"Food for her is not food, it is terror, dignity, gratitude, vengeance, joyfulness, humiliation, religion, history, and, of course, love." - Jonathan Safran Foer

As another long neglected post topic…

Food ranks second to dance in importance, and is debatably more critical to my survival.  I have no future as a chef, but my love of food is still unparalleled.  Luckily, the ritual of eating frequently comes under the gaze of anthropology. 

Throughout my travels, meals have been one of the most beneficial social learning experiences.  At the table, (around the fire, on the couch, on the floor,) you quickly learn do’s and don’ts of cultural eating.

In France, one of my best learning experiences was a dinner in Strasbourg.  

A Japanese classmate invited me to a house-party dinner with some of her coworkers.  The meal was Fondue bourguignon, courtesy of an elderly French chef she had met in the supermarket.  Fondue lends itself well to a social atmosphere, as it doesn’t require just one chef.  It is cooked and consumed simultaneously by everyone at the table.  This being said, it is easy to find yourself eating for six straight hours.  During that time, I learned a lot about the rituals of Fondue, shared meals, and hospitality in France.

1.    1. Not a shocker, everyone contributes something to a dinner.  More often than not, ‘something’ is a bottle of wine.

2.    2. If there is food, its ‘faux pas’ not to keep eating until its gone.  Even if it takes significant time.

3.    3. Unique to fondue bourguignon; if you drop your meat in the oil, you are open to a dare from the other guests.  (Even adults play truth or dare.)

4.     4.The relaxed atmosphere of food and wine open the room up to honest conversation, the best time to learn from participant observation.

Of course, this blog is about JAPAN.  (Don’t worry, I didn’t forget).  So, when I came here, I was happy to find that there is a similarly useful shared meal- Japanese Nabe or Nabemono.  (Nabe meaning cooking pot, mono meaning things.)  Traditionally, Nabe or Shabu Shabu is eaten during the winter, around a kotatsu table with family or friends.  Clay or iron pots can be used on a gas heater, allowing everyone to sit around the pot and share the cooking.   Since I don't live with a host family, this is one of the best opportunities to experience Japanese meals.  Going to Nabe parties with Japanese friends, I began to draw comparisons with other shared meals.

While arguably, American rituals (oxymoron?), like summer barbeques involve social bonding, Nabe meals are significantly more intimate.  Sitting on the floor, sharing food from the same pot, eating and cooking in tandem, you get the feeling of a smaller, closer community.  There are of course, many types of Nabe, so it appeals to almost any setting or food preference.  To my unrefined understanding, it could be ‘whatever you throw in the pot,’ but watching my Japanese friends deftly prepare, I know that this isn’t quite doing the process justice.  Here is a better description of the process

http://www.bento.com/rf_nabe.html

It’s regional, its preferential… it’s cultural.  You can learn a lot about how people eat what they eat… while they eat.  Food as a mediator of social dynamics?  It's a damn good excuse to study anyway.

べつばら

Process

Kimchi Nabe