You Are What You Eat - Sara

They say you are what you eat.

I would have to agree. I love to cook food from all over the world, and what each culture’s taste buds are accustomed to says almost as much about the culture as their architecture. It reflects the sophistication of their technology, the flora and fauna in their region, their climate, whom they trade with, even their cultural values.

When you think America, you think apple pie. Homemade. Love, comfort, giving. Or, depending on your level of cynicism, you may think of fast food. Many people rely on chains such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell for daily meals. We seek out the familiar, the reliable. We value speed and efficiency. No matter where you are, you will get the same Big Mac in the same three minutes and you will be on your way to your destination with your nourishment conveniently at hand.

Of course, not all Americans are like this. Some seek out organic meat and produce, whole grain breads, or whatever suits their fancy. An entire demographic can be instantly labeled as “crunchy-granola” types. Say that, and everyone will know what kind of person you are talking about. Just by one kind of food they eat. A movement known as the “slow food” movement is entirely devoted to cooking and eating more slowly, the antithesis of the concept of fast food chains. In many countries, meats are slowly cooked in marinades and spices, sometimes for over a day. These countries value doing a job slowly to do it well. For simple energy, food reflects so much more.

I, personally, love to cook. Many people do. What began as simply sustenance, fuel if you will, evolved into an art. Food tastes good when you cook it certain ways or add certain ingredients. We like food with lots of fat and sugar because when we were just evolving and food was just food, fat and sugar were both hard to come by and gave you energy. You’d need that fat for winter, or that precious sugar rush if you woke up a sleeping cave bear.

But there are no cave bears now. We continue to pursue different tastes in different cultures. But why does peanut butter taste good with jelly? Is it simply because we are used to peanut butter being served with jelly? Why do different people like different things? Something as simple as “I don’t like tomatoes”. Every cook has to ask, why?

I believe the answer is both in our DNA as humans, and in our culture. Scorpions on a stick seems strange to Americans, but in China they are common. In the pursuit of the perfect taste, people from around the world from different societies take food in incredibly different directions. Not simply because of available ingredients, now that we live in a world of imports and exports, but because of our cultural influences. Some foods are regarded as sacred, while others are forbidden because of religion. We prepare things differently, we think differently about what we eat. Some people eat lamb kabobs happily, while others shudder at the thought of meat. What we eat is more than the calories we get. What we eat is who we are.