Record Details
Tamaladas and the role of food in Mexican-immigrant and Mexican-American cultures in Texas
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Tamaladas and the role of food in Mexican-immigrant and Mexican-American cultures in Texas |
| Names |
Knepp, Mark Dustin
(creator) |
| Date Issued | 2010 (iso8601) |
| Note | Access restricted to the OSU Community |
| Abstract | The tamal, a filled cornmeal dumpling, is perhaps one of the most versatile items in the Mexican menu and is an iconic symbol of Mexican cuisine. A pre-Hispanic culinary staple, the tamal continues among all levels of Mexican society, and the tamalada, a festive gathering to prepare tamales, is an event that showcases the symbiotic nature of food and culture. This research begins an exploration of the cultural role of food among Mexican immigrants and subsequent generations of Mexican Americans in Texas, and it examines how foods and the tradition of the tamalada are used as tools to generate, maintain, and transmit a sense of cultural identity through time. A combination of methods including semi-structured and informal interviews, questionnaires, participant-maintained food journals, and participatory observation of tamaladas is used to examine consumption habits of participants in both daily routine and special occasions. This mixed-methods approach helps to give a more complete assessment of how cultural food traditions are incorporated into one's own identity formation and influence successive generations. Differences emerge between generations of participants involved in the study, and specific foods and food preparations are determined to have a key role in one's affiliation with heritage and in the assertion of cultural identity. The tamalada is also analyzed, proving to be an event where food transcends its role as sustenance and becomes an integral part of cultural exchange. Ultimately, this research stimulates an examination of the social and symbolic uses of food in the lives of Mexican-heritage participants, illustrating how food can be used to demonstrate both who they are historically, and how they want to be perceived currently. |
| Genre | Thesis |
| Topic | Food habits -- Texas |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/36564 |
