DULAP Spanish Blog

16 responses so far ↓

•   Kaitlyn Kandray // Apr 13th 2009 at 9:51 am

  I must admit that I do not know if I could eat these kinds of foods, especially now knowing what they are. Maybe if i was not aware of what the food actually was, I would be able to eat it. Although, if I found out what it was later, I would probably be upset that someone did not tell me what it was that I was actually eating. This is a very culturally rich topic- because it is so uncommon to eat these kinds of dishes in my background, but it is a common practice in so many other countries. Obviously the people that do eat these kinds of dishes enjoy them, so they are probably not bad tasting. I can eat meat, usually without a problem. But sometimes I even have a hard time stomaching something like that.

  This is a problem that I worry about when I do study in Spain. I would never want to offend my host family, or any Spaniard for that matter. I will probably try a couple bites of it at least, but I probably will not eat the whole dish if it is something that I would not like to eat. I hope that if this situation does arise-which I am sure it will since I will be in Sevilla for more than 4 months- I will try to meet halfway. I will try it, but I can’t promise that I will finish it. I hope that whoever is serving the dish to me will understand that there are differences between my culture and theirs.

  I must agree with you- I find it very insulting that people would order food that they had no intention of eating and knew that they would find repulsive. They should be more understanding of the differences between cultures and try not to insult the other culture.

•   Meredith Lamberti // Apr 13th 2009 at 3:55 pm

  This is actually a really interesting post because I’ve had an experience somewhat similar to this, except in Austria. The first time I went to Europe, I stayed with a host family for a week. I went with a student ambassador program, so we had a bunch of meetings, and we actually had one session specifically on what to do if we encountered a situation where we didn’t like the food that was presented to us. It is considered VERY rude to turn down a meal that someone prepared for you. We were told, basically, to suck it up and eat it. There were many times on the trip where we were presented with crazy foods, and most of the time we didn’t know what we were eating. Despite that, there was only one time that I truly didn’t like what I ate — and that was plain tofu in Switzerland. As far as my experience in Austria, the grandmother of the family I was staying with made us fried pig intestines. With ketchup, they taste just like chicken nuggets — by far one of the best meals I had during my home stay!

  So, to answer the question of what I would do if my Venezuelan host family served me a bowl of something I’d never considered eating.. I’d try it!

•   Lena Thompson // Apr 13th 2009 at 4:26 pm

  Oooh fun question! Although I’m not sure exactly what I would do if my Venezuelan host family served me mondongo, I think I would be willing to give it a try, especially since I’m not sure what mondongo is. Sometimes that helps.

  When I visited my mother’s home country, Malaysia, my family served me a mysterious soup that they claimed was wonderful. No one would tell me what it was, but by their faces, I could tell it was something they thought I would find tasty yet disgusting (for lack of a better word) when I knew what it was. Being me, I tried the soup and found it quite good! The meat was tender and the broth had different spices in it that I didn’t recognize. To my surprise, I had just tried ox tail soup, a delicacy in Malaysia, where bovine are more rare than here in the Midwest. Although my first reaction may have been to spit it out, good sense won. When I really thought about it, eating ox tail didn’t bother me so much. There are many things that different cultures call a special dish and I’m sure my Malaysian family was shocked at some of the things I eat, including pork.

  What foods people in different cultures eat is a product of social, religious, economic, and even historical influences in the Spanish and Latin American worlds. Socially, the foods that are eaten may come from different social classes or from what other people in one’s social group eat. Religious affiliation makes a huge impact. My mother follows Islamic “eating rules” and I grew up without eating pork, sausage, bacon, and many things that were regulars at my friends’ houses. Because of this, I don’t have a natural inclination to get pork, even though I have no problem eating it. Those who eat or do not certain things because of their religion affect the others in their culture as well. Economics make certain things delicacies and other things plain and boring. When my uncle visits from Malaysia, he begs us to take him out for steak while we look forward to seafood dishes when we visit. Steak is expensive in Malaysia, seafood is expensive in the Midwest.

  Continuing with my history obsession when it comes Latin American and Spanish cultures, I see that history affected the food choices of the writer of this blog (Professor Garcia?) because the family recipies were passed down generation to generation.

