Note

Lecture 13 3 Feb. 2015

ANTHROPOLOGY OF NUTRITION

SOUTH PACIFIC

FOOD CHOICES

Food selection variously based on:

• Family decisions about what to eat

• women on the roster as cook

• in some communities women not allowedto cook if menstruating

Food choices also based on:

• coordination between cook and harvesters

• immediately upon harvesting the food is replanted

Food selection variously based on:

primarysecondaryfall back foods

primary secondary fall back

Tahiti taro, breadfruit bananas sweet potato

Ocean coconuts none none

TASTE-WHO LIKES WHAT?

SAMOAN PEOPLE

LIKE BREADFRUIT UNDERRIPE SINCE DONOT LIKE SWEET

TRUK PEOPLE

LIKE POPOI (FERMENTED BREADFRUIT)A DELICACY – CAN VARY ACIDITY TO TASTE BY ADDING MORE OF LESS FRESHBREADFRUIT

ANTHROPOLOGICAL DEFINITION OF TASTE IS LARGELY BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW

BITTERSWEETSOURSALT

BUT YET POLYNESIAN WORD FOR SALTY IS “MASI”

ACTUALLY REFERS TO FOODS FERMENTED IN PITS

WHAT EVER GOVERNS FOOD CHOICES ONE WANTS TO TRY TO MEET THE SIX DIETARY PRINCIPLES

VARIETY

PLANTS- MANY DIFFERENT STARCH FOODS

ON ATOLLS –LIMITED RANGE OF FOOD-VARIETY IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT

VARIETY IN PART BROUGHT ON BY:

SEASONAL FOODS SUCH AS BREADFRUIT

WESTERNERS LIKE CAPTAIN COOKLEAVING VARIOUS SEEDS

ONLY PUMPKINS, MELONS AND PINEAPPLES WERE SUCCESSFUL AMONG THE SEEDS LEFT

VARIED INVENTORY CAN BE STORED

VARIETY IS A FORM OF INSURANCE

THIS IS IMPORTANT IN TIMES OF HURRICANE OR STORM 

MODERATION

THERE IS AN EXPRESSION IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

“EAT WHILE YOU SEE IT”

OBVIOUSLY THERE WOULD BE TIMES OF FOOD SHORTAGE IN CONTRAST TONORTH AMERICA

Large amounts of food prepared for TongaChiefs

Lots of work went into the preparation of such meals

Believed that a well fed form was a symbol of strength

A well fed chief was a symbol of a prosperoussociety

Also if people are well fed people and the visitors are well fed then it is an indication that the visitors are well looked after

Is this concept universal?

Seasonal variation in food supply leads to gorging

However, food is less nutrient dense and musteat more energy to get sufficient nutrients

Factors affecting food choices in the South Pacific

-food classification

-factors at the household and communitymust be taken into account

-social and biological factors