Group 8 :

Nia Andari Cintani (3062012005)

Muhammad Tegar Maulana (3062012017)
Course : Cross Cultural Understanding
Lecturer : Yulieda Hermaniar, M.Pd

Eating Habit and Food

What is Eating Habit?

The term Eating Habits (or food habits ) refers to why and how people eat, which foods they eat, and
with whom they eat, as well as the ways people obtain, store, use, and discard food. Individual, social,
cultural, religious, economic, environmental, and political factors all influence people's eating habits.

Why are people around the world have different Eating Habit?

People all over the World have different eating habits. The kind of food that they consume depends on
the region in which they live and also what the country produces. It differs because of the ethnic
differences and/or developed different cultures or religions, the Climate, weather, temperatures, terrain
and soil. and also because of availability of the raw product they have. Food habits of people depend
upon the availability of food, personal likes and dislikes and most importantly, production of the kind of
food in a particular area. Like different cooking styles and cooking tools they use to make the foods.
Which lead people to select, consume, and use certain foods or diets, in response to their social and
cultural influences.

Why and How People Eat?

All humans eat to survive. They also eat to express appreciation, for a sense of belonging, as part of
family customs, and for self-realization. For example, someone who is not hungry may eat a piece of
cake that has been baked in his or her honor. People eat according to learned behaviors regarding
etiquette, meal and snack patterns, acceptable foods, food combinations, and portion
sizes. Etiquette refers to acceptable behaviors. For example, for some groups it is acceptable to lick one's
fingers while eating, while for other groups this is rude behavior. Etiquette and eating rituals also vary
depending on whether the meal is formal, informal, or special (such as a meal on a birthday or religious
holiday). A common eating pattern is three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) per day, with snacks
between meals. The components of a meal vary across cultures, but generally include grains, such as
rice or noodles; meat or a meat substitute, such as fish, beans, or tofu ; and accompaniments, such as
vegetables.
What People Eat?

In each culture there are both acceptable and unacceptable foods, though this is not determined by
whether or not something is edible. For example, alligators exist in many parts of the world, but they are
unacceptable as food by many persons. Likewise, horses, turtles, and dogs are eaten (and even
considered a delicacy) in some cultures, though they are unacceptable food sources in other cultures.
There are also rules concerning with whom it is appropriate to eat. For example, doctors in a health
facility may eat in areas separate from patients or clients.

Cultural Influences

A cultural group provides guidelines regarding acceptable foods, food combinations, eating patterns,
and eating behaviors. Compliance with these guidelines creates a sense of identity and belonging for the
individual. Within large cultural groups, subgroups exist that may practice variations of the group's
eating behaviors, though they are still considered part of the larger group. For example, a
hamburger, French fries, and a soda are considered a typical American meal. Vegetarians in the United
States, however, eat "veggie-burgers" made from mashed beans, pureed vegetables, or soy, and people
on diets may eat a burger made from lean turkey. In the United States these are appropriate cultural
substitutions, but a burger made from horsemeat would be unacceptable.

Social Influences

Members of a social group depend on each other, share a common culture, and influence each other's
behaviors and values. A person's membership in particular peer, work, or community groups impacts
food behaviors. For example, a young person at a soccer game may eat certain foods when
accompanied by friends and other foods when accompanied by his or her teacher.

Religious Influences

Religious proscriptions range from a few to many, from relaxed to highly restrictive. This will affect a
follower's food choices and behaviors. For example, in some religions specific foods are prohibited, such
as pork among Jewish and Muslim adherents. Within Christianity, the Seventh-day Adventists discourage
"stimulating" beverages such as alcohol, which is not forbidden among Catholics.

Economic Influences

Money, values, and consumer skills all affect what a person purchases. The price of a food, however, is
not an indicator of its nutritional value. Cost is a complex combination of a food's availability, status, and
demand.
Environmental Influences

The influence of the environment on food habits derives from a composite of ecological and social
factors. Foods that are commonly and easily grown within a specific region frequently become a part of
the local cuisine. However, modern technology, agricultural practices, and transportation methods have
increased the year-round availability of many foods, and many foods that were previously available only
at certain seasons or in specific areas are now available almost anywhere, at any time.