•   Amanda Otten // Apr 13th 2009 at 6:18 pm

  I would at least try the mondongo. If I didn’t like it I would probably try and make it look like I ate more and that I liked it out of pure politeness. I wouldn’t want to be impolite to my host family and I wouldn’t want to upset them in any way. I think it is good to try new things, even if it is some sort of food I’ve never even heard of.

  It’s very interesting to see the differences in types of foods different cultures eat. I thought I had been adventurous by trying duck and escargot, but I obviously have a long way to go before I am truly adventurous. I can’t wait till I study abroad next spring in Granada, Spain. I am really looking forward to trying all the different types of food they serve and have on a regular basis. I think I may encounter a little bit of culture shock the first few weeks I am there with all the different foods, but hopefully I will be able to overcome it rather fast and enjoy the new foods and culture I will come across in Granada.

•   Grant Hahn // Apr 14th 2009 at 2:41 pm

  I am all about trying everything new and immersing myself in a culture while I am on vacation, so I enjoyed this blog very much. Because of this I would definitely try mondongo. I also like that most countries around the world eat all of the animal that has been killed. I hate it when people are so close-minded and picky when it comes to food, and it would be a shame if a host family served you some homemade mondongo and you did not eat it. I think the family would be much happier if you at least tried it rather than not trying it at all. And the way I look at it, there must be something good about it if these recipes have been around for a really long time. To go along with this, when I was in Costa Rica a few summers ago, I tried cow tongue (something that would be unusual to eat in the United States). I didn’t think it was bad at all because it tasted pretty much the same as regular beef. I think when eating something new that you think is unusual, you just have to put aside your preconceived notions and just eat it.

•   Emily Sibigtroth // Apr 14th 2009 at 4:39 pm

  In my mind I always knew that it was common in other countries to consume what I would consider abnormal parts of an animal, even in Latin American countries. Reading this article did not repulse me as maybe it might or did for others. I am privileged enough maybe to have enough cultural experience to know that this is a social norm for many other foreign countries. I understand this concept for various reasons. These countries that eat the organs, head, hooves and other parts of the animal are using their resources wisely. They are practicing what I would consider similar to Native Americans in the early 1400’s because they are making use of all the material they are given. Whether or not this is their goal or reasoning behind it is another story. I am also at ease with this practice because I know that this is a family tradition as stated that has been passed from generation to generation. It is something that the family is accustomed to. This would be the equivalent of recipes in America that are passed down. I remember in my DULAP LAP course that our instructor said Germans are repulsed by the idea that Americans eat sweet things such as pancakes or waffles in the morning because they are traditionally accustomed to eating meat in the morning. This is a tradition families and children have grown up to and know no differently, thus why would they see it as wrong or weird? I read a quote from a grandson about the use of all the meat of the pig saying, “the only things in a pig you can’t eat are its squeal and the curl in its tail” (Iberianfoods.co.uk).
  If I were served any of the mentioned recipes mentioned in the blog, I would certainly not act like the ladies attempting to promote tourism in Spain. I would be willing to try what they served me, but I might mention beforehand that I am not accustomed to this food and am unsure of how I will react to it. I would only do this because if I could not eat the food I would want to give then a reason for my dislike. I would not expect the family to prepare something separately for me because I am the one trying to participate in their culture and integrate into their society.

•   Lisa Myers // Apr 15th 2009 at 6:56 pm

  I find this post very interesting. First, the discussion about different parts of meat intrigue me. It is interesting that it is a cultural norm in Colombia to eat all parts of the animal. In the Jewish culture, and I’m sure many more, certain parts of the meat are not considered “kosher”, or good to eat. This is why on many packaged hotdog meats or other types of meat there are often types labeled “kosher” which means that they are a good part of the meat for people studying Judaism to eat.

  As for the question, if a host family gave me a plate of a food that I had never tried before, or was strange in my culture, I would definitely give it a try. I think that is the most important part of experiencing another country’s culture. I would feel like I was being disrespectful and depriving myself of a good opportunity to grow and learn if I did not try it. I stayed with a host family in Costa Rica, and they had cooked pig for dinner one night. I realized halfway through the meal that the pig I was eating had been walking around in their pigpen outside only hours before. Although I was sad and at a loss for an appetite, I knew that it was simply part of their culture and that I should embrace it.

