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Introduction and Specific Aims The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School Department of Nutritional Sciences EXPLORING CHANGES IN FOOD MEANINGS AND FOOD CHOICES AMONG ASIAN INDIAN HINDU BRAHMINS IN STATE COLLEGE, PA: A GROUNDED THEORY APPROACH A Thesis in Nutrition by Meena Mahadevan © 2003 Meena Mahadevan Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2003 We approve the thesis of Meenakshi Mahadevan Date of Signature _____________________________ _________________ Dorothy A. Blair Assistant Professor of Nutrition Thesis Adviser Chair of Committee _____________________________ _________________ Helen Smiciklas-Wright Professor of Nutrition _____________________________ __________________ J. Lynne Brown Associate Professor of Food Science _____________________________ __________________ Audrey N. Maretzki Professor of Food Science and Nutrition _____________________________ __________________ Ian E. Baptiste Assistant professor of Education _____________________________ __________________ Michael H. Green Professor of Nutrition Science and Physiology Head of the Department of Nutritional Sciences ABSTRACT Immigration to a new cultural context leads to acculturation or the movement of traditional food-related values and behavior from one’s own culture to that of the host country’s (Mavreas et al. 1989). There have been few attempts to understand the process of change in traditional food meanings and food behaviors as a result of exposure to a new environment. Specifically, very little research has been done on the food habits of the Asian Indian immigrant population of United States. In the current study, a qualitative method was used to develop a theoretical framework on the process of changes in food meanings and food choices among Asian Indian Hindu Brahmins residing in State College, PA. Participant observation and interviews were used as data collection techniques. Data analysis occurred concurrently with data collection, consistent with the grounded theory technique. The findings revealed that the degree of retention or loss of traditional foods and behaviors was influenced by several factors. Even though food-related rituals and their symbols were important factors in explaining their traditional food behaviors, by themselves they did not explain why some traditional food behaviors were retained while others were abandoned. The ‘system’ or the conditions that surrounded these participants such as their individual characteristics, the group characteristics of the entire Asian Indian community, and the characteristics of the State College area and its community were all important factors that helped to understand the process of food-related acculturation among this group of people. As Asian Indian food acculturation becomes better understood, nutrition and health workers can attempt to understand their alternative conceptual systems and work with them. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES viii CHAPTER I RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 1 Pilot Study 1 Introduction 3 Overall Objective 5 II THEORETICAL BASIS AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE 6 Acculturation and its Influence on Traditional Food Habits 6 Acculturation Studies on Asian Indians 14 Culture-Specific Food Meanings in Food Choices 16 Food-Related Meanings Among Hindu Brahmins 21 Systems Approach to Study Changes in Food Behavior 25 III METHODOLOGY 30 Methodological Considerations 30 Research Questions 35 Setting 36 Data Collection 39 Sampling 40 In-Depth Interviewing 42 Participant Observations 45 Data Analysis 47 Researcher-Related Bias 51 Trustworthiness 25 IV RESULTS: THEMATIC ANALYSIS 57 Category I: Changes in Food Choices, Meal Patterns, and Food Meanings 57 Theme 1: Food Choices, Meal Patterns, and Food Meanings In India 61 Theme 2: Food Choices, Meal Patterns, and Food Meanings In State College 65 iv Category II: Brahmin-Related Rules, Values, and Beliefs 70 Theme 3: Being a Brahmin in India 70 Theme 4: Being a Brahmin in State College 83 Category III: Perceptions Towards Indian and American Foods 90 Theme 5: Perceptions Towards Indian Foods 90 Theme 6: Perceptions Towards American Foods 98 Category IV: Maintaining Indian or Hindu Brahmin Traditions in State College 100 Theme 7: Reasons for Losing or Retaining Indian or Hindu Brahmin Traditions 100 Theme 8: Strategies for Retaining Indian or Hindu Brahmin Traditions 110 Theme 9: The Future of an Asian Indian Hindu Brahmin in America 112 Data From Participant Observations 114 V DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND SUMMARY 117 Discussion Theme 1: Food Choices, Meal Patterns, and Food Meanings In India 117 Theme 2: Food Choices, Meal Patterns, and Food Meanings In State College 120 Theme 3: Being a Brahmin in India 123 Theme 4: Being a Brahmin in