I thought you were going underground. Anyway, there is a lot on the cultural aspect of eating (since I dare say that this is one area that is the slowest to change when a group moves to a different location). An excellent resource on this is Food and Culture by Kittler & Sucher.
As to breast feeding - yes there are huge cultural differences. American women are typically less likely to breast feed and also breast feed for a shorter period of time than women in many other places. Plump babies, though, are not just an American preference - you see a preference for this in a number of cultures (because it means the child is getting enough food). michael sylvester wrote: >It is one thing to research on the psychology of eating in the U.S with mostly white subjects and quite another >to understand the factors in the panorama of eating through out the world.Research on eating is too U.S centric to assume that results can be validated throughout. Americans( within the continental U.S) seem to lack the ability to discriminate on a variety of gustatory factors.When they are unable to discriminate detween various flavors they say >"it tastes like chicken." The "taste like chicken " response probably influences consumption levels.As the only cross-cultural dude on Tips,I have observed that some people here have problems in describing the tastes of mangoes,plantains,and tamarinds. And of course there is the "not too spicy" command.What some people dubbed spicy like diluted tabasco is a joke.Real hot stuff will put one's lungs on fire. > Research on the psychology of eating fails to take into account homeostatic factors of different subjects >prior to experimentation.There must also be consideration of the eating modality; for example in some cultures,the salad is eaten after the main course(which seems politically nutritionally correct) whereas in the U.S the rabbit food is given first. > But probably what could be influential is the the role of a behavioral history of breast feeding and its subsequent >impact on eating behavior throughout the adult phases.Formula feeding is predominant in the U.S whereas in the majority of cultures.breast feeding predominates. Those two models can have differential effects on subsequent >eating behavior.U.S parents tend to think that a fat baby is a healthy baby,hence babis are forced to gobble down all the contents of the whole bottle which contains sweet succulent ingredients.On the other hand breast feeding is timely,is nutritionally enhancing,and sets the early conditioning not to over indulge because of the limited amount >of limited breast milk at any given time.With formula feeding there are no limits. > Anyway,I understand that the best ice cream is in Florence,Italy. > >Send me something. > >Michael Sylvester,PhD >Deep down in Florida >--- >To make changes to your subscription contact: > >Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) ---------------------------------- Deb Dr. Deborah S. Briihl Dept. of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University 229-333-5994 dbri...@valdosta.edu --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
