Interview Assignment -
The purpose of this assignment is to give you knowledge about two other food cultures, and also to provide you with some insight into the acculturation process. You will interview two people using the questions provided below. To the best of your ability, record their answers word for word.
Afterward, type up their numbered answers. You do not have to retype the questions. In addition, for each interview subject, in an essay of at least 300 words, you will describe the similarities and differences between their diet and your own, focusing particularly on their diets prior to their arrival in the USA.
Criteria for your interview subjects. If your subjects do not meet these criteria this assignment will not be accepted.
- Must be an immigrant to the USA, and have emigrated at the age of 18 or older
- They still have a clear memory of their food habits from before they emigrated
- They should be interested in food and culture and willing to give you detailed answers, not brief
- They should be able to answer every question
- They cannot be related to you (but can be an in-law if they are from another culture)
- They cannot be from a culture that is the same as your own
- Your subjects should be from two different countries
- You cannot interview someone from this class
Interview Questions
1. How do we know each other?
2. When did you immigrate to the United States, and from what country?
3. How old were you at the time: 18 - 30 or older than 30?
4. Did any family members emigrate with you?
5. Did you live in a city, small town, or rural area in your former country?
These next questions have to do with the dietary practices of the country you emigrated from:
6. What are the common starches eaten in your culture?
7. What are the main meats or other high protein foods eaten in your culture?
8. What are the common fruits and vegetables in your culture?
9. What are the main ingredients used to add flavor to dishes? (herbs, spices, sauces)
10. What is a major holiday celebrated in your country, and what kinds of foods are eaten on this day? Is there any symbolic reason those foods are chosen?
11. Is there a food that is commonly eaten that may seem unusual for a visiting American tourist?
These next questions have to do with your diet since you have moved to the United States
12. Did you have to make any changes to your diet immediately upon arrival because certain foods were not available or for any other reason? Please describe.
13. After that initial, immediate change, have any other dietary changes come more gradually since your arrival to the U.S.? Please describe any changes to the food itself, as well as any changes to your cooking style or frequency.
14. What are some of the factors that led to any of your dietary changes? Do you think any of the changes were not because you moved to a new country, but because you made a lifestyle change (ie, moved from a rural area to a big city).
15. Has your celebration of the holiday mentioned above changed? How?
16. Can you tell me any new foods you have tried since coming to the USA that you have particularly liked or disliked?
17. Was there anything about American food culture that surprised you when you first arrived?