Introduction
Our theme is the world food. We investigate the difference in culture by the area and the relation between food culture and religion. We think that we would like to deepen cross-cultural understanding through this. “Food” is connected very as closely as “every day”. “Food” is widely common even to a race which lives in the upcountry of a jungle from a major nation like U.S.. Therefore, searching about food leads to understanding exotic culture more deeply.
Various food cultures
Various food cultures exist in the world. For example, curries culture in India district and don’t eat pork from a religious reason. We stated like this: “Food” is widely common even to a race which lives in the upcountry of a jungle from a major nation like U.S.. Change a view…Since there are many kinds of them, there is many confrontation. Here, two examples are mainly described. These are dog meat culture and whale meat culture.
Dog meat culture: Although a dog is a pet for us, the culture which eats this exists. It existed in the world widely far a long time ago. Although it declined bordering on the Meiji Restoration in Japan, surely it existed before it. It still remains in a part of China or Vietnam. If this is seen from the person of a foreign country, the person has a very bad feeling. Other people think the person who eats a dog as "a crazy person".
Whale meat culture: This is the culture once prosperous in Japan. Since the number of whales decreased by overhunting, it was regulated in the Washington Convention. There is a law which forbids offer of whale meat in the U.S..(Marine Mammal Protection Act). Moreover, although it was not a whale, signs that Japan had overhunted the dolphin were described by movie The Cove. Thereby, Japan was criticized considerably including the affair of a whale.
These are confrontation of the food culture. A lack of understanding to exotic food culture is a major factor. We need to turn concern to the world.
The relation between food and religion
We will describe the relation between food and religion. There are various religions in the world. Various rules about food are defined in Buddhism, Jainism, Islam religion, Hinduism, Judaism. First, the meat diet is forbidden in a part of Buddhism, Jainism, and the Islam religion. Therefore, people of such religion are vegetarians in many cases, and often eat a Shojin ryouri even now. The main materials of this are the vegetables, the pulses, the grains. Second, there is a custom called the Ramadan in the Islam religion. This prohibit a meal between one of the interval of the sunset from the sunrise in a month equal to September of the Hijra calendar. This is a religious trial for Muslim.
These are unfamiliar for us who are Japanese. Because globalization advances as of now, more understanding about the food and religion is needed. I would like to introduce the collision relevant to the food and religion. In 2000, the Japanese presidents of the Indonesia local corporation of a major food company "Ajinomoto" were arrested on suspicion of violation of consumer-protection law for using the enzyme of the pork which it is prohibited to Muslim eating by the process of manufacture. About 90 percent of the Indonesia people are Muslim(those days). This is caused by using the extract of the pork. For Islam society which shows a very sensitive reaction to pork, possibly this incident developed into anti-japanese movement. Therefore, this incident was giving a lesson for the Japanese company which has the local companies in the word. Thus, food and religion are very important themes in modern society and when we respect the culture of a foreign country, they are indispensable.
―Shojin ryouri.―
https://kougenji-tanba.or.jp/ryouri/ https://tyuugoku2.at.webry.info/200406/article16.html/
After plan
We will interview focusing on a classmate and a foreign student from now on and hear the opinion of the people of various countries.