods (e.g., chocolate, sugar,  These vernacular genres are at once creative and practical, and they have often intermingled with so- called “high” literature. This intermingling is evident in the influence of horticultural handbooks (known as herbals) on Shakespeare’s tragicomedy The Winter’s Tale; in satirical depictions of war rationing and famine on the part of modernist writers such as English essayist and novelist George Orwell; and in the colonial and post colonial histories of the food system that contemporary novels by Toni Morrison and others trace. Also, Food studies compares literary forms and practices that center on matters of food in order to explore how they illuminate and, at times, obscure histories of colonialism and communalism, labor and leisure, scientific research and creative production, ethical consideration and environmental degradation.  Also, Literature and Food Studies explores how different writing styles and traditions document the local and global movement of food, including cuisines, goods, and farming practices. These literary works about food require nuanced analysis due to the intertwined cultural and physical meanings of food, which operate at various levels. Literature & Food Stages Explores food's journey from farm to table (farming, cooking, eating). This ability makes literature vital to Food Studies.  Food studies introduces core concepts central to food studies, emerging from cultural anthropology, geography, and history. Compares frequently read literary texts with less common forms of writing and print culture relevant to food studies. Demonstrates that food desires (cultivation, procurement, preparation, taste, ingestion) arise from both political/ethical realities and writers' cultivated appetites. Aims to inspire future research and teaching in the field.  Food and Medicine While the modern period has witnessed a severing of food from medicine, in early modern Europe, as in many other cultural contexts, the medicinal and the culinary are intertwined. The majority of European populations in the Renaissance followed a Galenic dietary regime, For more information, please check: https://medium.com/@d.rovnyi/the-four-temperaments-of-personality-c9cdd659340b  The Greek philosopher and physician Claudius Galen formulated a personality typology based on the ancient theory of humors. In the Galenic system, the four humors of blood (hot and moist), phlegm (cold and moist), choler or yellow bile (hot and dry, melancholy or black bile (cold and dry) had to be balanced for the human body to be healthy. For more information, please check: https://medium.com/@d.rovnyi/the-four-temperaments-of-personality-c9cdd659340b  Therefore, particular kinds of food had to be consumed as correctives to any imbalance in the body that could cause discomfort or disease (Albala Chapters 1 and 8). Each food had humoral qualities: a cucumber would be cold and moist, and therefore should not be consumed by those who were overly phlegmatic. For more information, please check: https://medium.com/@d.rovnyi/the-four-temperaments-of-personality-c9cdd659340b  For information Only: Balancing Foods Melancholic: cold & dry Sanguine: Hot & moist Grains: Rye, spelt Grains: Wheat, barley Fruits: Dried fruits (figs, raisins), pomegranates Fruits: Sweet apples, grapes, figs Vegetables: Cabbage, beets, carrots Vegetables: Lettuce, spinach, melons Meats: Game meats (venison) Meats: Tender beef, veal Spices: Warming spices like ginger, cinnamon Dairy: Milk (in moderation) Phlegmatic: cold & moist Choleric: hot & dry Grains: Wheat (in moderation) Grains: Barley, oats Fruits: Pears, quinces Fruits: Sour apples, pears, plums Vegetables: Garlic, onions, leeks Vegetables: Endive, chicory, purslane Meats: Lamb, goat Meats: Chicken, fish Spices: Mustard, pepper Other: Vinegar, capers  Both manuscripts and print books, which often intermingled medicinal recipes with culinary ones, demonstrate the culture of shared knowledge exchange to support the health of interconnected communities. Culinary and medicinal recipes often occur together in recipe books with the author making no firm distinction between the preparation of remedies and foods because all ingestible substances-foodstuffs, herbs, and medicinal compounds— were thought to be endowed with humoral properties that could have a beneficial or negative effect on the body. Many Hands Hands': Writing the Self in Early Modern Women's Recipes" 52 "(  Food and Women Apart from observing that women are reduced as a kitchen maker, in today’s society , kitchen and cooking are a means of expressing one’s identity before the world and is well expressed in various literary forms. Recipe as vernacular literature a case study in choc  Food and Women The connections between food and medicine also inhered in their respective production in the same location, the kitchen, and usually by the same people, the women of the household. Also, Food and its related concerns with feminine identity and domesticity patriarchal oppression, and repressed sexual desire. These early modern practices were thus significant for women's knowledge exchange and literary production: This early modern overlap between medicine as cooking and cooking as medicine worked in women's favor because, through their socially sanctioned roles as cooks and healers in the house. Recipe as vernacular literature a case study in choc  Food and Women Food and kitchens have been given a central place in many works of women’s literature. Woman’s approach to food in literature and how it affects feminine identity and domesticity are central concerns in many works of women writers like Virginia Woof in her To the Lighthouse and Mrs Dalloway, Margaret Atwood’s The Edible Woman, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary etc. Interdisciplinary relation between food studies and women’s literature is a current trend in cultural studies which throws light into various means by which women reproduce, resist and rebel against gender constructions. Chocolate  Joanne Harris's "Chocolate" provides a rich example of how food can shape lives and communities. In 'Chocolate,' Joanne Harris uses food to explore themes of identity, resistance, and connection. The novel serves as a reminder of the transformative power of food in our lives and communities. However There are certain problems with the The idea Colonizatio of one’s n and novel when analyzed through the Child labor right and spirituality lens of Food Studies. Paganism All issues are related to the choice and Easter Egg of chocolate as the main food symbol.  