Wilk Response: How far food travels to reach our plate

     As I began to read Home Cooking in the Global Village, Wilk revealed thoughts and concerns that had never come to mind before.  It is interesting to take into account the places your food has traveled to before you get it.  We never take the time to look and see where our food has come from.  In Wilk’s book, he mentions Fuze fruit juice, in order to show how many places our food can go before it is actually is in our hands.  He talks of how this drink contains ingredients from many different places around the world.  This example led me to be more aware of the things I eat and where they have come from.  Just this morning I was eating a banana from Equador, which when you think about it is really cool.  I was enjoying one of my favorite fruits that was from a place that I have never set foot.  Never before had I taken the time to think, “Hmmmm, where did my banana come from?” 

    

      Another major topic that Wilk covers is the concept of globalization in relation to our food.  Wilk talks about the use of appropriation and how it is used in conjunction with globalization.  One example he gives is how Americans eat Japanese food such as sushi without actually becoming Japanese.  This shows how we can experience a culture without being a part of that culture.  I think this a good way to keep from destroying local cultures or smaller cultures found within bigger cultures.  When we think about it, food is a great way to show globalization, and it can be seen in America by the way culture is displayed through food.  America seems to brace other cultures to a certain extent, especially when it comes to food.  In Augusta alone, I know of places that serve Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Mexican, and European food.  Granted, this food may be “Americanized,” it still shows how globalization has effected the food we find in our country.  This can relate to Wilk’s book when he talks of how the people of Belize would cater to their tourists by making food available to them that would be familiar to them.  This is relevant to food being “Americanized,” because many people feel more comfortable eating something when they have been introduced to it before. 

     While doing some research online to find some examples of globalization, I came across a blog post discussing the globalization of McDonald’s entitled "The Globalization of McDonald's".  I found it very interesting to look at how McDonald’s caters to the culture it is found in.  The article talks about how in India they serve the Maharaja Mac which is made with lamb instead of cow, given that Hindu people, which make up a large part of the population, do not eat beef. Another example the article gives is in Chile where they allow you to add aguacate to your burgers.  This shows how many restaurants, including McDonald’s, incorporate the local flavors into their food, which reveals the use of globalization in our food.