Political Influences

Political factors also influence food availability and trends. Food laws and trade agreements affect what
is available within and across countries, and also affect food prices. Food labeling laws determine what
consumers know about the food they purchase.

Major Differences between Western and Eastern foods

When we think of western diets, we think of steaks, burgers and fries while we normally associate
eastern cuisine with rice, fish and soups. While there are many similarities between western and eastern
cooking, there are several distinct differences that keep them on opposite ends of the cultural spectrum.
Many of us find ourselves wavering between the two extremes and end up with a mixture of western
and eastern in our diets. Western and eastern cultures may have a lot of differences, but they both
share a love for good food and family gatherings around the dinner table. So while there may be some
superficial differences between how each cuisine is prepared, they are both fundamentally serving the
same social purpose of bringing people together around a meal.

1. Serving size

One of the most noticeable differences between western and eastern food is serving size. Compared
with traditional eastern dishes, western serving sizes are much larger and sizes that are considered
larger in eastern cultures appear only regular sized to westerners. Larger serving sizes in western
societies are part of the reason why westerners have higher rates of obesity and heart disease than
those living in eastern countries. A common criticism of western diets is that we eat too much, too
often, while eastern cuisine is considered much lighter while still being filling.

2. Ingredients

Many of the main ingredients in most western dishes are missing from around 70% of eastern dishes
and this is true of eastern cuisine as well. In western dishes, meat is used in much larger proportions
than in eastern ones. In eastern cooking, meat is only part of the entire meal while in western cooking;
meat is the star of the show. Think about how many western dishes are just big slabs of meat on a plate,
surrounded by some light salad that you can easily ignore. Eastern dishes are far more of a mix between
meat and vegetables, and arguably provide better nutrition. Eastern cuisine also uses rice in far more
versatile ways that in western cuisine, which treats rice as more of side dish. If western dishes use rice at
all, it’s because they are making an eastern-inspired dish whereas rice is a mainstay of many eastern
cultural diets. In western cooking, rice is often treated the same way as steamed vegetables and mashed
potatoes. To contrast this, most eastern meals aren’t complete without rice. Sometimes noodles can
replace rice, but many recipes will incorporate both ingredients if it can.

3. Seasoning

Western cooking puts a great deal of emphasis on the use of seasonings and condiments. All western
eating establishments have a wide array of sauces and seasonings including ketchup, gravy and mustard.
Eastern food uses its fair share of seasoning as well, including basil, cinnamon, cilantro, coriander,
cloves, lemongrass, garlic and ginger to name a few. Eastern cuisine also uses many sweet sauces, like
soy sauce, in a lot of its dishes.

4. Flavours

In western cuisine there is an emphasis placed on looking for ingredients that “pair” with each other.
This means that western dishes seek to create a controlled flavour palate that is very similar from start
to finish. This approach is flipped on its head in eastern cuisine, which seeks to combine as many
different and contrasting flavours as possible. This is why so many people find eastern dishes to be a
vibrant mix of flavour sensations that keeps them coming back for more.

5. National differences

While western and eastern cuisine can be compared rather broadly, both can be broken up into
hundreds of different cultural regions and national identities. For example, Italian cuisine is very well-
defined while the differences between different regions of China can be more chaotic.
In many ways, eastern cuisine is more fluid in its differences from region to region while western cuisine
is a little more rigidly defined. However, eastern cuisine is just a strongly defined between large cultural
groups, such as the differences between Thai and Japanese cuisine.
With that said, many eastern restaurants will serve more than one cultural cuisine. Combinations of
Chinese and Vietnamese, or Thai and Singaporean are commonplace as chefs can transfer their skills
between the cuisines very easily.