Introduction and Specific Aims

206 Pages·2003·1.51 MB·English

by  College Guys

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 of what was nutritious and
what was not. A food was perceived as being nutritious when it was lower in fat. Thus,
American foods were perceived as being “junk” foods or “less healthy” foods due to the fact that
they were thought to be higher in fat content than Indian foods.
2