Bizarre Foods and Globalization

As cultures around the world developed in isolation, they developed a taste for certain foods, favoring some over others. Certain foods became delicacies, others were despised or forbidden. A range of factors likely contributed to varied diets worldwide, including native animals and plants in certain regions, the ability to trade and religion. For example, cultures that developed near bodies of water are more likely to include fish in their diets. Cultures lying along major trade routes are exposed to goods from other parts of the world, including foods and spices. And finally, cultures where certain foods are prohibited by religion (ex. cattle in Hinduism or pork in Judaism) fail to incorp0rate certain foods into their diets.

As the world become increasingly interconnected, people are continually exposed to what may be considered 'bizarre foods' from other cultures. I believe that as long as globalization continues, the worldwide trend will favor a decrease in diversity. Only through conscious effort will traditional cultural cooking styles and tastes be preserved in their true forms. This may seem like a stretch, considering that there still remains a high level of diversity in the world, but the world is developing and moving toward more uniform culture at a rapid rate. However, despite the fact that traditional styles, tastes and cultures are threatened by the globalization trend, globalization makes it possible for different parts of the word to share their individual tastes in food with the rest of the world, no matter how bizarre it may be.

-Daniel Uden 4-26-2009