The Culture Behind the Consumption

The links between the consumer and the growers/producers/corporations that own the profit of those products has been interesting and somewhat important for me for some time now. I stopped eating non-fish meat about 4 or 5 years ago and in the process became more conscious about where my food came from and/or came to more conscious eating habits of what i put into my body. Many recipes or diet tips i pick up come from vegan friends, bloggers, articles, etc. and one vegan blogger who i discovered not too long after becoming health conscious was Sistah Vegan. She was the first person i'd read who spoke about health conscious diets and lifestyles in general, but also criticized the ways in which many other vegans focus almost solely on not eating meat and meat products, while they may still be eating food that is not completely "cruelty-free". Many veg*ns have come to think that "cruelty-free" means that non-human animals have not been harmed in their meal. Sistah Vegan, on the other hand, posits the term from a more holistic perspective that looks at, for example, tomatoes that are farmed and grown by migrant worker, some of which are undocumented, who are paid literally pennies and have to endure harsh and physically dangerous situations (some are beaten and chained at night to keep them from running off the farm while many women have been raped and sexually assaulted) as something that would not fit under the category of "cruelty-free". Yes, they are vegan, but they are not cruelty-free in that those that do the physical labor endure various types of cruelty. it brought to mind this photo I have seen on the internet:

And since this re-evaluation of terms and connections and consumerism, I've been much more conscious about what i eat, where it comes from and by at least thinking about the amount of labor that goes into this food product. Quinoa is another food that veg*ns love (myself included) that has a sketchy production situation. Some have brought to the limelight the fact that quinoa, grown mainly in Bolivia and a traditional meal for those in that area, is not mainly eaten by veg*n westerners and has become involved in an industry to the point at which local Bolivians cannot afford the grain.

Something else i found important of note is the reason why sugar became (and is) such an important part of the English diet. Many a times, I think, some like to reason that colonialism and slavery happened mainly due to market; to consumption and the basic necessities of life that fueled situations like what was seen in the Caribbean with sugar cane. However, I think that idea removes the importance of culture from the picture. Even if poor, one still has cultural ideas and ideals to at least attempt to emulate. I may be pushing this because my area of study is cultural anthropology, but culture is what drives certain crops at certain points in time which certain groups of people (or classes). I think Mintz makes that point on page 122:

"Two somewhat different processes were occurring as these uses became more or less standard, both of them aspects of what, for lack of a better term, may be called "ritualization" - the incorporation and symbolic reinvestment of new materials. (Because ritual has to do with regularity and with a sense of fitness, rightness, and validation, its meaning here is not confined to so-called religious behavior.) One such aspect may be called "extensification": larger numbers of persons becoming familiar with sugar on a regular, perhaps even daily, basis. The regular consumption of sugar, particularly of cheap brown or treacle, even in modest quantities gradually reduced sugar's status as a glamorous luxury and a precious good. As a sweetener of tea, coffee, chocolate, and alcoholic drinks, and as an ingredient of bakery and fruit desserts, sugar acquired a more down-to-earth character in the eighteenth century."

Here, Mintz is saying that sugar became a part of the culture. And once something becomes habitual in such a way, the consumption of it becomes a mainstay and probably even less people would wonder where it came from, who grew it, and who profits from it. The same can be said with tea as a whole and the association it has as a quintessential English thing to do - the tea, the sweetener, and probably even the porcelain tea cup and saucer all coming from other parts of the world, yet still seen as English as apple pie is seen as American.

Also something that this idea of sugar has brought to my mind is the association of sugar with decadency. I recently did project on the relationship between Africans and African-Americans and as part of it I interviewed Africans and African-Americans asking them different ideas about one another. Two people in interviewed were my 6 year old niece and my 9 year old nephew. Something i recall them saying when i asked their thoughts on Africa was that they didn't think they had cupcakes in Africa. I've had other exchanges with them where they're surprised to know that Africans eat anything sweet. They think that all Africans chase their food down with clubs and eat it almost raw; the idea of them eating something sweet, something that takes time to cook (because they have no idea sugar comes from a plant - it's just the white stuff at the store) that isn't just raw in nature just doesn't blend well with their (obviously problematic) ideas of Africa.
Even more so (and maybe on another note), i find it ironic that sugar was first associated with decadence and luxury. Whereas at the present time in American culture, the luxury is eating fresh, healthy food and less high caloric cheap sugary drinks and foods.

