Colors of India
The Colors of India “Taste is colored not just by the gustatory properties of the food itself, but its smell, sound, and appearance as well as by expectations… (Len Tiu Wright, 1).”
In India, every corner turned is a plunge into cultural diversity. The people, the landscape, the aroma-infused air; to us it seems so exotic, but most of them probably don’t think twice about their divergent surroundings. That’s because, “while in India, living with cultural diversity is living in an environment that allows you to breathe and therefore slips in your consciousness without making a splash (Deshpande).” As an outsider, you might initially think everyone looks and therefore is the same, but really everything from their daily routines to their elaborate religious practices are quite complex. Social stratification, called the caste system, governs this complexity. Even if the diversity of the people isn’t immediately apparent to you, their cuisine will be. Full of different flavors, smells, colors, and of course tastes, Indian food is one of the most distinct that there is. I recently tried Indian food for the first time and it immediately captivated all my senses. Because it is a rather foreign concept to most and can be quite a complicated process, I will use this report to highlight some of its key features to hopefully shed some light on this exceptional culture.
To fully appreciate the Indian culture, you must first understand it. As I mentioned earlier, the caste system is the axis on their wheel of culture. The majority religion in India is Hindu, which justifies dividing society into castes, or birth-ascribed groups with a traditional occupation and set social status. This is because Hindus believe in reincarnation, in which the only way individuals can change their rank in society is through rebirth into another caste. To be reborn into a more privileged class, members of society must first pay their dues in their current rank and live a morally correct life
In India, every corner turned is a plunge into cultural diversity. The people, the landscape, the aroma-infused air; to us it seems so exotic, but most of them probably don’t think twice about their divergent surroundings. That’s because, “while in India, living with cultural diversity is living in an environment that allows you to breathe and therefore slips in your consciousness without making a splash (Deshpande).” As an outsider, you might initially think everyone looks and therefore is the same, but really everything from their daily routines to their elaborate religious practices are quite complex. Social stratification, called the caste system, governs this complexity. Even if the diversity of the people isn’t immediately apparent to you, their cuisine will be. Full of different flavors, smells, colors, and of course tastes, Indian food is one of the most distinct that there is. I recently tried Indian food for the first time and it immediately captivated all my senses. Because it is a rather foreign concept to most and can be quite a complicated process, I will use this report to highlight some of its key features to hopefully shed some light on this exceptional culture.
To fully appreciate the Indian culture, you must first understand it. As I mentioned earlier, the caste system is the axis on their wheel of culture. The majority religion in India is Hindu, which justifies dividing society into castes, or birth-ascribed groups with a traditional occupation and set social status. This is because Hindus believe in reincarnation, in which the only way individuals can change their rank in society is through rebirth into another caste. To be reborn into a more privileged class, members of society must first pay their dues in their current rank and live a morally correct life
Bibliography: Amrith, Sunil (2008). Food and Welfare in India, c. 1900–1950. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 50, pp 1010-1035 doi:10.1017/S001041750800042X Deshpande, Shekhar. (1996, May). UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM: Cultural Diversity, Indian Style. Little India, 6(5), 62. Retrieved April 7, 2011, from Ethnic NewsWatch (ENW). Len Tiu Wright, Clive Nancarrow, Pamela M.H. Kwok, (2001) "Food taste preferences and cultural influences on consumption", British Food Journal, Vol. 103 Iss: 5, pp.348 – 357 Mintz, Sidney. 1985. Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History. New York: Penguin. Roseberry, William. 1996. The Rise of Yuppie Coffees and the Reimagination of Class in the United States. American Anthropologist 98(4): 762-775 http://www.food-india.com/indianCuisine/index.htm http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/india-country-profile.html http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/India.html