Foodways As Frontiers the Importance of Food for Belonging in New Orleans
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Foodways as Frontiers The importance of food for belonging in New Orleans N.K.M. de Jonge M.E. Vreugdenhil 1 Photograph Frontpage 1 The picture shows the signs of a food stand during the Freret street festival. On the signs is written “Gumbo – a little bit of dis a little bit of dat” “Cajun cooking makes you good” “And don’t you go back no more no more no more no more” And in the bottom the New Orleans motto: “Laissez les bon temps rouler!” It was taken by Níne de Jonge on the 4th of April 2015, New Orleans. Foodways as Frontiers Foodways as Frontiers The importance of food for belonging in New Orleans Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology Bachelor Thesis 2014-2015 N.K.M. de Jonge 3850188 [email protected] M.E. Vreugdenhil 3864839 Thesis Supervisor: C.L. Kanters 1 Foodways as Frontiers 2 Foodways as Frontiers Table of Contents Map of the USA and New Orleans ............................................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 7 1. Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................... 13 1.1 The anthropology of belonging ....................................................................................................................13 Emotional belonging .....................................................................................................................................14 Politics of Belonging .....................................................................................................................................15 1.2 Belonging, ethnic community and place-making.........................................................................................17 Ethnic belonging ...........................................................................................................................................17 A sense of place .............................................................................................................................................18 Place attachment, place identity, place dependence ......................................................................................19 Place promotion .............................................................................................................................................19 1.3 Consuming identities ...................................................................................................................................21 1.3.1 The anthropology of food and belonging .............................................................................................21 1.3.2 Food and Community ...........................................................................................................................22 1.3.3 Food and a sense of place .....................................................................................................................23 1.4 The role of food in constructing an inter-ethnic community and a sense of belonging ...........................26 2. Context ............................................................................................................................... 27 Historical background ...................................................................................................................................27 Foodways in New Orleans ............................................................................................................................29 Representation of New Orleans .....................................................................................................................30 Concluding ....................................................................................................................................................31 3. Gumbo - the melting pot of New Orleans ........................................................................ 32 A cuisine – the importance of food ...............................................................................................................32 The food ........................................................................................................................................................33 Let’s talk about food......................................................................................................................................34 Cuisines .........................................................................................................................................................35 Mixing and melting .......................................................................................................................................40 Melting pot ....................................................................................................................................................41 Local cuisine .................................................................................................................................................42 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................................43 4. New Orleans’ food experts - “But I know how to eat crawfish!” .................................. 45 A collective historical narrative .....................................................................................................................46 Personal memory and childhood ...................................................................................................................47 3 Foodways as Frontiers Home and public ...........................................................................................................................................48 Being a New Orleanian .................................................................................................................................49 Becoming a New Orleans expert ...................................................................................................................50 Constructing boundaries through expert knowledge .....................................................................................51 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................................53 5. Belonging to New Orleans - “This is a red bean city here” ............................................ 54 New Orleans as a unique place ......................................................................................................................55 A community-oriented city............................................................................................................................57 Divisions in New Orleans ..............................................................................................................................59 Ethnic belonging in New Orleans ..................................................................................................................61 Belonging, place-promotion and place-making .............................................................................................63 Festivals and celebrations - “Laissez les bon temps rouler” ..........................................................................64 Concluding ....................................................................................................................................................67 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 68 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 75 Websites ................................................................................................................................... 79 List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... 79 Appendix 1 : List of quoted informants ................................................................................... 80 Appendix 2 : Summary ............................................................................................................ 85 Appendix 3 : Pictures ............................................................................................................... 88 4 Foodways as Frontiers Map of the USA and New Orleans Figure 1: Map of the USA (http://www.aussiefitzy.com/graphics/travel/maps/AM/NA/USA/locations/ Map_NA_USA_Louisiana.gif, accessed October 12, 2014.) Figure 2: The New Orleans Metropolitan area: Orientation map (Zaninetti, University of Orleans) 5 Foodways as Frontiers Acknowledgements One Monday evening we decided to go to a neighborhood bar in Mid-City where a free meal is served every week. It was quite far from our place and not the best neighborhood, but we wanted to go somewhere. Around seven o’clock a line formed for the small buffet which offered coleslaw, chicken with a herbal bread crust and pasta with mayonnaise and ham. Waiting in the line we started to chat with the man in front of us; Jack became one of our key informants.