Food and Tradition Essay Example for Free

Food and Tradition Essay Culture has been existence since the time man came on the earth. Many ethnic groups have their own ways of living. Due to the new technologies and globalization, culture of many societies and families have been affected and altered in one way or the other. Some of the cultural traditions, practices, values and beliefs, values and virtues have faded away never to be heard again in within this new era with new generations. The roots of culture originate from families and clan. So the life styles are now being influenced from their fundamental points of source. This is not saying that culture will come to an end. Several families, clans which grow up to make communities and ethnic groups have struggled to this very far to preserve their culture. The survival of such cultural activities has created major concern over the last few decades. Most people have recently aroused the interest in cultural practices and this has contributed a lot to the tourism industry in our home country. Thousands of tourists are visiting our country entirely to watch over the oldest plays and cultural activities as well as to enjoy our traditional foods during such cultural occasions. This has resulted in dynamic, creative cultural practices of the oldest periods of our fore fathers. Food is something which is taken in the lightest manner possible by the new generations which we have in the entire world. They simply term it as nourishment that sustains growth or furnishes energy or does both to our bodies. They feebly attach much concentration on other importance of food other than the above. They have not known how much it contributes to the social and cultural welfare throughout our life. The role of various foods has deeper implications which are more than satisfying our hungers and other physical requirements. It may structures families schedules or it provide social activities which nurtures the family relation ships as people from one family interacts among themselves or with other family members. To a larger extend, it is used as a representation of certain ethnic identities. Thus, food is used in as part of family cerebrations or ceremonies as well as in our rituals. I as an indigenous person who hails from the northern parts of china, we have varieties of food stuffs. This ranges from the simplest agricultural products both from land cultivations and livestock. Although, the place has no reliable and sustainable rainfalls, many families produce farm products of horticultural natural through irrigation methods. Some of the produces includes vegetables and fruit, cabbages, squashes, pears grapes and apples. From livestock, they are vast lands in which people keep sheep for mutton and lamb. Generally, it is rare to get pork in such a place. This seems to have been influenced by the religion of the people. Most of the inhabitants are Muslims; hence they forbid the practice of taking pork. Pork is seriously fear by this people. The belief the eating of pork is like eating of the fresh of ones supreme being. So, the utilization of food is a very important part of the processes of life. Sometimes we fail to appreciate that food is more than just fundamental. The only other action that we connect in that is of analogous importance to our lives and to the life of our species is a sexual characteristic. But these two activities are quite different. The range of variations is substantially wider in food than in sex. In fact, the importance of food in understanding human culture lies precisely in its infinite inconsistency. For endurance needs, all men everywhere could eat the same food measured only in calories. However, people are of different backgrounds and eat very differently. Chinese eat varieties of foods in their meals which are characterized by quite notable flexibility and adaptabilities. The mixture of different meals in their ingredients remains to be distinctive in the appearance and tastes as well as the flavours. This varies from one cultural activity to another. During the festive occasion of circumcision, children are circumcised to graduate from their childhood to youthful hood. At this particular occasion, people use legume in higher quantities. This includes soybeans, broadens, pea nut and mung beans. They are used to make rapid healing of the wounds. It is also necessary to take bitter spices such as garlic and cinnamons which acts as reminder of the bitter activity they have gone through. (Gernet, 1962) Apart from circumcision ceremonies, many families do not eat meat products during the periods of tragedy such as death. In our culture, meat products are as result of shedding blood to the ground. Shedding of blood is one the acts which are sternly against the practices of our traditions. So, at such time of mourning, people cease from using the meat products which results from blood shed of animals. They believe that this is a sign of maintain peace with their super natural being. Once we eat such products, it like we are provoking the anger of the supreme nature. Thus, the common meals that are taken contain foods full of starch. Reference: Gernet, J. (1962): Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion: Stanford University Press

