Anthropology
and fine cuisine aren't usually travelling
companions, but to Mark Miller, the two
are
Obviously, whether you are Tlingit, Thai or Texan, you
have to eat. And given that eating is a necessary and often pleasurable part of everyone's life food distribution is a fundamental job that every society must get done.
It isn't surprising, then, that among many of the
peoples of the world, personal prestige and status
are expressed in food related practices. Kings give feasts,
village festivals celebrate the harvest,
and foods are deemed worthy offerings to the gods.
Miller believes that European cultural values dominated
"The food we eat,"
says Miller, "is a reflection on our
relationship with our natural
Is food the universal language?
inextricably related. He long ago
left academia, but he still considers
himself a teacher. Most of all, he emphasizes
the richness and diversity
of the world's many cuisines.
He is especially
interested in the native culinary culture of the
New World.
American restaurants until recently.
But today, Americans are
more open to the foods of the whole world, which often
have bold flavors and a wider selection of source
plants and animals. Americans are now more confident
and now seem determined to define their own sets
of status values relating to eating.
environment." He emphasizes
that many traditional societies had healthier, often low-fat
diets
and often existed in a more sustainable relationship with
their environment.
Not exactly--while
we share physiology with other humans, our subjective experiences
and the values we derive from them are based upon
our cultural beliefs about eating and food.
By learning more about the
foods and culinary practices of other cultures and traditions
we can enjoy a healthier and more interesting life
ourselves.
Unfortunately, along with so many other kinds of
diversity that
are threatened in our homogenizing world,
the culinary elements of the world's cultures have suffered
decline since the advent of colonialism.
Much of the
knowledge of how traditional societies procured and
prepared their foods has been lost in the
rush toward modernity. Mark Miller believes that
fine restaurants can serve a role for educating the
public on the possibilities of flavor., and at the same
time, he believes he can contribute to the understanding,
and the preservation of this precious knowledge.
