(Response 1 of 5) Introduction: Food in Multi-Ethnic Literatures
by Anna
In the introduction of Food in Multi-Ethnic Literatures, authors Fred L. Gardaphe and Wenying Xu establish the concept of “…food as a cultural sign that participates in the representations of race, ethnicity, gender, class, nationality, and exile.” (10) They note that throughout the history of the United States, food has been used as a tool to encourage and enforce assimilation, and that foods from immigrant cultures signified “ethnic inferiority.” (9) However, they also cite writers who view food as a way of expressing pride in their culture and identity.
