Culture on the Plate
100
Which theoretical model guides this chapter?
A) Social Cognitive Theory
B) Dutta’s culture-centered model
C) Uses and Gratifications
D) Agenda-Setting Theory
B) Dutta’s culture-centered model
Participants described food in Mexico as:
A) Highly commercialized
B) Fresh and natural
C) Expensive and rare
D) Largely imported
B) Fresh and natural
When participants say, “three little things amount to $50…” , what larger issue are they pointing to?
A) Lack of nutrition education
B) Rising food prices
C) Cultural resistance to vegetables
D) Gender expectations
B) Rising food prices
In this chapter, “structure” refers to:
A) Personal motivation and willpower
B) Cultural food traditions
C) Material and social constraints like money and time
D) Biological metabolism
C) Material and social constraints like money and time
American food culture was criticized for:
A) Being overly traditional
B) Being too culturally specific and marketed to adults
C) Being processed and marketed to children
D) Being too hard to find
C) Being processed and marketed to children
One participant says, “If we do not have enough [money], you choose what is the cheapest. Beans and potatoes, eggs”.
What does this example show about healthy eating in this community?
A) People prefer unhealthy food
B) Cost can override nutritional knowledge
C) Traditional food is always healthier
D) Health clinics are ineffective
B) Cost can override nutritional knowledge
Within Dutta’s culture-centered model, which example represents “structure” constraining agency?
A) A mother teaching her daughter to make tortillas
B) A participant resisting lard-based cooking
C) A worker eating fast food due to short lunch breaks
D) A family celebrating Sunday meals
C) A worker eating fast food due to short lunch breaks
Which food was described as symbolically non-negotiable?
A) Beans
B) Lard
C) Soda
D) Tortillas
D) Tortillas
Participants explain that during busy workdays they eat quickly or choose fast options because of limited time. What does this reveal about dietary decision-making?
A) Food choices are driven purely by preference
B) Convenience often outweighs nutritional ideals
C) Cultural traditions determine all meals
D) Health knowledge is ineffective
B) Convenience often outweighs nutritional ideals
According to Dutta’s culture-centered model, health is shaped by the interaction between ________, ________, and ________.
Culture, Structure, and Agency
When participants say, “Sunday’s the day where we dedicate it to the family”, food is functioning as a weekly cultural __________.
Ritual
When participants say they plan meals in advance, use coupons, and carefully weigh what they buy at the store, they are demonstrating active ________ in managing economic constraints.
Agency