•   Jessica Rubin // Apr 16th 2009 at 9:11 am

  I think that I would at the very least taste the mondongo. But hopefully I would like it and enjoy the whole meal. And even if it wasn’t my favorite I’d eat as much as I could. In most cultures, it seems that if someone goes through the effort of preparing you a meal, the least you could do is eat it. It would seem rude to not even try it. I personally enjoy trying new foods. For me it’s exciting to expand my horizons. I think that it’s a good way to learn about another culture and it’s always interesting to find out what I end up liking in the end.

  I find it interesting how something as basic as food can help to tell you a lot about a culture and can immediately allow you to experience it. I enjoy watching shows on the food or travel channel where the hosts go to different places and try different food. Although I admit it would be difficult to try some of the foods they do, it’s also interesting to see their pleasant reaction to a meal that might seem strange. To me, it’s unfortunate and quite sad that the two hostesses on that travel documentary about Spain were so blatantly rude toward the Spanish culture. It just seems to express such cultural ignorance.

  I think that it’s very important to keep in mind that other cultures are accustomed to eating certain food and that foods that might seem strange to our culture might be normal or even a delicacy in theirs. I remember one time when I was in middle school, a friend from Japan told me that she really didn’t like eating hot dogs. At first I thought it was strange because it was one of my favorite foods at the time and it’s kind of a classic American food. But then when I thought about it, I realized that if you think about it, hot dogs could be perceived as strange and kind of gross. What do they put in a hot dog anyways? I think you have to keep this in mind when you approach food from other cultures, that different cultures have just grown up with different foods and this, in turn, has shaped their perceptions these different foods. It’s not that certain dishes from other cultures are strange or gross–they’re just different from what we’re accustomed to. The same holds true for our cultures dishes and other people’s perception of it.

•   Allie Sielicki // Apr 18th 2009 at 8:58 am

  I do not eat many different foods in general, but I do believe that part of visiting a place is experiencing their culture, which too involves food. It reflects a part of that culture. Eating all parts of the animal shows how they don’t waste and use ingenuity to find a way to prepare all parts of the body. In certain cultures, they cannot afford to throw away the less desired parts of the animal. As much as I do not like eating outside of my small comfort zone, if my host family served me a dish of animal extremities, I would at least try it. I couldn’t promise eating the whole dish, but out of respect I would give it a chance. Who knows, I just may like it.
  It is interesting to see how other countries make use of the entire animal, but here in America we tend to just stick with the basics and discard the carcass. I have heard of the occasional person who will eat Rocky Mountain Oysters, but mainly in cosmopolitan settings, people aren’t as willing to share in that treat. I think if I grew up with the weird body parts as a part of my diet, it would be fine, but as an outsider coming in to that cuisine, definitely going to be hesitate, but willing to try.

•   Morgan Owen // Apr 19th 2009 at 4:28 pm

  Honestly, I am not sure what I would do. My conscious tells me to at least try it but my stomach argues otherwise. I am pretty picky when it comes to certain foods, particularly meat! I would be more than happy to try local fruits, vegetables, or other dishes but meat and seafood are two groups that I’m especially sensitive to. Even in the US I don’t eat a lot of dishes with certain meats. Just reading this article was somewhat difficult for me and made my a little queasy.

  I understand that food is a very important part of a culture and a lot of recipes and traditions have been in families for years. This, I think, is a really cool part of how food brings people together. I would probably try the mondongo but unsure what I would do if I didn’t like it. At the same time, people of other countries have to appreciate the “food culture” of the US, just as Americans should honor and appreciate the diverse delicacies of other cultures.

•   Robert Sbertoli // Apr 19th 2009 at 6:17 pm

  Creo que esta es una pregunta con una respuesta sencilla pero con una explicación muy complicada. Estoy en acuerdo con muchas personas que ya han comentado. Comería el mondongo porque creo que sería maleducado a rechazar la comida. La situación en la pregunta es muy diferente a la situación con los extranjeros en España. Ellas ordenaron la comida. En la situación de la pregunta, no ordenaría al mondongo. Esta situación pasa muchas veces con muchas personas. Y cada vez, es considerado muy maleducado a rechazar la comida. Pero también es peor a comer la comida y hacer algo como vomitar o tener una expresión malo. Esta situación es complicada. Ni modo, la respuesta a la pregunta es muy sencillo. Tenería a comerla para no ofender a la familia que la hizo.

