Extract 4

Summaries:

In Mary Douglas’ Deciphering a Meal, she discusses the similarities between the table and the altar. How the temple and the human body can be very similar in comparison. It is obvious that Israelis have a strict set of rules for their animals, those that can and cannot be eaten. Those that are considered holy and those that aren’t. Douglas gives us three rules: the first is rejection of certain animal kinds, second is that meat for the table must be drained of its blood, third there must be a separation of meat and mild honoring the Hebrew mother. She also points out that these rules have been around for centuries and it’s interesting that their rules about food have never changed. And that humans and animals are very closely related in the sense that what divides some humans from others also divides their animals from others. So that humans and animals are treated and looked upon in almost the same way. How what we put on our table, reflects directly to what the Israelis put on their altar.

In Claude Levi-Strauss’ The Culinary Triangle Levi-Strauss argues the similarities and differences between raw cooked and rotted food. He states that in different cultures, these three categories could mean different things, it is also very much dependent of the type of food you eat. Then he talks about the difference between the roasted and the boiled. He claims that roasted is closer to nature where as boiled is more on the side of culture. Aristotle claimed that boiling is superior to roasting because “ it takes away the rawness of meat.” (38). He brings to point that boiled is mostly for a small group where roasting is normally for guests, a larger party. Boiled is now rarely seen at fancy dinners, showing that roasting may now be becoming more socially accepted and wanted. Levi-Strauss is trying to prove that depending on what culture you are from, boiling might be better then roasting, but on the other hand roasting can be more popular then boiling, depending on your location.

Then he throws in another form, smoking. Smoking is similar to both boiling and roasting. Like boiling, it is a slow form of cooking and like roasting there is only air between the meat and fire. He claims that smoking now represents the most “cultural” form of cooking. From this information, he makes a culinary triangle. Placing raw at the top, and cooked and rotted in each corner. Roasted is beneath raw and air and water are a little farther down where smoked is next to cooked on the right side and boiled is next rotted on the right side.

Comparisons:

Douglas argues about the similarities between what we put in our bodies, and what other religions put on there alters. Levi-Strauss argues the similarities and differences between cooking styles and different forms of food. While both are arguing about different aspects of food, they are both totally different topics. Douglas claims that the human body is almost like the temple, we watch carefully what we put into it. Where as Levi-Strauss shows us the differences between the categories of the raw cooked and rotted. How in some cultures raw is great while in others they much prefer cooked. Douglas also explains the rules of the Israelis. How they have 3 strict rules in order to eat their animals, as well as what animals can and can’t be eaten. Levi Strauss also compares food but in a different sense. He shows us the difference between roasted, boiled, and smoked. How in some cultures boiled is preferred and thought to be superior. Where as in others, roasted is the preferred. And in most, smoking is kind of like an in between of the two. In both articles though, the authors are comparing the different outlooks on either the food itself or how it is prepared.