State College 128 Theme 5: Perceptions Towards Indian Foods 131 Theme 6: Perceptions Towards American Foods 131 Theme 7: Reasons for Losing or Retaining Indian or Hindu Brahmin Traditions 138 Theme 8: Strategies for Retaining Indian or Hindu Brahmin Traditions 144 Theme 9: The Future of an Asian Indian Hindu Brahmin in America 146 Conclusions 148 Reflections of the Investigator 156 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research 157 Implications and Recommendations 161 Summary 162 BIBLIOGRAPHY 164 v APPENDICES Page APPENDIX A: Pilot Study - Results 189 APPENDIX B: Consent to Serve As a Subject in Research 190 APPENDIX C: Interview Guide 191 APPENDIX D: Coding Categories 192 APPENDIX E: Consent to Serve As a Confidante for Discussion Purposes 194 APPENDIX F: Transcription Validation Form 195 APPENDIX G: Glossary of Indian Terms 196 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Participant Profile 172 2 Participant Observations 174 3 Food Choices, Meal Patterns, Food Meanings 178 4 Brahmin-Related Rules, Values, Beliefs 179 5 Changes in Brahmin-Related Rules, Values, Beliefs 181 6 Perceptions Towards Ethnic and American Foods 182 7 Maintaining or Losing Traditions 183 8 Summary of Findings 184 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Study Timeline 186 2 Sampling and Theoretical Saturation 187 3 Theory on Food-Related Acculturation 188 viii Chapter I RESEARCH OBJECTIVE Pilot Study In the summer of 2000, a pilot study was conducted to explore the food consumption experiences of Asian Indian Hindu Brahmin students residing in State College, PA. In doing so, the study hoped to reveal the symbolic associations with both Indian and American foods for this group of immigrants, and to determine what influence these associations had on their food choices after coming to America. A total of fifteen Hindu Brahmin graduate students (ages 22- 28) were selected using the purposive sampling technique. These students were mostly friends and acquaintances of the researcher. Open-ended, in-depth interviews were used. Each interview lasted about an hour, and included questions such as ‘What comes to your mind when somebody asks you to describe Indian/American foods or cuisine?’, ‘What is your concept of a typical, Hindu Brahmin/American meal?’, ‘What makes a food Indian/American to you?’, ‘What does eating an Indian meal mean to you?’, ‘How would you describe your food habits after coming to America?’, ‘In what way has your eating changed after coming to the U.S.?’, ‘How does living in State College affect your eating habits?’, etc. The taped interviews were transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for emerging concepts using the content analysis procedure outlined by Patton (1990). During this process, the interview texts were coded for or reduced into manageable content categories. The aim was to examine the connotations used by the participants to describe their food consumption experience in America. The findings from this pilot study can be found in Appendix A. Terms such as “not filling”, and “fatty - not healthy” were used to describe American foods. Indian foods on the 1 other hand, were labeled as “filling”, and “low in fat - healthy”. Other characteristics used to distinguish between Indian and American foods included those referring to the use of meat (Indian – vegetarian versus American – non-vegetarian), the nutritional quality of the foods (Indian – ‘less fatty’ versus ‘fatty’), the physical appearance of the food (Indian – ‘organic’ versus American – ‘processed’), the time required to prepare the food (Indian - ‘effort-requiring’ versus American – ‘convenient’), the variety of ingredients used (Indian - ‘varied’ versus American - ‘monotonous’), and finally, the flavor of the food (Indian - ‘tasty or spicy’ versus American - ‘bland’). In addition to descriptive characteristics that pertained to nutrition, satiety, convenience, and flavor, the connotative meanings, or the ideas, feelings, and attitudes that the participants of this study associated with traditional and American foods were also revealed in the pilot study. For example, a “proper” Hindu Brahmin meal was one that consisted exclusively of Indian food items. Such a meal was also described as being “filling”, and “a meal in the true sense”. This meal was termed “filling” because it consisted of a staple along with “a “variety of cooked lentils and vegetables”. An American meal on the other hand, was one that was “just a mix of different food items rather than a cooked meal”. Such a meal was described as being “not filling” due to the fact that “it did not have any mixed dishes in the gravy form”. American foods were also described as being “junk” foods, while Indian foods were described as being “healthy” foods. This dichotomy in connotation resulted from their notions
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