The video above shows people from the United States trying Taiwanese food for the first time. At the very beginning of the video, they are introduced to bubbly soda which they think tastes like Bubble Gum. The reaction from one of the participants is a complete denial that a soda would be flavored like candy. Although soda in the United States is very sweet, it usually is not flavored after candy, it is flavored after fruit. As the video goes along people start to relate the food they are being presented to with the food they are familiar with. A young woman thinks that Korean food, which she is familiar with, is very similar to Taiwanese food.
In these days people are more connected than ever. We are able to explore other cultures through the use of the internet and the diverse population of the United States. A concern for Cultural Appropriation is often brought up as the people from different cultures start to display a negative stereotype in the efforts of understanding a culture. This inevitably leads to some negative reactions. Thus, exploring culture through food is a good way to appreciate and learn about the culture without offending the people from that are apart of it.
The video displays the agent of family. As the participants are tasting the food they are continuously comparing and contrasting its taste to the food they are the most familiar way. Their individual families have taught them that food should look and taste a certain way which is why they are often confused about the flavor and presentation of the food. To imagine that family shapes and establishes a norm for such a diverse and flexible thing such as food is interesting. We are known to be part of a generation that eats take out and has little experience cooking, we often forget that the food we eat is the same when it comes to the flavor palate.
Additionally, the video displays re-socialization. Re-socialization is the replacement of previously learned norms for new norms. The participants are doing so by simply being in the video. They are replacing the norm that food should taste salty or drinks should be fruity. The norm they are now used to is that drinks will not always be flavored after fruit but may possibly be flavored after candy. The norm that food looks different all over the world, or that the food they grew up with is unique, is replaced with the fact that food in many countries is often very similar if not the same with a slight variation.
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