Mintz states "The Moors were not halted in their outward movement until they reached Poitiers in 732, where Charles Martel turned their flank. That year marked only the hundredth anniversary of the death of Mohammed and of the installation of the first caliph, Abu Bakr.  After 759, the Moors withdrew from Toulouse and southern France and and entrenched themselves behind the Pyrenees; but it would be seven hundred years before the Spain they had conquered in only seven would once again become completely Christian.  Some portions of the Mediterranean world fell to Islam after Spain herself had fallen.  Crete, for instance, was not taken until 823; Malta not until 870.  And wherever they went, the Arabs brought with them sugar, the product and the technology of its production; sugar, we are told, followed the Koran" (25).
I find this statement intriguing, the time frame in of itself as to thinking about the sugar having been cultivated and worked in these areas for such an extended period, to the time when Columbus brought it to the Caribbean.  The mention of Christian, and Mohammed, as we are learning about how religion played and plays a dominate factor in who is in control, and that is to say who has the power.  I think about what different role would sugar be playing in our lives today, had say, the production of sugar moved east?

This is a plantation model showing scenes from life on a  St Kitts sugar plantation in about 1800, from the Enslavement and Middle Passage gallery.  Image is from the website of The International Slavery Museum, Liverpool, UK.  http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

The relationship that the Caribbean had as producers with sugar's consumers - American and English upper class luxury 'needs' - was of interest to me. I found sugar's transition from a luxury for British aristocrats to a food source for ordinary working people worldwide, and the hard manual labour that went into such a process an important story for Mintz to tell. For him, it is the story of the beginnings of capitalism.

I think that the changes in scale that sugar production has made is huge, particularly when you consider how difficult sugar was, and is, to grow, harvest, process and export. The demands of growing sugar cane was surprising to me, combined with the crushing, extracting, heating, supersaturation crystallisation and cooling involved in the process. And this hardship is added to when we as modern consumers consider that after the sugar was to be imported back into the Caribbean again later on for consumption by that population. This is interesting since we rarely think where our food originally came from.

Since “no other food in the world's history has had a comparable performance,” (p.73) I liked how Mintz argued that “what people eat expresses who they are, to themselves and to others”, because I agree, and think it's interesting how, as people, we adjust to new foods, and in this case, sugar. Changes are breaks from tradition and the routine of daily life. The supply of sugar became powerful enough to effect political and economic decisions, this is interesting to compare our attitudes towards sugar, (quite negative due to health concerns) and how much of a change this is from then up to today.

Post #1

Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History by Sidney W. Mintz has really opened my eyes up into the world of sucrose.  The first chapter Food, Sociality, and Sugar helped show me the rich history of sugar and its early beginnings. 

As hard as it was to get through those first few chapters  discussing it in class and looking at the different maps showing trade routes helped me visualize Mintz thoughts a lot more clearly.

I really admire Mintz's attention to detail. I was curious to learn more bout him so I googled him and found this website http://sidneymintz.net/sugar.php.  Upon reading about his academic background I came across this quote in reference to writing Sweetness and Power. 

"I became awed by the power of a single taste, and the concentration of brains, energy, wealth and -- most of all, power -- that had led to its being supplied to so many, in such stunningly large quantities, and at so terrible a cost in life and suffering. "

This quote for me set the tone for the rest of the book. In the back of my mind as I am reading I  constantly am reminding myself that sugar is basic to the emergence of the global market. To better understand the world of trade we first have to know the basics. Finding this quote changed the way I will read this book. 

Elizabeth Rogers Post 1

“The first sweetened cup of hot tea to be drunk by an English worker was a significant historical event, because it prefigured the transformation of an entire society, a total remaking of its economic and social basis. We must struggle to understand fully the consequences of that and kindred events for upon them was erected an entirely different conception of the relationship between producers and consumers, of the meaning of work, of the definition of self, of the nature of things.”

