Culture

Anna H. Asian Art History Maurya Dynasty: Sarnath Lion Capital Mauryan Empire of India lasted from 4th to 2nd century BCE. According to Coomaraswmy, an Indian historian, Mauryan art had three phases. The third phase was considered the beginning of brick and stone sculpture and architecture. The pillars of Asoka would consider such example, which are free standing carved animal capitals created in the time of Asoka empire. There are 20 known pillars that Asoka commissioned. These pillars are made out of shafts of sandstone and display Buddhist symbols.

Asoka had a sculpture of four lions placed on top of one of his pillars, knows as Sarnath Lion Capital. These lions were portrayed as power and still remain a national symbol of India. The art elements portrayed in this sculpture define the meaning and characteristics that had important significance during Mauryan dynasty. The Sarnath Pillar’s composition has more abstract relation than schematic portrayal. The capital contains four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures of an elephant, horse, bull, and a lion.

In this way, four rivers of India is represented. The animals are separated by elapsing wheels, which symbolizes time. Because wheels are also mentioned in Buddhist religion, it can be explained as spiritual purpose as well. Since the sculpture has a schematic relation, it is hard to understand the main point at the first sight. The sculpture is volumetric with few high relieves. The animals and wheels can be considered as high relief where as the lion’s top portion would consider three dimensional. Overall sculpture itself is considered as free standing, since it can be iewed from all angles. The proportional relationship to the size of animals in reality is more abstract than realistic. The animals at the bottom portion of the sculpture, are much smaller than in real life. Although the lions can be considered realistic, despite the overlapping of one another. The adherence from reality suggests that the size of lions portrayed in large scale signifies power, besides of their nature meaning (powerful animal of animal kingdom). In this way it leads the viewer to concentrate more on lions than on other parts of the culpture. The lines of the sculpture let the eye to lead to the main ideas and it emphasizes more volume than lines. Some parts of the sculpture, such as water plant, and lion’s beard have curvilinear orientation where as the wheel is more rectilinear. The lines help to create more naturalistic details, which effects the sculpture to be more easily defined. The texture of the sculpture is smooth, more similar to copper made. This deviates from the real texture of the objects depicted, even though it gives the rich shiny feeling hich is more similar to lion’s natural color. Because the lack of color it give the sculpture more abstract than naturalistic look. The absence of the color gives more dull look and less definable. It also suggests that the painting techniques during Mauryan dynasty was not well developed and had limited use of techniques. Asoka’s pillars are some of India’s earliest major stone sculptures. The Asoka’s reign were highly religious. He was the first powerful monarch to practice Buddhism, therefore his sculptures were mainly on Buddhism and power.

Assignment: How have women been portrayed through photography? 16/01/2009 How have women been portrayed through photography? The gaze deals with how the audience views the people presented in visual culture, in this case, adverts, magazines and Cinema. The ‘male gaze’ is the male ability to exercise control over women by representing them in visual means as passive, sexual objects of male desire. The power of men over women has always existed. They are seen as the more powerful and clever species. This control over women has been seen predominately in linguistics senses in past times.

It is clear that there are more derogatory terms for women than there are for men. Men can also wolf whistle or cat-call in order to harass a woman but there is no such response for women. Men also have more linguistic power over women due to their social status in modern society. In more current times men have turned to visual arts to implement their control and power over women. In this essay I hope to demonstrate how women are and have been portrayed in relation to the ‘male gaze’ and how it is still very prevalent in contemporary modern culture through photography and other mediums, such as, cinema and advertising.

I will be analyzing the photographic work of Cindy Sherman, E. J. Bellocq, advertisement and the written work of Laura Mulvey and John Berger. Traditionally imagined, written and produced by men, advertisements have long depicted women as men want them to be, sexy, obedient, fragile, instead of as they actually are. In this way, the male gaze is very predominant in modern advertising. John Berger put it in Ways of Seeing, “Men act and women ‘appear’. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. ”[i] When women look at themselves in modern advertisements, they are encouraged to view themselves as a man might view them.

Women have very few roles in the world of advertising. Mainly they are portrayed as domestic providers who do not make significant decisions, are dependent on men, and are essentially sex objects. This traditional representation of women is a problem, not because it is wrong to want women to be sexy or striking but rather because their beauty is being defined as a means to male power through strategic admiration. Most adverts on television and in magazines have pretty, sexy women with the idea being that if you buy what they are selling than you will get the girl in the avert, or in a woman’s case, be the girl who gets her man.

A good example of this is cigarette advertising; in this case I will be looking at a 1960’s ad campaign by Tiparillo. This campaign showed an off screen man offering a variety of women a choice in cigarettes and small text at the bottom of the advert discussing the cigarette but also a crude comment on the women pictured. The women appear to play strong roles, a Lab Technician, Librarian and Violinist, but the ‘male gaze’ is clear as though they may have strong positions, they are still portrayed as sexual objects.

In the advert Tiparillo M – 1967 we see on first glance is what appears to be a strong, smart lab technician, the glasses help emphasise that she is intelligent. She is photographed from her cleavage upwards, The model dons a gormless expression, though it is stated why she may have this expression on her face in the text accompanying the advert, ‘Underneath that pocket of pencils beats the heart of a digital computer’, here we are made aware the women is actually a robot.

This puts the women in the position of being passive, being programmed by the man. The way the male character is displayed off screen puts an emphasis on the spectator and how he ‘identifies with the main male protagonist, he projects his look onto that of his life, his screen surrogate. ’ [ii] the last sentence in the text is ‘ which Tiparillo are you going to offer? Or are you just going to stand there and stare at her pencils? ’ This comment is obviously referring to staring at the woman’s chest, the pencils are in line with her breasts.