French Cuisine Culinary Heritage French cuisine is celebrated for its rich culinary heritage, showcasing techniques and ingredients passed down through generations. Fusion of Tradition and Innovation Vianne's chocolates embody a unique fusion of traditional French recipes and innovative flavor combinations, highlighting culinary creativity. Cultural Bridge The chocolate creations serve as a bridge between cultures, reflecting the global influence of French culinary practices.  The chocolate industry has faced criticism for issues such as child labor, unfair wages, and environmental degradation. Beyond the Price Tag: When we buy a chocolate bar, the price we pay often doesn't reflect the true cost of its production. This "true cost" encompasses a range of hidden factors: Exploitation of Labor Environmental Degradation Health Concerns Exploitation of Labor Cacao History is the History of Oppression Historical Lens: Chocolate's Origins From its pre-Columbian history through to the present day, the cultivation of cacao and the imperial institution of slavery have worked in tandem to satisfy the taste for chocolate. The ugly truth about chocolate in our own moment is its continued link to slave labor, a fact that many culinary histories of chocolate and certainly the chocolate industry tend to elide. In the last two decades, however, these practices have become more visible through investigative journalism and documentaries (The Dark Side of Chocolate; O'Keefe).  The Chocolate Trade The chocolate industry is a massive global enterprise, involving complex networks of production, trade, and consumption.  Chocolate's story begins in Mesoamerica, where the Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec civilizations cultivated cacao. It was initially consumed as a bitter drink and held significant religious and ritual importance. The Spanish brought chocolate to Europe in the 16th century, transforming it into the sweet treat we know today.  Cacao as a plant only grows in tropical regions around the equator. Cacao refers to the trees, small trees that grow over a period of 30 years in the tropical areas of the world. the harvesting and initial processing of it involves difficult manual labor-labor that has been performed by poor and enslaved communities. The trees produce the pods containing the beans from which, once fermented and dried, we get the cocoa. The fermentation is the critical process that gives the chocolate flavor as well as the roasting of the seeds.  In Mesoamerica before the period of Spanish exploration and colonization, chocolate was a drink for royal and elite Aztecs. When the Spanish conquered the Aztecs, they took over the trade in cacao and the Aztec system of tributes. The Spanish colonialists eventually subjugated African slaves to provide labor on cacao plantations in the Americas and transplanted cacao to other regions of their growing empire. In the contemporary period, the most exploitative and inhumane labor practices in the production of cacao have moved from the Americas to the West coast of Africa, where communities of adults and children are forced into labor with little or no pay.  From the nineteenth century to our present moment, chocolate has continued to be used in domestic, household recipes and, too, as an ingredient for culinary experimentation. But in this period, the manufacturing of chocolate moves mostly out of the kitchen and into the factory in becoming an industrialized commodity reliant on ongoing imperial practices. European nations, particularly France and Britain, began to transplant cacao trees across the Atlantic and cultivate them in the colonies they controlled in West Africa. There they reestablished slave labor to sustain the profits of a global chocolate market.  The historical links between chocolate markets and plantation slavery never really ended, in other words, but migrated from the Americas to Africa. Today, approximately two thirds of the global cacao supply is produced in West Africa, and 45 per cent of that is grown in the Côte d'Ivoire, where, along with the second largest producer, Ghana, human trafficking continues (Maverick).  In 2017, a significant percentage of the world's cacao sourced for commercial chocolate, chocolate that we have no doubt consumed at some point, was estimated to have been produced under conditions of slavery and child labor (Bryant; Momsen and Richardson; Orr). Evidence of enforced child labor on African cacao farms, primarily in the Côte d'Ivoire, began to surface  Often enslaved workers, including children, come from nearby countries, such as Burkina Faso, Togo, and Mali, which are even poorer than the major cacao producing countries. Out of dire economic situations, male relatives have been known to sell children in their families to slave traders; in exchange for the child's unpaid indenture, they receive a small amount of money. The conditions on many cacao farms, as on other modern farms around the world, are often dangerous.  Child laborers work long hours with machetes and chemical pesticides and have to haul the heavy cacao pods; They receive little food, are locked in at night, and are prevented from accessing education (The Dark Side of Chocolate)  European women practiced colonial botany when they concocted recipes using imported ingredients whose cultivation took place on plantations, ingredients that were fast becoming naturalized to the European palate-that is, familiar, everyday staples with expanding markets. These women's households thus supported and perpetuated the slave trade through their growing desires (and recipes) for chocolate. Therefore, If Vianne using chocolate excessively, she is participating in the colonization.  Environmental Degradation: Intensive cocoa farming can lead to deforestation, soil depletion, and loss of biodiversity. The use of pesticides and fertilizers further contributes to environmental damage. It was the year 1847 that arguably marked the "modern age of chocolate," as Fry and Sons (who would later become Cadbury's) formed and began to sell "Chocolat Delicieux à Manger" (chocolate delicious to eat), essentially the first commercial chocolate bar.  