Food's Different Meanings

From reading these two articles and knowing what role food plays in my life, I realized how differently across the country and world the roles of food is. For me food is a social time but after reading these articles I realize that food has so many more meanings to it. For example, as Cate mentions in her article, inmates in prison use food in a much different way than you and me would because they turn it into a spread. “Spread,” the generic term for these creations, describes the inmate-created foods most often built around a single ingredient, instant ramen noodles,” notes Cate. Inmates use spreads to recreate foods or foods textures that they do not get in prison. This is very different than the way O’Donnell explains how food is used in a Chinese society. O’Donnell explains that, “Shared meals deepened friendships, greased business deals, and reaffirmed hometown identities.” Food in this Chinese society can be used more as a way to interact with people in the community and in a sense can be used as a business tool.

What I found most interesting in the articles was how inmates in prison uses the spreads that they make. I would assume that they are making these spreads as a way to eat something different. I have personally learned from eating at Sodexo in the dining halls, which is the same food provider that many prisons have, that some days… well most days the food is not eatable. Most days I find myself trying to scavenge together the few things in the dining hall that look appetizing to have a meal. I assumed that this was the main reason that people in prisons did it as well but I was wrong. Cate explains that, “sometimes he simply doesn’t want to eat alone.” Inmates will make a spread and share it in order to talk to people, meet people, and simply so that they do not have to eat alone.