Cindy Sherman first came to prominence in the late 197 0’s[iii], when Sherman produced her Untitled Film Stills, which spotlights the complexities of the female persona as soon through the lens of the media. With the photographs she takes of herself, she impersonates various characters and shows us the numerous roles women play in our world. In her pictures she depicts women as housewife, sex symbol, lover, victim, monster and more, and causes us to reflect upon how we perceive women.

The characters Sherman portrays, lighting, clothing and expressions are cliche of what is present in cinema, so much that viewers of her work have told Sherman that they ‘remember the movie’ that the image is derived from, yet Sherman having no film in mind at all. [iv] Thus showing that her word has a pastiche of past cinematic genres, and how women are portrayed in cinema and photography and how Sherman has manipulated the ‘male gaze’ around her images so they become ironic and cliche. Laura Mulvey understands Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills as to be rehearsing this structure of the ‘male gaze’, “The camera looks; it captures he female character in a parody of different voyeurisms. It intrudes into moments in which she is ungraded, sometimes undressed, absorbed into her own world in the privacy of her own environment. Or it witnesses a moment in which her guard drops and she is suddenly startled by the presence, unseen and off-screen watching her. ”[v] Voyeurism is most apparent Sherman’s work, in Untitled Film Still, #2 the subject is a young Sherman wrapped in a towel, which is draped from her back, revealing her buttocks if the image was to be taken a second later.

Sherman stands before her bathroom mirror, touching her shoulder and following her own gesture in it’s reflected image. [vi]The way Sherman has positioned herself, mouth slightly open, a longing gaze, her hand caressing her shoulder, head tilt back, neck extended and in a profile position, the reflection appears to an extract from an issue of Vogue. A door is visible in the left of the image; this puts the viewer outside room, peering in at a moment where the subjects guard is down, a moment of privacy and emotion.

In 1981 Sherman produced a series of images called Centrefolds; here Sherman photographed herself in series of narratives which have a ‘soft-core pastiche’ to her Untitled Film stills and association her horizontal framing to that of the format of ‘cinemascope’. In this series Mulvey focuses on the characters and the ‘masquerade of felinity’s interior’, “The young women that Sherman impersonates may be daydreaming about a future romance, or they may be mourning a lost one. They may be waiting, in enforced passivity, for a letter or a telephone call. Their eyes gaze into the distance.

They are not aware of their clothes, which are sometimes carelessly rumpled, so that, safe alone with their thoughts, their bodies are, slightly revealed to the viewer. ”[vii] Untitled #96 shows Sherman sprawled out on a titled floor, almost merging in with her orange ensemble, a warm tone on her skin also matching her outfit. Sherman is gazing dreamily out of frame whilst clutching (what could be) a personal’s ad torn from a newspaper. Krauss states that, “like Jackson Pollock, Sherman disturbs this verticality by using a downward camera angle in her photographs.

Yes, the angle makes one aware of the horizontal, but it also emphasizes the vertical (power/domination) position of the viewer in relation to the apparent weakness of the horizontally inclined woman (Sherman). “ [viii] Sherman’s Centrefold photographs have a ‘to-be-looked-at-ness’ of femininity. Unlike with Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills which have a fake narrative, the subjects would always be looking of of frame, so that the camera doesn’t drawn any unwanted attention, giving it that film aesthetic.

Where Sherman’s 1981 Centrefolds do the opposite, they ‘announce themselves as photographs’, and in a pin-up, the model’s eroticism, and her pose, are directed towards the camera, and ultimately towards the spectator. [ix] Sherman only thought of the relation of the ‘male gaze’ in her 1981 work ‘Centrefold’s, “The horizon/ centrefold type pictures I did, were meant to resemble in format a centrefold, but in content I wanted a man opening the magazine to suddenly look at it in expectation of something lascivious and then feel like the violator they would be. Looking at these women perhaps as a victim…

I didn’t think of them of victims at the time. I am trying to make someone feel bad for having this sort of certain expectation, and so that is the only real time I’ve consciously thought of the male gaze. ”[x] Sherman wants the viewer, in this case the male spectator, to feel wrong for applying the gaze, and stereotyping women into a passive, victim, love sick women which is often depicted in both cinema and photography. When opening the magazine Sherman wants to feel like a violator, having expected sexually orientated image, by almost walking in on someone in a private moment.

In one of Sherman’s more recent works, Untitled # 276 we see her represent Cinderella, a famous female from western fairy tale. Sherman portrays this childhood character her in a way that is radically different from any other representation and is polar opposite to that of say Disney. The only similarity between Disney’s Cinderella and Sherman as Cinderella is their blond hair. Disney’s portrayal of Cinderella is innocent, sweet, modestly dressed in a beautiful gown and jewels with a perfectly proportioned body stereotypical for an attractive female, waiting for her prince to come and take her away from her problems.

However, Sherman is made up to look like a whats could be resembled as ‘white trash’, her dress is see through and her breasts (presumably fake) are visible. Her legs are spread inviting the spectator and there is large black area between her legs, which could possibly be (knowing Sherman) pubic hair. She looks anything but innocent as she assumes a confident, sexually charged attitude in a take me or leave me kind of posture. She looks like she could give a damn if her princes comes and perhaps she wouldn’t even acknowledge him if he did arrive.

Ironically, she is holding a white lily, the traditional ‘symbol of purity’ White lilies represent the purity of the Virgin Mary. The Angel Gabriel was often painted presenting Mary with a white lily when he announced to her that she would give birth to the Son of God. [xi] Here Sherman has depicted a more realistic male depiction of what Cinderella would look like. I think that this reaction is typical; a symbol of the sexism present in society, traditional beauty is good, a whore, unconventional beauty, a promiscuous woman and nudity is bad.

E. J. Belloq’s images of prostitutes taken the town of Storyville, New Orleans in the early 1900’s ‘encapsulate’ the ‘male gaze’. [xii] All the photographs are portraits of individual women. Some are nude, some dressed respectably, and others posed as if acting a mysterious narrative. Even though Belloq’s images contain nudity, this is not where the ‘male gaze’ is prevalent, it’s the fact that his subject’s are prostitutes and their sole function is to ‘advertise what the body has to offer’.

The way Belloq has photographed his subject is in a documentary style, unlike where Sherman has taken a film narrative to her images, Belloq photographed his subject full frame and frontal. Untitled 01 is of young women elegantly laid out on a chaise-lounge. Apart from the Zorro like mask she is only wearing black stockings and what appears to be a wedding ring. This image is a prime example of the ‘male gaze’. The way she is laid out, naked, facing the camera so that she is displaying her ‘goods’ to her client.

Her face is covered by a mask, is can be seen as to protect her identity, but also is can be related to women as a sexual object. This image has a ‘come-hither quality’, a relaxed pose and an inviting smile, with just enough room for the client/ spectator to sit on the chaise-lounge. The first things what strikes the viewer in Untitled 02, is that the face of the prostitute has been ‘scratched out’. Susan Sontag stated that ‘these pictures [of blacked out faces] are actually painful to look at, at least for the viewer.

But then I am and women… ’[xiii] Even from a males point of view I do find these image subjective to women as without a face there is no identity, purely and object of sexual desire. The scratched out faces can be seen as violent towards women. The woman in the picture seems to have a back slightly arched and hand behind her head. She could be tying her hair or extenuating her breasts for the spectator, in this case the client. The woman appears to be quite petite, possibly young, maybe that’s the reason why the face has been scratched away?

We can conclude that the ‘male gaze’ has been used throughout Photography, from both male (Belloq ) and female (Sherman) perspective, but both have used the ‘male gaze’ in different ways. Belloq’s has used it unconsciously through his documentary/portraiture images, which depicts women as more of a sexual object and something to be desired. Where Sherman’s has used it consciously through her well composed narrative images, taking the stereotypical ideals of women and photographed them in a cliche style which is all but apparent in past and present cinema. ——————————– [ i ]. John Berger, Ways of Seeing (London: BBC, 1974) [ ii ]. Laura Mulvey, A Phantasmagoria of the Female Body: The Work of Cindy Sherman, New Left review, vol. 188 July/August 1991 pp. 8 [ iii ]. http://www. artfacts. net/index. php/pageType/exhibitionInfo/exhibition/13349/lang/1 [ Accessed 28 December 2008] [ iv ]. Listbet Nilson – Q & A: Cindy Sherman, American photographer, September 1983 p. 77 [ v ]. Laura Mulvey, A Phantasmagoria of the Female Body: The Work of Cindy Sherman, New Left review, vol. 88 July/August 1991 pp. 5 [ vi ]. Cindy Sherman 1975 – 1993 – Rosalind Kraus, Rizzoli International Publications, 1993 pp. 56 [ vii ]. Laura Mulvey, A Phantasmagoria of the Female Body: The Work of Cindy Sherman, New Left review, vol. 188 July/August 1991 pp. 5 [ viii ]. THE SHERMAN PHENOMENA: The Image of Theory or a Foreclosure of Dialectical Reasoning – http://www. brickhaus. com/amoore/magazine/Sherman. html [ Accessed 29 December 2008] [ ix ]. Laura Mulvey, A Phantasmagoria of the Female Body: The Work of Cindy Sherman, New Left review, vol. 88 July/August 1991 pp. 6 [ x ]. Ovation TV | Cindy Sherman, Nobody’s Here But Me – http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=Xsow0QaKJAM [ Accessed 28 December 2008] [ xi ]. http://painting. about. com/cs/inspiration/a/symbolsflowers. htm [ Accessed 04 January 2009] [ xii ]. Graham Clarke, The Body in Photography, chapter 7 of The Photograph (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), pp. 123-144 [ xiii ]. Bellocq: Photographs from Storyville, the Red-Light District of New Orleans susan sontag – http://www. masters-of-photography. com/B/bellocq/bellocq_articles2. html [

With over 90 years in the industry the culture at BMW is an anomaly in the car manufacturing business. BMW teaches their employees the history of the company and their mission from day one. Problem times from years past are also told to the new employees. For example when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1959 and was saved by a local business man, these mishaps are used as learning tools to stop history from repeating itself. Regardless of your job title all levels work together to create ideas to better the brand and product.

The regular hierarchy that you see within a company is not an obstacle when voicing your thoughts and ideas. Team brainstorming is done on a regular basis and everyone’s input is valued. BMW was one of the first companies to offer profit sharing in Germany to its employees. The leadership at BMW is one the values the employees and listens to their ideas. The type of open door leadership BMW allows for employees to feel as if they have value to the company and its achievements. Informal powwows are used to brainstorm for ideas with all levels of employees. It is sometimes referred to as a freewheeling idea factory.

Employees from all different departments are known to get together and work on a single project. This culture allows for employees to feel as if they are valued and that their ideas are appreciated. No one is looked down upon when they present an idea even if they are not as “high up” as the other people in the room. This allows for great ideas to be given and fostered. The work environment at BMW is so highly sought after that over 200,000 applications are received annually. The job characteristics model involves increasing the amount of skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback in a job.

Three critical psychological states:

1. Experienced meaningfulness of the tasks performed,
2. Experience personal responsibility for tasks outcomes,
3. Knowledge of the tasks performed.

Managers at BMW seldom have formalized training to learn their jobs. This forces them to work closely with other managers and their teams to figure out ways to improve the business. This is another example of how employees are tightly knight and feel as if their opinions matter. The line between management and subordinates is very thin.

They work so closely together that the hierarchy is not as pronounced as in most companies. The heavy involvement of all employees increases productivity and job satisfaction. Organizational creativity is fostered at BMW in many ways. BMW looks to its workers to come up with ways to save the company money. Individuals whose ideas save the plant money receive bonuses. The more ideas you present the more money you earn. This pushes employees to come up with solid ideas that will benefit the company. This is a win win situation for both BMW and the employees. Satisfied and motivated employees are a vital part of BMW.

Interdepartmental brainstorming is very common and they work closely to come up with ideas. People aren’t criticized for their ideas no matter how off the wall they might be. They are encouraged to think outside the box. The culture and work environment at BMW greatly influences the performance and production of its workers. Workers are so happy with their employment they are willing to work extra hours on heavy productions days and not get paid overtime. This practice is unheard of in most companies. Very rarely are employees willing to work extra hour and not be compensated with hour time pay.

This is offset by the accrual of days off instead. Workers are also willing to move away from home for extended periods of time and work long hours. All of these things create job stability for the employees and help reduce layoffs. BMW is the leader in car customization. They are able to complete over 170,000 changes a month in their orders. This is unheard of in the car manufacturing industry. Such changes would set other manufacture back months but BMW is able to make the changes and stay on schedule due to the dedication of its employees.

Other manufactures are looking to BMW to try to duplicate this process but have yet to reach this level. BMW is the leader of the pact when it comes to innovation and employees moral. More companies regardless of their industry need to follow this awesome example of teamwork. They would be able to produce more and spend less which is always the goal when running a business. After reading this case I see why over 200,000 people apply for a position there yearly. It seems like a great place to work and grow.

Indian Cuisine

Think of India and one of the first things that come to mind is its diversity. A large populous country divided into many states; each with its own unique traditions and gastronomic fare. Indian cooking is one of the most popular cuisines across the globe. Not only is it popular among the large Indian diaspora but also among the mainstream population of North America and Europe. For the uninitiated, Indian food may seem foreign, scary, spicy and not for the faint of heart. This paper aims to explore many of the facets that make up Indian and hopefully allay any misconceptions or fears that may exist.

The chapters are categorized under the following sections:

1. The Evolution of Indian Cooking
2. Geographical Variation
3. Dietary Customs in India
4. The Story of Spices
5. Curry: What is it?
6. Indian Dining Etiquette

The Evolution Of Indian Cooking

Indian cuisine derives from a 4000 year timeline. It has significantly evolved as a result of the various influences introduced into the country by many travelers and rulers. Despite this evolution, it has not lost its original identity, but rather became richer with the assimilation of theses varied influences.

The following historical timeline (Bhattacharya, n. d. ) of how Indian gastronomy evolved will help shape our understanding and appreciation of this cooking style. 2000 BC and earlier. Most people believe that the origins of Indian history, and therefore the cuisine, dates back to Mohenjedaro and Harrapan civilizations. It is understood that the Ayurvedic tradition of cooking, which is a complete holistic approach to cooking, evolved at this point in time. In Vedic times, a normal diet consisted of fruit, vegetables, meat, grain, dairy products and honey.

Over time, some segments of the population embraced vegetarianism due to the ancient Hindu philosophy of ahimsa. 1000 BC. At this point we see the first influx of outsiders into the country. The Mohenjodaro people are believed to have been pushed to southern India and the cuisine there is still largely vegetarian. The roots of Hinduism are shaped at this point along with the Vedas and the Mahabharata. The caste system is developed dividing eating habits broadly by caste. For example; the Brahmins were mostly vegetarians while the Kshatriyas were meat eaters. 400 BC:

This period saw the development of Buddhism outside India which resulted in the migration of people as well as their food and dietary requirements. 1200 AD: This period saw several north Indian dynasties rule and became known as the Golden Age of Indian Art. There were several travelers who visited India and were responsible for the introduction of tea. However, from a culinary perspective there are still no significant external influences brought into the country. 1200-1800AD: During the reign of the Moghuls we see the emergence of Moglai cuisine. It’s this type of cooking that people now associate with India.

The cooking style is characterized by the addition of several seasonings like saffron and nuts. The influx of European influences into parts of southern India, such as Kerala, resulted in the beginning of the Syrian Christian cuisine. 1800 – 1947 AD: The age of British colonial rule saw the start of the English love affair with Indian food. It was hardly a glorified period in Indian history, but the British loved the elaborate way of eating and adapted several of the food choices to their taste. They developed the curry as a simple spice to help them cook Indian meals.

Geographical Variation

The cuisines of India are as richly diverse and varied as its culture, ethnic makeup and geography. According to Sarakar (n. d. ), the common characteristic of all Indian cooking is the tremendous use and blending of a variety of wonderfully exotic spices. As a land that has experienced extensive immigration and intermingling over the centuries, India’s cuisine has benefited from numerous food influences. The diverse climate which ranges from tropical to alpine has also helped broaden the set of ingredients available for cooking.

Northern India North Indian cuisine is distinguished by a proportionally high use of dairy products. The tawa, or griddle, is used extensively for baking flat breads like roti and paratha. A tandoor oven is also frequently used to cook main courses like chicken. Goat and lamb are favored ingredients of many northern Indian recipes. The samosa, a common appetizer on all Indian restaurant menus, has its roots in northern India. The staple food of most of north Indians are a variety of lentils, vegetables, and roti.

Common north Indian foods such as kebabs and meat dishes originated with the Muslim incursions into the country. The influence of Europeans is also apparent with the creation of new dishes like chicken tikka masala which is actually a British invention during colonial times. Eastern India In the eastern part of India there is a large Oriental influence resulting from an influx of movement from Tibet and Nepal. All of these influences helped form the dietary customs in eastern India. Popular food is this region is a unique blend of vegetarian meals prepared in the traditional Chinese cooking style.

Rice and fish are the staple foods because most of the towns and fishing villages are located on the coast. Southern India Southern Indian cuisine is distinguished by a greater emphasis on rice and the liberal use of coconut, coconut oil and curry leaves. Before Christianity came to India in the early 52 AD, Kerala was strictly vegetarian as regulated by Hinduism. However, after the visit of St. Thomas, Christianity quickly spread throughout Kerala and thus the diet evolved to also include meat. Western India The geography of the landscape and the culture of the people definitely influenced the region’s cuisine.

Rajasthan and Gujarat have hot, dry climates so the relatively smaller varieties of vegetables available are preserved as pickles and chutneys. Culturally these states are largely Hindu and vegetarian. Peanuts and coconut are prominent ingredients as they are freely available. Goa, with its lush green coastline, has an abundance of fresh fish and seafood. Local dishes like Vindaloo are testament to the fact that Goa was a Portuguese colony until the 1960s. This region probably has the most diverse styles of food in India.

Food from the Rajasthan area is spicy and largely vegetarian but includes many meat dishes. Gujarat’s cuisine is know for its slightly sweet taste (at least a pinch of sugar is added to most dishes) and is traditionally entirely vegetarian. Dietary customs in India As you would expect from a country as large and diverse as India, there are a variety of different dietary customs. Religion is a significant contributing factor to the diets of Indians. Hinduism is the dominant religion in India making up about 80% of the population while Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists make up a sizeable minority.

Some religions impose dietary restrictions which prohibit the eating of beef or pork. The most commonly served dishes at Indian dinner parties and public functions tend to comprise of chicken, lamb or fish as this avoids any potential difficulties with restricted diets for meat eaters. Here is a general guide to the dietary customs of the three major religious groups in India: Hindus Most Hindus follow a balanced vegetarian diet. Some do eat meat occasionally but Hindus do not eat beef out of reverence for the cow as a sacred animal.

Strict Hindus will also avoid garlic, onions and mushrooms. Mushrooms are thought to promote ignorance, whilst garlic and onions are thought to invoke passion. Muslims Muslims cannot eat pork, lard or any other porcine derivatives. Islam prohibits eating meat that is not slaughtered in the correct Islamic way. Muslims recite the name of God before and after eating, eat with the right hand and find it desirable to always eat in the company of others. Sikhs Sikhs do not believe in ritual killing and are instructed to avoid meat slaughtered in this way.

Although in many aspects Sikhism is less prescriptive than some other religions, most Sikhs do not eat beef or pork. Many Sikhs are vegetarian and in observance of such a variety of dietary habits, all food served in Sikh places of worship is vegetarian. Sikhism is probably the only major organized religion which does not encourage fasting as it is viewed as having no spiritual benefit. The Story Of Spices Spices are the jewels of Indian cooking. Their flavors are meant to be savored and should not be overpowered by the burning sensation resulting from the liberal use of hot chilies.

Parbhoo (1985) suggests that authentic Indian food should generally not be too hot and recommends that spices be used lavishly in the same way cheese or wine is used in French cuisine. Chilies in themselves have very little flavor but contribute to the dish by providing a sensation of heat which can be regulated to the cook’s preference. Spices have three traditional functions: medicinal, preservative and seasoning. Early Indian literature written in Sanskrit and dating back 3000 years to the Vedic period emphasizes the importance of spices for preserving food.

The Ayurveda, an ancient Hindu treatise on medicine, places special emphasis on the medicinal properties of spices. |

Curry:What is it?

Curry is a generic description used throughout European and American culture to describe a general variety of spiced dishes. The word curry is an anglicized version of the Tamil word kari. Several articles (Sarkar, n. d. ; Smith, 1998) suggest it is usually understood to mean gravy or sauce, rather than spices.Curry’s popularity in recent decades has spread outward from the Indian subcontinent to figure prominently in international cuisine. While many people think that curry is a particular spice, it is actually a mixture of spices commonly referred to as curry powder. This powder is versatile in both taste and flavor and varies widely depending on the region it comes from. Most people associate curry with a bright yellow color. This color is caused by the spice turmeric that is a common ingredient. However, not all curry powder mixtures contain turmeric and, in fact, curry powders can be as individual as the person making them.

Some spices you might find in this mixture include chilies, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, mace, fenugreek, sesame seeds, red pepper, black pepper, poppy seeds, tamarind and saffron. Oftentimes the curry powder mixture recipe is passed down from one generation to the next and is a safely guarded secret. Indian Dining Etiquette Though Indian cooking uses an extensive array of specialized utensils for various purposes, Indians traditionally do not use much cutlery for eating as many foods are best enjoyed when eating with the hand.

It is a technique that is clean and easy when done correctly. Cook (2008) suggests the reason for using the hands is that it adds an additional element of enjoyment to the taste because it helps with blending the food. In many parts of India, when eating curry, the gravy must not be allowed to stain your finger only the fingertips. The left hand is not used and kept clean to facilitate the passing of dishes along the table. These variations are further compounded and increased by the diversity of the population India, leading to regional differences in the way people dine.

In Janjira’s (2009) article on Indian Dining Etiquette, he explains that in North India it is common to be seated at a dining table to eat. While in south India, especially is Kerala, it is as common to see people sitting down and eating on banana leaves. The entire meal will be placed and served on banana leaves and eaten with the hand. The concept of courses at mealtime does not exist in India. Most Indian homes will serve the food all at once and then keep filling the dishes as dinner progresses. Everything cooked will be made available on the table with the exception of the dessert which will follow once most guests are done eating.

While general etiquette rules might suggest that everything should be tried, it is more in theory than in practice and it is perfectly fine to skip something which might not suit your taste. Desserts on the other hand more often than not require the use of utensils. Unlike the western world where dessert may also be followed by coffee or liquor; the serving of the dessert would often indicate that dinner is almost over. Conclusion As evident in the above chapters, Indian cuisine has a long history of being influenced by the unique needs and tastes of its indigenous people, invaders and explorers.

The food, cooking techniques and ingredients have evolved based on peoples’ religious needs or influenced by the availability of ingredients across India’s vast and varied landscape. But even after all this; Indian cuisine manages to retain its unique heritage and identity in a global gastronomic landscape that tends to be fickled and faddish. Indian food is enjoyed by commoners and royalty alike and it is hoped that this paper will enlighten the reader and allay any fears or misconceptions that may have previously prevented the sampling of Indian cooking.

References

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2. Cook, S (2008). Indian Eating Etiquette. Retrieved September 28, 2009 from http://www. india-travel-suite101. com/article. cfm/eating_in_indian_style Curry. Retrieved October 15, 2009 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/curry
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5. Indian Dining Etiquette. Retrieved September 22, 2009 from http://www. indianmusings. wordpress. com/2009/02/020indian-dining-etiquette Leong, K (n. d).
6. The Health Benefits of Indian Food. Retrieved October 15, 2009 from http://www. associatedcontent. com/pop_print. shtml? content_type=article&content_typeid=1829365 Parbhoo, R. (1985).
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8. The Cuisine Of East India: An Introduction to Eastern Indian Food. Retrieved September 29, 2009 from http://indianfood. about. com/old/thebasics/p/eastindia. htm
9. Smith, D (1998). Definition and History of Curry. Retrieved September 24, 2009 from http://www. curryhouse. co. uk/faq/define. htm

Two Halves of the Same Song “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America” (526). This is the first sentence in “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan spoken by the narrator’s point of view, Jing-mei, the daughter. The story was a direct reflection of love vs. rebellion with the mother and the daughter, presented in a humorous almost sounding sarcastic tone to show the two kinds of people in the story; the one the mother thought the daughter should be and the one the daughter thought she should be, and in the end they realized that that was the same person.

The story begins by giving humor to some of the mothers beliefs as if they were silly; such as in America a person is unlimited to what they could be even if that is to be famous or simply a homeowner, To understand what the mother meant you would have to know a little about her background and where she came from. She was from China where women didn’t have very many options on what their role in life could be, so for her daughter she felt that there were endless possibilities. Her mother in my eyes was more of what we like to call “stage moms”.

She hoped for her daughter to be the best at something, anything instead of nothing at all, so she came across pushy verses loving. One would think that these were the mothers dreams trying to be fulfilled through the daughter. Jing-mei started to feel like she had to be someone she wasn’t in order to make her mother proud. She said “I was filled with a sense that I would soon be perfect. My mother and father would adore me” (527). Apparently she felt like if she wasn’t great at something they wouldn’t love her.

The narrator makes it seem like it was the mother all along who wanted the daughter to be something she wasn’t, but at one point the daughter wanted to succeed just as much as much as her mother did, but the fear of failure and rejection stopped her. Next came the piano lessons. The idea of Jing-mei playing the piano was odd, because her mother was watching an American TV show and saw a young Chinese girl playing. “Ni-Kan” her mother would say which meant, you watch, and then made her practice the piano day after day to become better than the Chinese girl on TV.

After this point the daughter rebels against the mother trying to fail to prove that this is who she was, “ordinary”. If she didn’t try at anything she couldn’t fail. The daughter didn’t realize how proud her mother was of her just for trying. In the earlier days when you were born you were born into a certain class, and that class defined who you could become in life whether it be a king, farmer, merchant, or a blacksmith. In this story the situation seems very similar. Why would Jing-mei want to be famous or talented when her mother was merely a house cleaner?

Maybe she was content with the life she was born into and didn’t feel as if she needed to be talented to be happy. Her mother put her in a recital bragging to her friends how Jing-mei loved to play the piano. This was her opportunity to show her mother who she was and it wasn’t the person she wanted her to be, so Jing-mei went up and played horribly. However, through all of the disobedience trying to stay true to who she was, which seemed to be a slacker, the mother still pushed her to try and not give up.

Years later the mother dies and Jing-mei realizes that her mother truly did love her and was proud of her. She only pushed her because she wanted her to be the best at who she wanted to be and let her know that just because you are born into a certain lifestyle that doesn’t define who you are, you define who you are. The tone of the story begins to sound happy verses the angry, sarcastic, and once comical tone making fun of the mother. Jing-mei actually starts to get the point her mother tried so hard to install in her.

One of the last sentences of the story caught my eye. It seemed to sum up everything in the story and why the conflicts of interests occurred. “And after I played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song”(534). Two halves of the same song could have been the title for Any Tan’s short story. The mother and the daughter both wanted the same things: for the daughter to be happy, and be the best at what made her happy but looking at it from only one way you would not have figured that out.

In this story it was told solely from the daughters point of view. If the mother were to narrate this story it would have been completely different. Maybe she would have not seemed as so unhappy with her life that she had to live it through her daughters, but the daughter would have seemed as someone who didn’t care for there mothers affection and just wanted to be disobedient. There is always two sides to a story but in this case they seemed to be arguing the same story. “ Two halves of the same song”(534).

Mexican Political Culture As once put by Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz, Mexico is a land of “super-imposed pasts” (McCormick, p. 326). It continues to be and is seen as a melding pot of its European and Native American ideas about society, law and government. Its history has had a major influence on the political culture of Mexico, seen through years of revolution, violence and corruption. Mexico is a considered a new democracy, but there is a tension still seen between democracy and authoritarianism.

The country we see today has impressive growth yet is still enduring poverty. It’s a geographically diverse country, with a population of approximately 106million people. Latin American political culture is seen as “elitist, hierarchical, authoritarian, corporatist and patrimonial. ” Various economic pressures and calculated changes being made to the system of government are now challenging these traditions in Mexico, hopefully to ultimately restore the relationship between the government and people. (McCormick, pg. 33) Today, many of the politics we see in Mexico do still reflect the centralized and hierarchical system of the Aztecs, but we see much change in the country after the arrival of Europeans. Until the 15th century, native peoples inhabited the current Mexico. The Mayans and Azteks built a surprisingly sophisticated empire with their own local governments, centralized taxes and court system and beyond. The Spanish arrived in 1519 and by the mid-sixteenth century all of what the native peoples had built had been conquered.

The Spaniards left Mexico with a huge influence; they brought religious heritage in Catholicism, which has gone beyond just a religion in Mexico and is embedded in their political culture. “Spanish Catholicism was based on the idea that political authority emanated from God, and all lower levels of society had progressively less power and status. ” (McCormick, p. 334). We see this hierarchical influence still in Mexican political culture today, along with the elitism of the Native American society. The Virgin of Guadalupe is a strong symbol within the Mexican society and their Roman Catholic beliefs.

It is said that in December 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared on three occasions to a Christian Indian, Juan Diego, six kilometers north of Mexico City, and identified herself as Guadalupe. It is said that the Guadalupe symbol “links family, politics and religion; the colonial past and the independent present; and the Indian and the Mexican. It reflects the salient social relationships of Mexican life and embodies the emotions they generate. ” (Merrill & Miro, Religion) Devotion to the Virgin Guadalupe remains strong even as Mexican society changes.

For example, in a national opinion poll found, nine out of ten Mexicans still continued to ask intercessions from the Virgin or another saint. (Merrill & Miro, Religion) Another huge aspect of Mexican political culture is the Constitution of 1917. Many Mexicans attribute the origins of the political system in Mexico to the Revolution of 1910-1920 and it’s Constitution of 1917. Unlike their American neighbors, the people of Mexico focus and look to the past, not the future, to there missed dreams and hopes.

Many people of Mexico support and have faith and pride in the Constitution of 1917, agree with the goals of the Revolution and support their political institutions. (McCormick p. 333) The Constitution is seen more as an outline of the goals Mexico has aspired for. Their believe in the Constitution but recognize it as a work in progress as it still contains many goals that have not achieved, such as the goal of greater equality. The more Mexico strives towards democracy, the more we can begin to pin down and see the final handicaps that stand in between Mexico and democracy.

As Mexico has become wealthier, we see now that their middle class is further expanding and there are greater chances and hopes for political modernization, hoping to permanently stray from the corruption seen in the past. Mexico is a federal republic, but power has been traditionally centralized within the ruling political party. Political power in Mexican politics revolves commonly around camarillas, which is a network of people with common political interests, who have specific ties to a particular leader. Each group of camarillas has a single leader and through this, you find that everyone relies on one another for political advancement.

In a system like this, unfortunately personalities become more important than ideologies and policies in political matters and behavior. We see through this centralization how corruption in Mexican political history has been so common. Throughout the years of revolution and war, Mexican political culture has been hugely tarnished by seemingly credible evidence of corruption. There is a value of order over freedom. This is especially seen through the years of the PRI party regime, which held power for 71 years in Mexico.

Corruption was rampant, and it has created an intense distrust of government within Mexico, to the point that it is now extremely hard to introduce and collect taxes. 50% of all Mexican people still feel that they have little political impact. Another big aspect of Mexican political culture is the idea of machismo. In short, it is assertive masculinity, seen most obviously in the political marginalization of women. (McCormick p. 336). Women in Mexico only won the right to vote in 1953 and still rarely move into positions of authority, especially within the government.

The inequality of women is seen predominantly throughout Mexico, with about 70% of all women in the mid-1990’s employed in the tertiary sector of the Mexican economy, commonly with lower wages than those of men. The growing presence of women in the workforce contributed to changes in social attitudes, yet machismo is still a prevalent, traditional social attitude with most women in households subjected to control, domination and violence by men. The violence towards women is extremely apparent, seen in its boldest form in the city of Ciudad Juarez.

Over a period of 12 years, murders of over 300 women all went unsolved. We do still see machismo more broadly in Mexico, through political violence such as riots, kidnappings and conflicts related to the drug trade, which are already complex issues on their own. As previously mentioned the political culture in Mexico is still residing within a tension between democracy and authoritarian rule. It seems that as Mexico continues its expansion into democracy, we will eventually see changes to the traditions on what is political culture in Mexico today. Bibliography McCormick, John.

Comparative Politics in Transition. Sixth ed. Wadsworth Cengage Learning Paras, Pablo. “The Political Culture of Democracy in Mexico: 2006. ” The Political Culture of Democracy in Mexico: 2006 (2006): 1-198. Sitemason. vanderbilt. edu. Dec. 2006. Web. Jan. 2010. Morris, Stephen D. “Corruption and Mexican Political Culture. ” Corruption and Mexican Political Culture: 1-37. _Www. southalabama. edu/… /crptn%20and%20political%20culture. pdf_. Web. Jan. 2010. Tim L. Merrill and Ramon Miro, editors. Mexico: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1996.

With little gifts to bear, William is advised by the merchants of Constantinople that the captains and the Mongol Khans must be greeted with gifts, otherwise he will not be looked upon properly (William, p. 49). William embarked on this mission to deliver a letter on behalf of King Louis IX to Scratch, and to encourage conversion to Christianity. However, In his encounters with Scratch, Abate, and Managua Khan the purpose of his visit is misunderstood by a linguistic misinterpretation.

Despite his allure to convert many people to Christianity, his letter is significant in presenting some of the educational and religious movements occurring within Europe, and the relations that were emerging through commerce In the thirteenth century. Rupee’s growing emphasis on education would broaden the horizons of Christianity, and commerce created interconnectedness among cultures regardless of religious differences. Western Europe developed a growing desire for advancements In education during the twelfth century.

Places such as Toledo, spawn was “renowned as a center f learning where Muslims, Jews, and Christians freely intermingled” (Smith, Crossroads p. 414). After the Latin translations of Aristotle works began to enhance the method of thought towards the natural world, Pope Innocent Ill, along with the other popes of Rome, “placed Pearls schools of theology under their own supervision”, and recognized them as the first university (Smith, Crossroads, p. 414). The school’s basis on Christianity was built on language of religion, translation of texts, and the notion of spreading Christian values.

With driven by such educational ND religious values, William Informed King Louis IX that his letter had been translated into Arabic and Syrian, so that it could be interpreted for Scratch Khan (William, p. 105). To his misfortune, the lack of linguistic accuracy did not allow the letter to be delivered as he expected. From this mistake, he was sent to see Abate, who then sent him to see Managua Khan. Upon seeing Managua, William was Informed that Abate had sent a letter to Managua informing him that he had “asked for troops and aid from Scratch against the Saracens (William, p, 166). Pone hearing this, William as overcome with a sense of astonishment and annoyance toward what he believed to be a misinterpretation. However, during this period Europe was heavily involved In the Crusades, and a plea for assistance from King Louis IX by letter might have been a probability. Western European universities promoted a sense of support for the 1 OFF to be overcome to properly interact the religious teachings. Williams attempts, though futile, were agreeable with the church and universities in the spread of Christianity.

Along the way to Khartoum, William encounters many people of diverse cultural ND religious backgrounds. Some of which include Muslims, Tibetan, Buddhists, and Insertion Christians. With such a willingness to allow the existence of other religious sects in the Mongolia Empire, there is a better sense of commercial mentality throughout the land. During this century, economic growth “was driven by rising agricultural productivity, population increases, and the expansion of markets, rather than revolutionary changes in industrial organization and technology’ (Smith, Crossroads, p. 381).

European benefactors that contributed to this growing immemorial environment include, innovations in navigation such as the nautical compass, Portland, and the astrolabe (Smith, Crossroads, p. 382). Intercultural commerce became interdependent and more efficient. In the sass’s “the Mongol conquests dominate the history of Eurasia”, which allowed them to control many components of commerce along China, the Pacific Ocean, and the Mediterranean (Smith, Crossroads, p. 443). This reign in intercultural trade and commerce was expressed in the Mongol’s excessive representation of pride in their culture, and apathy towards others.

Before Williams encounter with Abate, he mentions that “they have risen so much in their pride, that though they may believe somewhat in Christ, yet will they no be called Christian, wishing to exalt their own name of Moll above all other” (William, p. 107). As a leading culture, the Mongols represent their religious and political dominance by moral expressions, and a vast control in agricultural trade around the time of Williams visit. The connections between Williams visit to Khartoum, and Rupee’s new found sire for educational institutions can be drawn together by a desire for advancement.

Just as educational acknowledgements in “Christian teachings, Summary Theological” were core ideas for progress in the overgrowing number of Universities, the spread of Christianity had a similar drive within European society (Smith, Crossroads, p. 414). Williams attempt to translate the French Kings letter was done in a hopeful effort to make it understandable to Scratch, and to show his acceptance of Christianity as suspected prior to the mission. Rather than converting Scratch, he as sent to see Abate, where his mission and efforts of conversion continued.

Williams experience throughout his Journey was one of constant struggle. He was thoroughly misunderstood by the Mongolia people, and was looked down upon at various times. During this period the Mongolia Empire had a sense of superiority for their culture, which was a reflection of their successes. Controlling and preserving China’s “agriculture way of life would generate far greater rewards”, and would allow them ample opportunities in the trade market (Crossroads and Cultures, p. 42).

Despite Williams detailed recollections, the events and circumstances that surrounded him superseded the importance of a single friar on a conquest to covert people into Christians. Following his Journey, he noted that his efforts only allowed him to convert six people. Whether this account is truthful is unknown. His recollections must be taken as observations of a time period, rather than an when we observe how the outside world reacted towards the writer, we are able to get a better perspective of the time and context of discussion.