According to Arthur Berger’s Signs in Contemporary Culture: An Introduction to Semiotics, our culture or “culture-code” explains what creates our understanding and behavior, filtering through how we make selections in food, education, clothing, etc. Food choices are greatly influenced by culture, therefore our culture is defined by what we eat as well. Where you are from usually defines what you eat, or what you eat is what really defines your culture. (Berger, 1999)
In America, what is purchased by the majority of us is considered our low-status foods, and what is uncommonly purchased to the majority is considered our high-status foods. Arthur Berger states that foods like chicken, white meat, cut up or ground, or foods that are canned and bottled, fried, boiled, covered in sauce or gravy, are all considered to be “high-status foods”. Foods like steak, roast beef, homemade, and foods that are served roasted or broiled are considered to be “low-status foods” (215). Social upbringing creates familiar foods combinations, types, how they are prepared, the order that we eat each type of meals, and meal-times. How and where we live, religion, nurture and nature are all a big part of what determines our attitudes toward the foods we eat. (Berger, 1999)
The Olive Garden is an Italian food restaurant that has many locations in America. The menu is designed similar to the colors and look of a garden; very Earthy. The lunch menu at Olive Garden consists of appetizers such as; Bruschetta, Lasagna Fritta, Sicilian Scampi, Calamari, and Stuffed Mushrooms. The meals include pizza, calzone, soups, salads, beef, pork, chicken, and more of the common Italian foods that most Americans have come to know and love. The Lecirque, a French restaurant, has a menu with many bright and colorful foods. The lunch menu consists of appetizers such as; Lobster Risotto, Sweat Corn Soup, Spinach Fettuccine, and also Italian dishes like ravioli and spaghetti.
As Arthur Berger states in chapter twenty-six; Americans look at eating as “functional and obligatory”, and the French look at it as a “source of sensual pleasure” (213). The menu for the French restaurant Lecirque is much more appealing to the eye than the American restaurant the Olive Garden; it has much more detail put into it. The Olive Garden is much simpler, and the foods all look like nearly the same dish. The way that the menu styles and choices are for each restaurant reinforces the culture-codes of each country. (Berger, 1999)
I grew up on pasta, hamburger, chicken, beef, eggs, fish, salads, dairy, and all that you would find on the food pyramid that we are taught in American schools; having a large influence on my food choices today. The manner in which products are organized and displayed, and how space is orchestrated to walk the consumer through the store is based on popular demand; although many different cultures can shop at the market for the foods of their preference, a higher quantity of the popular/highly-available product takes greater space. Digital History says that we were introduced to doughnuts, barbeque, cole slaw, hamburgers, and hot dogs by German immigrants.
Works Cited
Berger, Arthur Asa. "Chapter Twenty-Six: Characteristics of Codes." Signs in Contemporary Culture: An Introduction to Semiotics. 2nd ed. Salem: Sheffield, 1999. Print.
"Le Cirque - Dining Room Dinner." Le Cirque - Dining Room Dinner. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. http://www.lecirque.com/menu_locu.
"Find a Restaurant." Olive Garden Italian Restaurants. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. http://www.olivegarden.com/Menu/Lunch/.
Mintz, Steven. "Digital History." Digital History. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/food.cfm.
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