Meat Preservatives

Food brings people together it is a universal cultural characteristic.  In many cultures the members use their other members together.  Food is provided for birthdays, thanksgiving, Christmas, and many other group gatherings.  The foods that different cultures consume derives from what was provided for them by the geographical area they are around.  Cultures in different cultures eat different animals, plants, and fruits that may not be available in other countries.  Also the way food is prepared and preserved is different due to technology and rituals.  In the reading the early American culture had to preserve their meats with salt and sugar to prevent spoilage.  Today some grocery stores sale salted meat such as salt pork.  Because of highly advanced technology many Americans use other preservatives and electronics and appliances to preserve meats.  Even though the World has greatly improved in technology, people choose lifestyles that comply with their culture and their selves as a whole.  There are may people in the central part of Missouri who still use the old cultural process of salt preservation.  The Little Dixie is a small part of Missouri where people still live their lives like people did in the south in the 1800’s.  They refuse to use the technology that is offered to them for their benefit.  Most cultures do things because that’s what they were taught by the earlier members of the culture.  The technique of preserving meat is imbedded within the culture because it is a type of tradition that is passed down through out the years.  In the reading they preserved meat such as pork and beef. These two meats reveal a lot about the culture.  The reader can assume that this culture does not originate from origins of Asia because cows and cattle are sacred in all Middle East cultures and pigs are thought of to be dirty and forbidden animals.  Even though food can bring cultures together on a common level it can also divide them.