                                                            -Sydney Mintz

Sugar is a fundamental ingredient to pretty much any food in our society. When we go grocery shopping, some of the basic ingredients we make sure we have in our kitchen are flour, milk, eggs, butter, and sugar. I never thought or realized what goes on behind the scenes, from the history of how it became a vital part of our society to how it becomes the form of sugar that we know.

            Historically, sugar was a luxury ingredient, meaning only those who not only had the money but the time to enjoy the desserts that involve sugar. The poor and working class only got to use it in their tea, and that was only after tea became appropriated into society and became a necessity. This start of capitalism is very much prevalent in today’s society. It might not be sugar, but rather other luxury goods such as cars and technology.  We live in a capitalist society, that isn’t a new fact. However, because we live in this society, do not think about the people who are making these products we strive to have. Most of the clothes, cars, and sometimes food are made in other countries. We in America have the privilege of feigning ignorance about the amount of power we hold. I don’t mean to generalize, but I know this was a personal revelation.

            This might be going on another subject, but thinking of the power and privilege America has globally makes me think about how capitalism affects other identities of one’s life, not just class. Colonialism and slavery helped create the capitalist society we live in, eventually allowing for this idea of the American Dream to be manifested. Yet, people who have been exploited for centuries still are not seen as equal even if they have achieved success according to capitalist’s standards. Money equals power, whether it’s in the political sphere or social sphere. These people with power still set the standard for what is considered a luxury good and what we consume. Which brings us back full circle to thinking about all those being exploited behind the scenes to ensure that we get these goods, which are in demand.

      Every time I read the book I think about the seriousness of sugar. In my opinion, Mintz is not just talking about the production of sugar but the power that came along with the production of sugar. In my opinion, Mintz wanted the readers to look at the bigger picture behind the production of sugar. Sugar is more than a commodity and majority of consumer could care less the brutal production of sugar.

     Mintz wanted readers to realize the relationship between the sugar and the laborers. So many people worked in horrible conditions for little or no pay in order to produce sugar. The production of sugar makes me think about the production of cotton and tobacco during slavery. The relationship between slaves and cotton is so depressing and brutal. Sugar production has the same mental effect as cotton.

     The production of sugar also reminds me of diamonds. Consumers love to purchases these two commodities and luxuries but they are unaware of the deaths that occurred during the process. The consumers don’t see the workers who have starved and worked for low salaries. The production of sugar is a power house. Not only because people love to buy it but the power it has over people. 

Post #1

While reading Sweetness and power by Sidney W. Mintz, I began to think a lot about where everything comes from and how it began to be. Like how did they know that they could produce sugar and make it into something different. If I looked at a sugar cane, I would not know what to do with it. But while reading this I can now better understand the importance of the Sugar Industry (I guess you could say) during the time period. It also got me thinking about the different types of sugar and the different uses along with the different sources.

It is no hidden fact that I love Pirate of the Caribbean, which could have possibly influenced my decision to take this course. So I thought maybe a little connection to that and the East India Company that was mentioned in Mintz book. It seems to all begin with Tea. Everyone loves Tea, the Brits, China, American Southerners and many other cultures. So with growth and production of sugar cane came the production of Rum, sweet chocolate, and tea (which would be recommended with a lump or two of sugar). The trade industry was booming with different goods being imported and exported from far off places such as China and England.
But on another note aside from trade, I will go back to my original statement of sugar and the different types. You have to have the right types of climate and terrain to be able to produce sugar, which I have never really thought of. but how did they discover the uses for the different sugars. Like brown sugar, in my opinion, greatly under-utilized. I would eat that stuff by the spoon full while making Ginger Bread Cookies. Now that I am on cooking. Think about how the world would be without sugar in cooking, such as pastries, and any dessert really. Sure the world would probably be alot healtier and slimmer, but the taste of everything is just improved.
I really don't know if I am even doing this post right but put an ADD person on a laptop with sugar and the Caribbean on her mind and she can go off and start talking about the game candy land so I'll stop myself now.