Tag Archives: food choice

Food choice from Social Norm

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Part of a social norm in my country is eating out. Compared to the States where there’s a lot of food chains and indoor restaurant, many of Malaysia’s food are sold on the streets (night markets and stalls) and open air restaurants. One of our favorite is to go to ‘Mamak’, usually run by immigrants from India or Bangladesh. They’re mostly popular for ‘roti canai’, a dough flipped on air with lots of oil involved (much like tossed pizza) and varieties of curries to enjoy it with. We prefer mamak because they are so cheap, they’re more accessible, and never boring. It has become part of our culture; teenagers go to mamak to hang out after soccer game, families go there to enjoy Indian foods, and blue collar workers go for their quick and cheap lunch. Another trademark of mamak is ‘teh tarik’, a super sweet milk tea.

The societal issue that comes with the introduction of mamak restaurants is the public health issue. These restaurants are usually open-air, close to open roads and in between busy buildings. The foods are also cooked in open kitchen, usually by someone without proper hygienic outfits. Food contamination is a big risk to our health, but still many people choose to eat at mamak rather than eating at home. Not just that, teh tarik and other sweet options at mamak has put Malaysia as the most obese country in Asia. We put sugar and fat on everything! Other than that, if mamak becomes more preferred, less and less households will choose to cook, thus decreasing the nutrinional and social value of a home-cooked meal. I belief we should make it a social norm in Malaysia to start planting vegetables or fruit plants again. That way people are encouraged to cook and eat healthier and at the same time teaching the younger generations to appreciate the work that goes into providing food and nutrition.

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Kyle Hoke – Food Choices

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1. When it comes to the choice of foods that I eat, I draw on my upbringing to see where my habits come from. Growing up, I would spend most days during the summer with my grandmother while my father was at work. My grandmother grew up on a family farm so she was used to eating fresh fruits and vegetables. She made sure my sister and I ate our fair share as well. To this day, eating fresh fruits is better than candy to me. This results in my food choice being very conscious to the freshness of produce I get. The social norm here is a family one. Eating fresh and organic (before “organic” became a trendy word, since it was literally the only option on my grandmother’s farm) was the norm when my grandmother was growing up. I am lucky because she passed on these eating habits to me.

2. One major issue with choosing to eat fresh produce is sustainable consumption. Many of the fruits at grocery stores are mass produced and shipped from other countries, racking up the food miles discussed in the module. I would not consider myself a full on locavore, because often it can be too difficult or expensive to obtain locally grown produce, especially during the harsh winter months here in Pennsylvania. However, when available I prefer local produce from farmer’s markets. Nutrition also plays a huge roll in this choice. The healthy plate reading says over half of the plate should be fruits and vegetables, and I would see I eat more than my fair share of that. There is a countless variety of fruits and vegetables to eat, and many ways to consume even the same vegetable. This keeps things interesting while maintaining the nutritional benefits that provide our basic needs.

 

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