39Development of Humans as Social ActorsAnother adaptive mechanism that is

practiced in most cultures is the creation of food taboos. These are the socially
constructed and accepted prohibitions on the consumption of several food items.
Among the Muslims, the consumption of pork is not allowed, so cattle is one of
their primary sources of meat. In India, on the other hand, cows are venerated, so
consuming beef is considered taboo. According to Marvin Harris, these taboos are
responses to the environmental pressures on food supply in these areas. For
example, the taboo on the consumption of cows in India is rooted on the heavy
drought that the country experienced which made eating the cow impractical as this
animal is low-maintenance (eats grass and not human food), works the farm, and is a
sustainable supply of milk. Hence, to consume cows instead of other animals would
be illogical. Culture is maladaptive. Culture can also cause problems for the
people who subscribe to it. These problems arise when the environment has changed
and culture has remained the same. For example, the “car culture” present in most
societies is getting maladaptive as the environment gets more polluted. In the
Philippines, the car industry remains active despite the economic turmoil it faces
as a developing country. This culture is highly maladaptive given that roads for
vehicles are not wide enough. As such, traffic problems are constant in the country.
However, Filipinos appreciate the value of having cars in the performance of their
economic and personal functions, not to mention the feeling of prestige and sense
of accomplishment that a car brings to its owner. Thus, although considered as
somewhat maladaptive, car ownership is still very much popular in the
Philippines.'JH 5SBöDDPOHFTUJPOJO&%4"4PVSDF
IUUQNBYUFJODPNXQDPOUFOUVQMPBETNBOJMB@USBöDHJGCulture
changes. The final characteristic of culture is that it is never static. This
dynamism of culture is due to the changing needs of humans as they interpret and
survive in their environment. As such, culture is continuously reinvented by
people. From the clothes that we wear to the food that we eat, culture can be seen
as ever changing.