Chose in Leadership Books :: essays research papers

So, you want to be a leader but don't know where to start? Well, after camping out in the self-help section at my local bookseller, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that you've got lots of help to choose from. The bad news is that you've got lots of help to choose from. In my brief reconnaissance, I discovered a legion of writers who are just itching to let you in on their secrets. Don't believe it? Well, I'll save you a trip. I brought back proof. Don't expect a definitive list though. The cottage industry that's grown up around the subject of leadership easily keeps an army of loggers working overtime. So I just jotted down a representative sample -- enough I think to convince even the most skeptical that there's something for almost everyone. So, FOLLOW ME and read on. As you might have guessed, leadership books are all over the map. If you want your leadership hard-edged and bloody-minded, you can cuddle up with Attila the Hun or Niccolo Machiavelli (Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, by Wess Roberts; Machiavelli on Modern Leadership by Michael Ledeen). If you worry that Attila might be too old school, don't despair. There are ample contemporary choices. How about a couple of political celebrities like Rudy Giuliani (Leadership) and Colin Powell (Oren Harari, The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell)? Sorry, Colin, but I'm guessing that they're not so secret any more. Finally, for the truly avant garde, there's Leadership for the Twenty-first Century, by Joseph C. Rost. Not to digress, but Colin got me thinking. I've read The Da Vinci Code and I've heard about conspiracies to keep the rest of us in the dark. I wonder if there's a cabal of leaders trying to hide their secrets from the hoi polloi. Well, maybe. Colin's not the only one who's decided to fess up. GE's former boss, Jack Welch is another insider who's finally talking (Robert Slater, 29 Leadership Secrets From Jack Welch). Even Santa Claus has decided to come clean (Eric Harvey, The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus). Who knew that the teamsters kept secrets? There's also a heated debate over whether leadership is art or science. Max Depree says Leadership is an Art. And, he's got lots of company including retired General Barry McCaffrey, (Leadership: The Warrior's Art) and Ken Blanchard (Heart of a Leader: Insights on the Art of Influence).

How does Clint Eastwood, director of the film, Invictus, use the South African rugby team (the Springboks) as a vehicle to bring a troubled nation together? Essay

