Cultural Diversity: Eating in America
Asian
HYG-5253-95
Patti Hill
Confucius said, "A man cannot be too serious about his eating, for food is the force that binds society together." This statement summarizes the importance of food in the Asian culture. Preparation is meticulous, and consumption is ceremonious and deliberate. Two key elements draw the diverse cultures of the Asian region together: 1) the composition of meals (emphasis on vegetables and rice, relatively little meat); and 2) cooking techniques.
Description of Region
Asian-Americans have emigrated from the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Korea, and Japan. The religions they practice include Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Shinto (Japanese only). A large number of native Filipinos are Roman Catholic. The Vietnamese, Laotian, and Hmong cultures are discussed in separate fact sheets.
Food Habits and Their Relationships to Dietary Guidelines
Most Asians living in America adhere to a traditional Asian diet interspersed with American foods, particularly breads and cereals. Dairy products are not consumed in sufficient quantity, except for ice cream. Calcium is consumed through tofu and small fish (bones eaten). Fish, pork, and poultry comprise the main proteins. Significant amounts of nuts and dried beans are also eaten. Vegetables and fruits make up a large part of their food intake. Rice is the mainstay of the diet and is commonly eaten at every meal.
Eating Practices, Food Preferences and Food Preparation Techniques
A typical day's menu might include:
Breakfast-hot cereal, bread, fruit juice, soy milk, fruit, nuts, rice
Lunch-rice or bread with vegetables or fruits
Dinner-rice, vegetable soup mixed with tofu, vegetables, fish or meat
Thai food is generally spicy, hot, and high in sodium. Hot peppers are used daily.
The Japanese are very concerned about the visual appeal of the food and the "separateness" of the foods and tastes. Garlic and hot pepper are not common ingredients.
Koreans make kimchee in October or November for use throughout the winter. Kimchee is cabbage marinated in salt water, layered with peppers and spices in crockery, and left to ferment through November and December. Kimchee is eaten with every meal.
Asian food preparation techniques include stir-frying, barbecuing, deep-frying, boiling, and steaming. All ingredients are carefully prepared (chopped, sliced, etc.) prior to starting the cooking process.
Teaching Implications
Bowing is important, but most Asian-Americans will shake hands. Bowing is a gesture similar to waving.
The elderly, children, and pregnant women are held in high esteem.
Most Japanese women in the United States breastfeed their babies. Thai women usually breastfeed their children up to age two. Many Korean parents bottle-feed their babies. New Korean mothers eat seaweed soup for the first month after delivery; the soup is believed to cleanse the blood.
Positive health factors related to diet include: low incidence of heart disease, bowel cancer and breast cancer.
Major diet-related diseases or concerns include stomach cancer and lactose intolerance.
Customs and Family Traditions
New Year's Day is the major holiday of the year. It is generally the only holiday that work days are taken as vacation. Asian clients tend to use American holiday breaks to travel.
Summary
Because of the diverse cultures within the Asian region, specific cultural customs should be addressed when programs are arranged.
Cultural Diversity: Eating in America
Cultural diversity is a major issue in American eating. To fully understand the impact cultures play in American nutrition, one must study both food and culture.
This fact sheet on the Asian culture is one of a series of nine developed to address cultural diversity in American eating.
This fact sheet is designed as an awareness tool for a novice working with a cultural group previously unknown to them. Given the nature of the variations that exist in each cultural group (i.e. socio-economic status, religion, age, education, social class, location, length of time in the United States, and location of origin) caution needs to be taken not to generalize or imply that these characteristics apply to all individuals of a cultural group. This fact sheet was designed primarily for use in Northeastern Ohio, but may stimulate awareness of differences in these cultural groups in other parts of the country. The goal of this fact sheet is to assist a novice educator in reducing any cultural barriers that may inhibit education. The author strongly recommends continued reading and additional research into the cultural groups in which you work.
Street basketball
This world every corner of the so-types who kitted music, wild plants, all in the head sweat, as if created on the fly in search of a dream, there is a big soul, they Street player, a group will dissolve in one of the smart basketball.
Street basketball development today has become a popular global particularly by young people who campaign anywhere in the world, you will see 3,322 children imitate their idols in the hearts and wear clothes hiphop style campaign signature shoes and stars, chasing a basketball, but also dream.
However the origin and development of street basketball is like this process is not sunshine. As the birthplace of basketball and the street for figurines, the African Americans in the 1950s initially only slum in its own backyard or open space, build a rudimentary basketball goal posts and do not know what to do when leisure materials basketball as a loving and hate. By the 1970s, mostly because of the life and dissatisfaction with the government's inherent musical talent, Hiphop-species known as the free, creative style evolved, and spread rapidly from country to the black slums. Its main elements include : dances, songs ourselves, graffiti on walls and around a dish.
Difference with the formal basketball competitions in street ball matches, players on the specific movements restrictions should be more flexible, you can often see in video player carrying the ball in the walk, kick ball (ball deliberately feet), there are many other seemingly some of the rules movements, which are relatively normal, because of street performances and recreational basketball attention, Sometimes it can be relatively free of rules and arbitrary.
I loved Street ball, because I love young vitality and unrestrained happiness. I like to put their own understanding into street ball move freely in front of us display their creativity. I aspire to become the basketball court, the focus for everyone's eyes I was less than 1.80 that the person is attractive. Street ball to me is my understanding, I hope and I also love street ball friends to join the young, whether you try to ,Just do it! and show yourself~
Pandas
Giant pandas are black-and-white Chinese bears that are on the verge of extinction. These large, cuddly-looking mammals have a big head, a heavy body, rounded ears, and a short tail.
The Chinese people call the panda "Da xiong mao," which means "giant bear cat" in Chinese. The panda is a symbol of peace in China.
This bear is quite different from other bears. It has unusual cat-like eyes, and its front paws have an opposable "thumb."
Female pandas are called sows, males are called boars, and the young are called cubs.
EYES
Most bears' eyes have round pupils. The exception is the giant panda, whose pupils are vertical slits, like cats' eyes. These unusual eyes inspired the Chinese to call the panda the "giant cat bear."
Pandas have very good eyesight.
What can we do to protect the giant pandas?
As more and more green trees and bamboos are cut down, the giant pandas have fewer and fewer food to eat. And some hunters hunt giant pandas for their fur, so the giant pandas are in trouble.
But what could we do to protect the giant pandas? First of all, we could establish nature conservation areas. Secondly, don’t buy clothes made of fur. Last but not least, we had better not cut down or prevent others from cutting down the bamboos so that the giants will have enough food to it. Through our joint effort, I think the giant pandas will lead a better life.
May Day
During May day,I went to Shanghai with my family.We all fell in love with it at the moment we saw it.Shanghai is really a beautiful city!There are many tall buildings and trees!There are also many flowers,it makes Shanghai look like a nice garden!If I have oppotunities to visit Shanghai again,I will be very happy!
i go to beijing yerstoday.i see great wall and so on .i'm very happy because i see a old red man. he is 95 years old.i like him because he tel our many story.
go to beijing yerstoday.i see great wall and so on .i'm very happy because i see a old red man. he is 95 years old.i like him because he tel our many story.
During May day,I went to Shanghai with my family.We all fell in love with it at the moment we saw it.Shanghai is really a beautiful city!There are many tall buildings and trees!There are also many flowers,it makes Shanghai look like a nice garden!If I have oppotunities to visit Shanghai again,I will be very happy!