ANT 214 – FOOD AND CULTURE ASSIGNMENT (40 pts ÷ 2 = 20%)
SUBMISSION: A hard copy of your assignment must be handed in at the beginning of lecture on
(i.e. m) AND submitted to turnitin.com m to be considered received.
FAILURE TO SUBMIT BOTH DOCUMENTS ON TIME WILL RESULT IN A ZERO GRADE.
Emailed assignments will not be accepted. Download a copy of your originality report (NOT the
digital receipt) from turnitin for your own records – DO NOT include with your assignment. Submissions
without BOTH IN-TEXT CITATIONS and a REFERENCE PAGE will NOT BE GRADED.
FORMAT: Assignments must be typed and cannot exceed 3 pages – not including references. Use 1.5
spacing, 12 pt Arial font for ALL type, 2.5 cm margins, page numbers in the lower right corner of each
page, and name and student # should appear on the upper right corner of every page.
Number your answer. DO NOT provide the question. Use complete sentences, proper grammar, correct spelling
and an academic tone. Format in-text citations and the reference page using the guidelines
provided in the ‘ANT 214 Citation of sources’ document.
INSTRUCTIONS:
The concept of “comfort food” is well ingrained in everyday life. The specific foods that individuals consider to be comfort foods vary between people and cultures. Establishing a comfortable connection with those you interview, means making frequent eye contact (which indicates you are listening), providing positive reinforcement (nod, smile, “good”, “thanks”), and avoiding negative or emphatic statements that reveal your personal responses to the foods consumed (“wow, that’s a lot!”, “oh dear”). Explore the meaning of the cultural concept of comfort
foods by addressing the questions below:
1. Provide a list of your comfort foods (maximum 5) and specifically explain why these foods are
comforting to you. Indicate which food is your absolute favorite (pick just one). (4 pts)
2. Food cravings are thought to reflect some biological /physiological need. Think of one food you
crave. Provide the current understanding of whether or not the food reflects a biological
/physiological need using multiple scholarly sources (4 pts)
3. Ask at least 6 people of different gender, generations and diverse social and ethnic backgrounds
about their comfort foods. Provide a list of those you asked (first name only) and their comfort foods.
You must get each person to provide an explanation of why they consider those foods personal
comfort foods. Be specific. For example, if an interviewee states that a food reminds them of their
childhood, you need to draw out an explanation of why this childhood association was comforting.
(6 pts)
4. What are the trends of comfort food within your immediate and extended family, and within your
culture? What are the comfort food trends for those you asked by gender, and for the different social
and ethnic backgrounds (use your data and explain what they mean)? (6 pts)
5. What principles about food symbolism are revealed by an investigation of comfort foods? Be sure
to use examples from the data you collected, and multiple scholarly sources. (3 pts)
REFERENCES CITED (9 pts)
• Use of multiple, varied, peer-reviewed sources (5 pts).
• All required information included for every reference, using format provided (2 pts).
• References are in alphabetical order by author’s last name; space between citations; no bullet
points, numbering, or indenting (2 pts).
FORMAT AND IN-TEXT CITATIONS (8 pts)
• Format – 1.5 spacing, 12 pt Arial font, 2.5 cm margins, page #s, name/student # upper right
corner each page, complete sentences, Q# only. (2 pts)
• ALL required sentences cited in-text (2 pts)
• Proper format for in-text citations throughout paper (2 pts)
• No grammar or spelling errors. (2 pts)