How does Clint Eastwood, director of the film, Invictus, use the South African rugby team (the Springboks) as a vehicle to bring a troubled nation together? Clint Eastwood shows the change in the nation of South Africa in Invictus, using the Springboks as a vehicle. He starts the film with large amounts of separation, followed by the steady change in the middle of the movie, and finishing with the nation combined. In the beginning of the film, Clint Eastwood shows how separated black and white people are and how they do not get along, due to the change of the government and the Springboks. Because of the change in government, Nelson Mandela’s staff started to pack their things up as if they were leaving their jobs, but Nelson Mandela stops them and says, ‘The past is the past, we look to the future now.’ Nelson Mandela has noticed the struggle between the two sides of the nation, and is willing to make a change. The nation is very separated at the beginning of the film, and Nelson Mandela thought rugby would be able to bring the two sides back together. To do this, Clint Eastwood made the start of the movie seem as if most South Africans did not like the Springboks and to make it seem like there would be some difficulty in bringing the nation together through the Springboks. Nelson Mandela said that, while he is in prison, he would cheer for any team who were versing the Springboks, encouraging the fact that South Africans did not like them. The Springboks were not liked at the beginning of the film because people thought that they still represented discrimination. An example of this happened during the film when the church is giving out some clothes to children. One child is handed a Springbok jersey but he turns it down and runs away, due to the chance of other children beating him up. After the child is gone, the ladies in the church say, â€Å"Why won’t he take it?† ‘If he wears it, the others will beat him up.’ â€Å"Because the Springboks are playing so badly?† ‘No. Because, for them, the Springboks still represent apartheid.’ – Ladies from the church. In the beginning of Invictus, everyone is very separate and many people dislike the Springboks. By starting the film like this, Clint Eastwood has set the story up for the audience to notice discrete change in the nation. In the film Invictus, Clint Eastwood showed the combining of the black and white people in South Africa. One thing that Eastwood made the Springboks do to bring the two sides of the nation together was to get them to host a coaching clinic for some children. At first the Springboks are not happy to do the coaching clinics, but do so anyway. At the start of the coaching clinic, all of the children race over to Chester and cheer for him, not paying any attention to the rest of the team. The Springboks begin to teach the children how to play rugby, teaching them throwing skills and how to kick goals. After a while, the children begin to open up to the rest of the team, and start to enjoy the game. Clint Eastwood did this to show how the nation began to come together through the Springboks. In the middle of the movie, it becomes more noticeable that the two sides of the nation are coming together because of the Springboks. Clint Eastwood used the Springboks to bring the nation together by gradually showing the acceptance of white people towards black people throughout the film. A parallel storyline that runs during the rugby match involves a South African child and some white police officers. This demonstrates acceptance. In the beginning of the scene, the South African child wanted to hear how the Springboks were playing by eavesdropping on a police officer’s car radio. At first, the police officers rudely send him away and continue to listen to the game. The African child still tries to get closer and closer, while pretending to collect soft drink cans. But, towards the end of the scene, the Springboks score and win the game, and the police become more accepting and forgiving. They begin to celebrate with the child and raise him up on their shoulders as if he were a mascot. Ironically, in the beginning of the film, the same child is seen refusing to wear a Springbok jersey. By using the same child in the beginning of the movie and towards the end, this shows the audience how the South Africans have changed their view on the Springboks. This acceptance of the Springboks showed the beginnings of a nation coming together. During the World Cup, the final game in the film, the scene occasionally cuts to shots of empty streets and empty houses. This technique shows that everyone is watching the game and that everyone is excited to see the outcome. Another thing Clint Eastwood did to show the black and white people combined is at the end of the movie. He used the world cup to symbolise the nation had been brought together. He did this by making Francois and Chester to both hold the World Cup up above their heads, showing the black and white hand together. By the end of the film Invictus, during the final scene, one can see that the crowd watching the rugby game has changed quite considerably, compared to the game in the start of the film where the Springboks play against England. During this game, Clint Eastwood makes it seem as though the crowd is not the main part of the scene, the game of rugby is. Clint Eastwood makes the focus before the game when Nelson Mandela comes out to greet the players. Then the focus comes off the idea that it is a game of rugby and shows how many people do not like Nelson Mandela. The crowd ‘boo’ and throw rubbish at him. At the end of the movie, the crowd is cheerful and excited. South Africans are cheering for the Springboks and everyone in Africa is witnessing the game. This makes the audience realise the difference between the crowds at the beginning and the end of the film showing how the nation became one. Clint Eastwood has shown the change of the nation through the Springboks by starting the film with distinctive separation between the two sides. By the middle, the Springboks have started to make small changes to unite the nation. By the end of the movie, it is clear that the Springboks are fundamental in making a large difference in uniting the nation. Word Count – 922

