Assignment task:
For this assignment, create a presentation using PowerPoint or another comparable presentation program and provide an analysis of food and ritual from your personal history. Pick ritual feast or gathering that features food event have attended (e.g. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Passover, Ramadan, Dia de los Muertos, St. Patrick's Day, Nikkomo, family reunions etc.) and provide:
A detailed description of the event, the context, and relevance to you.
A detailed description of the food and its preparation. Be sure to include observations regarding the division of labor in preparation and the roles of people involved, as well as the interactions surrounding the preparation and consumption of food (e.g. talk etc.)
A detailed analysis that addresses symbolic, structural, and other social meanings tied to your food memory.
A detailed analysis of tradition and ritual significance, and explain how they inform the preparation and consumption of food.
In order to successfully address of these requirements you, be sure to do research in order to explain the cultural, symbolic, social, structural, or other meanings associated with the dish. Specify the social group for whom it has meaning, for what kinds of occasions and settings is this dish prepared, who is involved in the preparation, serving, and consumption of this dish, background, etc.
Other questions you can ask in order to address the required categories may include:
Is this a food that unique to your culture? What are its traditional names? (And, do these names have any special significance and/or meaning?) What ingredients go into making these foods? How and when are they eaten? Are there unspoken family "rules" about food consumption (e.g., what's okay, and not okay, to eat; how and where should one eat, etc.)