DECIPHERING MEALTIMES : IDENTITY, CONSUMPTION AND SOCIALIZATION IN THE SINGAPORE CHINESE FAMILY

Abstract

Mealtimes are perhaps one of the most embedded and taken for granted aspects of our daily life. They are often unnoticed, unquestioned and considered rountine and mundane. Yet, these shared meals are often reflective of the structures, the roles and the patterned social rules underlying our everyday behaviours at mealtimes. Being such a central part of family life, mealtimes also serve as one of the most important means to gain insights into family social relations embedded in the domestic arena and the dynamics surrounding the consumption of food. On the individual level, the choices made in food by individuals provide an insight into the underlying notions about health, balance and the self An attempt is then made to show that food choices are related to an underlying pragmatic structure and not just the mere fulfillment of a biological need. In the family, the socialisation processes that the child undergoes at mealtimes and the ideological weight of family meals are also examined to unravel the layers of meanings that are woven into mealtimes. This is thus an attempt to illuminate the symbolic meanings of mealtimes that will bring to light the acquisition of certain behaviours through the family and the roles and structures that are replicated as a result of these practices during the sharing of the family meal. These social events therefore entail limitless opportunities to explore issues of gender, identity, family dynamics and enculturation processes taking place in the context of the home and in creating an identity in the Singapore society.