Two decades later in Switzerland, Henri Nestlé invented a process to make powdered milk, which Daniel Peter eight years later used to make milk chocolate. These industrial innovations, and the new markets they created, necessitated more sources of the critical raw material that were closer to Europe, prompting Britain and other countries to shore up a network of cacoa plantations in West Africa that, in many cases, utilized slavery (Gordon "Commerce, Colonies, and Cacao: Chocolate in England from Introduction to Industrialization" 589-90).  Health Concerns: Indulgence and beyond The high sugar content and processing methods in many commercial chocolates raise concerns about health impacts, including obesity and related diseases. The novel is promoting indulgence and, in some cases, to an excessive level. Also, the idea of consuming without regard to the sources is present throughout the novel. Anouk is eating chocolate for breakfast, lunch , and dinner. Paganism and Easter Egg  What’s the Origin of the Easter Egg Tradition? Easter eggs are believed to have originated in medieval Europe but may have been unrelated to any Christian tradition. Some historians believe Easter eggs came from Anglo-Saxon festivals in the spring to celebrate pagan goddess Eostre. The goddess, who may be the namesake of Easter, represented the dawn in spring, and eggs were buried and eaten during the festival. Eggs are believed to be a symbol of fertility and the rebirth of nature after the dead of winter. Vianne celebrates Paganism But Paganism is known for human sacrifices especially of virgins. The Druids Celtic Pagan Human Sacrifice To God  Some sources vaguely mention "pagan beliefs" regarding Vianne, but this is inaccurate. Vianne's character lacks any substantial spirituality or connection to core pagan beliefs. The only remotely "pagan" element is Vianne's misunderstanding of Easter's origins and meaning. Indeed, like many atheists, Harris talks quite freely of religious faith without once discussing actual spirituality, indeed it's notable that God (or even his Pagan equivalent), is almost never mentioned. https://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Joanne-Harris/Chocolat.html  Also, Harris does not like Christians generally and Catholics in particular There are likely plenty of nasty, self-righteous, egotistical priests out there, Having one as the antagonist of a novel is not in itself a problem It never occurs to Harris however to show us, even in such a rigidly Christian village as Lasquennet that there might be someone who is both a Christian and a nice person, https://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Joanne-Harris/  Anyone who remembers that Christianity’s founder’s most famous teaching was “love thy neighbor.” It would not have been difficult for a writer like Harris to give one decent Christian in the book, much less admit that Reynaud’s church might include people other than its priest who might not be raging egomaniacs. https://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Joanne-Harris/  Her mother’s Blackman is not the religious man since she was kidnapped. So why does hate the priest. She is against men, but her mother is an evil woman, Armond is rude, and they are the ones celebrated  Unfortunately, as Vianne’s problems melt easily away, Reynaud becomes more and more unhinged, running through madness, psychopathy, and finally at the novel’s end turning into quite literally the Grinch intent upon stealing Easter (though unlike The Grinch he has no development after this). Vianne meanwhile has not only shrugged off all opposition but has dipped into a complacency so uncaring that she offhandedly revealed she was possibly kidnapped by her mother as a toddler (without even a thought for her poor birth mother), and also casually indulges in a night of hanky-panky with a handsome gypsy, a handsome gypsy who’s with her best friend at the time. She is again having a baby out of marriage lock she doesn’t want marriage like Josephene and Paul. Indeed, not even Harris’ transcendent description of a starry night and a perfumed garden could save this last piece of indulgence from feeling rather cheap, particularly since I’m pretty sure people would feel differently were it a mail character having it away with his best friend’s girlfriend. She was happy that her chocolate destroyed him although he was too a victim of abuse. One’s own Right Assumption on both Harris and Armande’s part seems downright offensive, especially when it leads to a debate about Armande’s right to die with dignity. Indeed nobody (including the supposedly supernaturally insightful Vianne), even questions the idea that Armande might be able to live independently let alone be happy whilst blind, never mind that anyone newly blind would probably be better in a familiar home environment anyway. https://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Joanne-Harris/  As with her one spite fits all depiction of Christianity, Harris could easily have avoided this pitfall by simply giving Armande something painful and genuinely debilitating, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which would have been a far more reasonable ground for Harris argument concerning death and dying. As long as one happy when committing suicide, then it is okay. You should step out with dignity. So eat the food that will kill you or make you blind and die. You win because you choose your death ??  When the book ends with Reynaud’s humiliation (with of course a little direct offense towards Christians on the side), Vianne’s casual wondering about whether Reynaud was in some way meant to be her antagonist seems nothing short of vindictive. Chocolat is one of the most contradictory novels I’ve ever read For a novel that promised realism, promised complexity, promised some degree of gentle character study, this was a disappointment in the extreme. Conclusion This analysis reminds us that even seemingly simple pleasures like chocolate can have far- reaching consequences, both positive and negative.