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - 1147 Words

In the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde it is regarded that these identities are two different persons but this is not the case, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are one in the same. There is much confusion when reading this literary work by Robert Louis Stevenson; this piece is regarded as horrific and disturbing in many ways. But the biggest twist is when it is reveled to the reader that these two people are the same and that below the surface of Dr.Jekyll is an evil man who enjoys committing evil acts. Mainly that Dr. Jekyll believes he has no choice but to commit these horrid acts because he has no control over is evil side. I don’t believe this is the case, Hyde isn’t a real person and doesn’t exist, nor is he someone who commits†¦show more content†¦Many more became more pessimistic and turned from the permeated artistic circles which also brought to light the weakening of the Western culture and its dominance. Stevenson’s novel clearly depic ted good and evil with civilization and savagery; it helped show that civilians knew the truth regarding England’s attraction to the savage Western cultures just like Hyde enjoys the restraint from freedom. This novel can be interpreted in many different ways; from the duality of human nature to the loss of control of many things, such as loss of judgment and moral control which plays a huge role in this novel. Dr. Jekyll has the power to have two personalities because of this concoction, and he is fully capable of control his evil side but I don’t believe he wants to completely at first. Yes there is a clear difference between the two characters Dr. Jekyll obviously has a better demeanor and doesn’t commit horrid acts when he is playing this person; however, they are one person. (NCBI) This novel is interesting in the fact the main character transformation is clearly depicted Dr. Jekyll is described as this tall handsome, middle-aged, successful man while Mr. H yde is described as short, fat, angry man who no one liked. Jekyll and Hyde communicate by writing letters or notes to one another which helps predict what is going to happen next when the nextShow MoreRelatedThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1675 Words   |  7 PagesThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,† is a type of Gothic literature. In the beginning of the story when Stevenson is describing the lawyer, one â€Å"Mr. Utterson,† the mood is a bit dull. At first glance the reader may think that this story would be a bit boring and drab. Stevenson’s story is far from being another dull piece of British English literature. The setting and mood of this novella are more complexRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde Essay975 Words   |  4 PagesStevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novella that follows the basic outline established by Mary Shelley in Frankenstein. However, Stevenson’s monster is not created from body parts but comes from the dark side of the human personality. In both novels, a man conducts a secret experiment that gets out of control. The result of these experiments is the release of a double, or doppelgan ger, which causes damage to their creator. While most people think that The Strange Case of Dr. JekyllRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1440 Words   |  6 Pagescomplexity of human nature in his books, especially in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Kidnapped. The former is about a lawyer named Mr. Utterson seeking out the truth of Dr. Jekyll’s very strange will. He finds out that Jekyll was transforming himself into Mr. Hyde so that he could have the freedom to do whatever he wanted no matter how evil. By the time Utterson finds all this out and findsJekyll, he is too late and Jekyll has already killed himself. The latter is about David BalfourRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1196 Words   |  5 Pageswhich do let control you? The good or evil? This was a question that Dr. Jekyll from the book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, could not answer. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a book about a man who cannot control the two sides of himself, causing him to do terrible things and not even be aware of it. The theme of this book is good versus evil. Dr. Jekyll is fighting his evil side, known as Mr. Hyde, throughout the book. Some people believe that the book’s theme hasRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde938 Words   |  4 PagesVictorian Hopes and Fears Involving Science as Found in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde During the Victorian Era there was a great race to use science to alleviate the suffering of the ill, specifically for those patients who were suffering from ailments of the mind. While some of the methods used to diagnose and treat such afflictions would be considered barbaric in nature by today’s standards, they were considered cutting edge medical science during the time of the Victorian Era. It was also consideredRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde964 Words   |  4 PagesThe Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson was published in 1886. The story is published during the Victorian era, the Victorian era was an age of repression, there was no violence, no sexual appetite, and there was no great expression or emotion. In the story, Dr. Jekyll creates a potion that turns him into Mr. Hyde, Mr. Hyde is the complete opposite of what people are in the Victorian era. At first, Dr. Jekyll is in control of Mr. Hyde, but towards t he end MrRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1505 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the latter portion of the nineteenth century, Robert Louis Stevenson published his novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The fin de sià ¨cle saw the rise of different thoughts and ideas surrounding science and society. These concepts and interpretations sparked the discourse surrounding the theory of degeneration; which was the concern that civilization would fall to a lower state of being. This chapter will be reading multiplex personality as a manifestation of this broader culturalRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1739 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde† by Robert Louis Stevenson, the novel â€Å"Frankenstein† by Mary Shelley, the short story â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw† by W.W Jacobs and the short story â€Å"Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. These four texts convey this theme through the use of gothic conventions such as death, madness and darkness. In the novels The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll are wronglyRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1351 Words   |  6 PagesThe Personas of Henry Jekyll Every person is born with bright and dark personas that people moderate due to the standards of society. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Jekyll and Hyde battle for the power to stay alive in the story. As Jekyll continues to try and take over his evil persona, Hyde tries to stay alive and cause evil in the world. In our society, many people will struggle with self control and Dr. Jekyll has trouble controlling his alter ego by performing his evil pleasuresRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1326 Words   |  6 Pages The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published during the late Victorian era, but he clearly brings into question the acceptance of Victorian philosophies, especially the belief that one truth exists and that we can identify good and evil as separate entities. The names Jekyll and Hyde have become synonymous with multiple personality disorder. This novel can be examined from the natural dualism and Freud’s structural th eory of the mind. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr