Cultural Differences In America

Cultural Differences and Similarities in Food (Assignment C) Upon leaving their home country, to travel and live within the United States of America, many of those from spanish speaking countries have experienced some form of culture shock, whether it be for something small, like how people greet each other, or something large, like what holidays they celebrate. One of the biggest differences that they might have noticed between their home country and America is the food. Times in which people eat in the morning, noon, and evening could be completely different, as well as the common foods that they eat in certain occasions. Getting used to the food in America may have been difficult for them to comprehend, but they were able to push through and manage to bring their own culture with them. Whether or not they like their food and scheduled eating times more than American food and their scheduled eating times is a mystery waiting to be solved. First off, to crack this differential culture barrier entitled mystery, I interviewed a Spanish speaking student attending Ben Davis University High School on their eating habits. Emily Roman, a fellow
junior student that I interviewed, came from Peru, located on the Northwest coast of South America. Though moving to and living in America for such a long time has affected her life greatly, there are some habits she appeared to stick with, such as how she eats. One thing that Emily explained to me is that she usually ate breakfast from 7 to 8 am, lunch from 2 to 3 pm, and dinner from 6 to 8 pm, she had also noted that the foods she ate during these time were homemade meals. In the morning, she would eat something light, such as a fruit or some bread. When lunch came around, she would eat something that consisted of two plates; the first plate included a soup while the second plate included rice that contained chicken, fish, and more. Finally, when dinner came around, her and her family would eat something light, similar to breakfast, or just the leftovers from lunch. Although she likes American food, Emily would rather enjoy her healthy homemade meals over America’s meals and fast food restaurants, but before I get to America, let’s further investigate into Peru’s eating habits. During my research on the history of food related customs in Peru, I found a lot of interesting differences between Peru’s customs and America’s customs. For one, Peru’s tropically warm weather makes it easier for people to plant and grow more healthy crops for fruits, vegetables, and other nutritional foods. Though America has it’s tropical locations and seasons for healthy foods and crops, it can appear that America is beginning to favor fast food more and more as the years go by, and as prices for healthier foods go up due to crop damage, natural disasters, and so on, the demand for healthier foods go down as Americans resort to cheaper, unhealthy foods. To add on to this, Peruvians tend to their crops more and grow more food than Americans do; in fact, because most American’s are so busy trying to make money and filling up their schedules, they never have time to plant crops like Peruvians do. For two, Peru is on the coast of South America, so more people are accustomed to eating seafood more than beef or pork. This is another healthy contrast that goes against the usual foods of Americans because not all of the US is located near the shore, therefore leaving those that live in more dry areas to resort to beef or pork instead of fish. Peru may have quite a few differences with America in food culture, but they have a lot in common too. One thing that Peru has in common with America in their food culture, is that they are very hospitable. I found that when a guest comes over, according to an article called “Food In Peru”, it is considered to be a “semi-formal occasion” (Advameg, Inc.) where the guest is welcomed with flowers, small gifts, or wine. American’s are held to the same customs, though it may be a more formal than semi-formal occasion, there are many times that they become hospitable in an event, especial if it’s for a get together, meeting, or ceremony. Another food custom that Peru has in common with America is that their snacks are light. Like American’s, Peruvians usually eat something small, such as fruit. Though Americans may occasionally resort to chips and other unhealthy snacks, it’s more usual for them to eat fruits or vegetables if provided. In conclusion, Peru happens to be a more healthy country than the United States of America, but the US is slowly learning to catch up to Peruvians with healthy snacks.
The differences between the two countries include Peru having a more tropical climate, leading them to have more healthy and tropical fruits and crops for vegetables than America, and Peru lined on the coast of South America, leading them to have more seafood than America. The similarities between the two countries include both countries being hospitable during eating times, especially in semiformal and formal occasions, and them both containing healthy snacks. Whether or not America can or will catch up to Peruvians on their everyday healthy ways is another mystery to be solved. But soon enough, they will manage to learn and change their unhealthy eating
ways.

Works Cited
Advameg, Inc. "Peru." Food In Every Country. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
"A Summary of Peru: History, Culture, Religion, Food, and Language."Adventure Life - Custom Tours in South and Central America and Antarctica. From Adventure to Luxury, Tours Include Extraordinary Guides and Travel Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
"Peruvian Food." ADVENTURE LEARNING FOUNDATION = Online Learning Expeditions. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.