Research report
“The food represents”: Barbadian foodways in the diaspora ☆
Highlights
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- Barbadians in Atlanta share “traditional” foods to demonstrate Caribbean identities.
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- Food demonstrates solidarity with other Caribbeans, or difference from Americans.
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- Dishes are often changed due to ingredient unavailability or lifestyle shifts.
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- Changes to these foods do not compromise authenticity but embody continuity.
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- Shifts in food embody the historically changing foodways in the home country.
Abstract
As
migrants adjust to life in a new country, food practices often shift.
The literature shows that many migrants alter their diets to more
closely reflect those in the host nation, at least in public venues.
Some adjust native dishes to accommodate available ingredients, but may
view these changes as rendering foods less “traditional.” However,
Barbadian transnational migrants in Atlanta experience these alterations
differently. They consciously perform Barbadianness by electing to
serve “traditional” foods when eating with each other, or sharing with
an American audience. Yet, while numerous changes are made to these
“traditional” dishes, this does not make them less authentic. These
shifts do not alter the legitimacy of a dish, but rather this
interaction between the available ingredients and the attempt to create a
traditional food is actually a practice of authenticity. The dynamic
change that food undergoes in the migrant experience echoes the changing
nature of Barbadian foodways throughout Caribbean history.
Keywords
- Food culture;
- Migration;
- Traditional foods;
- Caribbean history and diaspora
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
