Cate and O'Donnell: Food and Community

Much of who we are comes from the foods that we eat; it can come from the individuality that it gives us within a group, or it can be a way to fit into a group. In “Breaking Bread with a Spread” and “The Cultural Politics of Eating in Shenzhen”, the authors explore the ways that food and communities are linked within specific groups and the different roles that these foods have within the communities.

                In “Breaking Bread with a Spread”, Sandra Cate looks into the foods that inmates in a local prison eat and the ways in which the food brings them together while also setting them apart within the prison community. The main cuisine that she looks into is called “spread”. Spread is different for every inmate , but it is basically a mixture of whatever ingredients an inmate likes within the limited ingredients in the prison. Spread is a way for the inmates to use their creativity. They create many different spreads by experimenting with everything at their disposal, often trying to recreate meals that they loved from the outside. The spreads are also a way for inmates to connect with one another. Spreads are almost always eaten with other inmates, and the groups that are formed are usually based off of common tastes and cultures. As inmate Kermit Saunders said, “It’s like we bonding in here when we break bread with a spread”.

                Mary Ann O’Donnell examines a much larger and different group in “The Cultural Politics of Eating in Shenzhen”. She looks into the ways that China is divided based upon the foods that they eat and the areas that they live in, and how this affects the kind of people that they are. For example, the people that live in southern China mostly eat fish. Fish is very hard to come by, so southerners are forced to be “sneaky” and “quick-witted” to get the food that they need. In Northern China, however, there are cows, and cows are not very hard to capture and kill. This difference in cultures created a more honest group of people in Northern China because they did not have to fight for their food, but northerners did not become as intelligent and crafty as the southerners because they did not learn the skills from the fight for food. As time has gone along, there has also been a division caused by the age of the people of Shenzhen. The “Old Shenzheners” often have experience from living in the countryside which has given them a great appreciation for the food of the city. Meanwhile, “New Shenzheners” do not have these experiences so they are fully immersed in the city lifestyle and think of their food in a much different way.

                In these articles the authors are looking at very different communities, but they are very similar in the ways in which food brings them together. In Cate’s article about prison the inmates are divided based upon their tastes and previous culture, but they were also able to express themselves through the food. In O’Donnell’s article they are united by the areas that they come from as well as their life’s experiences. I found it interesting in prison that something like food could set someone apart through their individual exploits with food, but it could also bring them together and give them a sense of belonging. I also found it interesting that the food of each area of China not only changed the tastes of the people, but it also changed the personality types associated with the groups.