•   Steven Anderson // Apr 21st 2009 at 5:39 pm

  Durante mi tiempo en España tenia experiencias exactamente como esto. La familia preparó comidas que fueron diferentes por personas de los estados unidos pero en todas las situaciones comí la comida y usualmente la comida estuvo bien. Comida es una parte de la cultura y personas necesitan prohibirlo para comprender la cultura. Comiendo y bebiendo son partes muy importantes de la vida en España y estaría triste perderlos.
  Comería el mondongo. Probablemente esta bien. Personas lo comen por una razón y probablemente tiene un buen sabor. Estaría bien, puedes descubrir una comida nueva y estaría mal, has tenido una experiencia interesante. Vida es sobre prohibiendo cosas nuevas y teniendo experiencias nuevas.

•   Sarah Schwid // Apr 21st 2009 at 9:04 pm

  En mi opinión el respeto de otras culturas es muy importante. Un aspecto muy importante de una cultura es la comida. Si vas a respetar la cultura, tengas que respetar la comida también. Si mi familia en Venezuela me ofreció el mondongo, lo comería y si no me gustaba, trataría de comer lo más que podría porque no quería ofender la familia. Algo en específico que presté atención sobre la cultura latinoamericana es que para comer la comida tradicional o la comida que sirven es un signo de respeto y agradecimiento. Entonces, en este sentido es más importante que pruebes la comida si estés en Latinoamérica. Con respeto a los vegetarianos, creo que la decisión de comer algo con carne en otro país es una decisión muy personal. En mi opinión, el respeto de la cultura es más importante que el vegetarianismo. Si la razón de ser vegetariano no es para la salud personal o creencias religiosas, creo que uno debe cambiar su hábito de comer por la duración del viaje. Antes de viviendo en Argentina, no comí el carne rojo, pero antes de salir decidí que lo comería en Argentina a causa de la importancia del carne en la cultura. En fin, opino que nadie debe insultar una cultura diferente a propósito y deben tratar lo más que pueden para respetar otras culturas. ¡También, nadie debe tener miedo de probar cosas nuevas!

•   Cara Pratt // Apr 26th 2009 at 9:39 pm

  Respetar todos los aspectos de otras culturas es muy importante. No es necesario acordar con todos los aspectos, pero la respecta es importante. Personalmente, no como mucho carne en general porque trato de comer comida vegetariana todo lo posible. Pero, para mi, es muy importante tener experiencias nuevas y tratar todo una vez. Tengo mucho respeto por las culturas que usan todos los partes del animal porque otras culturas son derrochadores con los recursos. Ciertamente hay algunas comidas que los estadounidenses tienen se consideran muy repugnante – todo es parte de nuestra cultura.

•   Justine Ahle // Apr 26th 2009 at 9:57 pm

  La comida es una parte muy importante de cultura de cada país. Es una manera con que los ciudadanos de un país pueden identificarse, y a todos les gusta cocinar y comer comidas tradicionales de su país. A causa de eso, es muy importante cuando estás con alguien de otra cultura que al menos probas las comidas varias que te ofrecen. Por ejemplo, tengo una amiga de Irán. La primera vez que fui a su casa, ella estaba muy emocionada para cocinar algunos platos tradicionales de Irán para mí. A pesar de que no me gustaba todo que ella preparó, probé todo porque fue una señal de respeto y ella podría haber sido ofendida. También, aunque a nosotros de los Estados Unidos los platos de Latinoamérica nos parecen extraños, claro que hay platos estadounidenses que a alguien de otra cultura le parecería extraños. Comida de los Estados Unidos es muy transformada – y en otras culturas se come más comida fresca. Más que todo, es importante que recuerdes que necesitas respetar la cultura y la comida de todos países. Nunca sabes – ¡podrías encontrar una nueva comida favorita!

•   Prof. García-Villada // Apr 27th 2009 at 12:06 pm

  4/27/09

  No more posts are accepted for this entry.

  Prof. García-Villada

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