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Lecture 13 4 Feb. 2016
ANTHROPOLOGY OF NUTRITION
SOUTH PACIFIC
FOOD CHOICES
Food selection variously based on:
•
Family decisions about what to eat
•
women on the roster as cook
•
in some communities women not allowed
to cook if menstruating
Food choices also based on:
•
coordination between cook and harvesters
•
immediately upon harvesting the food is
replanted
Food selection variously based on:
primary
secondary
fall back foods
primary
Tahiti taro, breadfruit
Ocean
coconuts
secondary
bananas
none
fall
back
sweet
potato
none
TASTE-WHO LIKES WHAT?
SAMOAN PEOPLE
LIKE BREADFRUIT UNDERRIPE SINCE DO
NOT LIKE SWEET
TRUK PEOPLE
LIKE POPOI (FERMENTED BREADFRUIT)
A DELICACY – CAN VARY ACIDITY TO TASTE
BY ADDING MORE OF LESS FRESH
BREADFRUIT
ANTHROPOLOGICAL DEFINITION OF
TASTE IS LARGELY BASED ON WHAT WE
KNOW
BITTER
SWEET
SOUR
SALT
BUT YET POLYNESIAN WORD FOR SALTY IS
“MASI”
ACTUALLY REFERS TO FOODS FERMENTED
IN PITS
WHAT EVER GOVERNS FOOD CHOICES ONE WANTS TO TRY
TO MEET THE SIX DIETARY PRINCIPLES
VARIETY
PLANTS- MANY DIFFERENT STARCH
FOODS
ON ATOLLS –LIMITED RANGE OF FOODVARIETY IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT
VARIETY IN PART BROUGHT ON BY:
SEASONAL FOODS SUCH AS BREADFRUIT
WESTERNERS LIKE CAPTAIN COOK
LEAVING VARIOUS SEEDS
ONLY PUMPKINS, MELONS AND
PINEAPPLES WERE SUCCESSFUL
AMONG THE SEEDS LEFT
VARIED INVENTORY CAN BE STORED
VARIETY IS A FORM OF INSURANCE
THIS IS IMPORTANT IN TIMES OF
HURRICANE OR STORM
MODERATION
THERE IS AN EXPRESSION IN THE SOUTH
PACIFIC
“EAT WHILE YOU SEE IT”
OBVIOUSLY THERE WOULD BE TIMES OF
FOOD SHORTAGE IN CONTRAST TO
NORTH AMERICA
Large amounts of food prepared for Tonga
Chiefs
Lots of work went into the preparation of such
meals
Believed that a well fed form was a symbol of
strength
A well fed chief was a symbol of a prosperous
society
Also if people are well fed people and the visitors
are well fed then it is an indication that the visitors
are well looked after
Is this concept universal?
Seasonal variation in food supply leads to gorging
However, food is less nutrient dense and must
eat more energy to get sufficient nutrients
Factors affecting food choices in the South
Pacific
-food classification
-factors at the household and community
must be taken into account
-social and biological factors