Female Identity, Food, and Power in Contemporary Florence

An exploration of dietary practices among South Indians in Brisbane, Australia

“…This was similar to attitudes noted among Punjabi-Canadian families (Beagan, Chapman, D'Sylva, & Bassett, 2008). The daily rituals of cooking and other food-work are closely associated with the women in the household and considered an expression of femininity in traditional societies similar to that observed among Florentine women (Counihan, 1988), as well as a means of asserting power and control for women in the domestic space (Counihan, 1988;Devasahayam, 2005).…”

Cultural foodways in Sweden: repeated focus group interviews with Somalian women

“…Generally, women are responsible for feeding themselves, their partners and their children 18 . For the women of today, cooking is still part of housework embodied with positive knowledge and power, a value‐oriented part of women's traditional identity 19–21 . Murcott 22 describes the special relations that arise between women and other household members by virtue of the service of preparing cooked meals 10 .…”

“…18 For the women of today, cooking is still part of housework embodied with positive knowledge and power, a valueoriented part of women's traditional identity. [19][20][21] Murcott 22 describes the special relations that arise between women and other household members by virtue of the service of preparing cooked meals. 10 De Vault, 23 doing research in Chicago, uses the term 'feeding work', indicating the family meal-as-event as the heart of family, as pride and joy, but also a struggle withholding women from entering the labour market.…”

Nationalism, Patriarchy, and Moralism: The Government-Led Food Reform in Contemporary Japan

“…There is also no doubt that some women do enjoy cooking and draw pride in their commitment to food education (Kimura, forthcoming). However, echoing what Counihan (1988) documents in the case of Italy, many contemporary Japanese women would find it difficult to fit into this idealized model. Many are employed outside the home and do not have time to cook kateiryori from scratch, to eat together and attend to her children, and to cook "traditional" Japanese food to transmit "Japanese food culture."…”