"The edible is political"

Food is often seen as a link to culture and heritage,and more often than not that is a safe correlation to make. However food can be so much more, food can be a form of rebellion and also a form of support for the political system. In the article "Beaking Bread with Spread" in a San Francisco County Jail author Sandra Cate examines the food culture within the prison system. Cate examines the culture of "Spreads," the unique culinary creations by inmates using their scarce resources. Not only do spreads offer an escape from the mundane monochromatic meals given to the inmates, they also offer give the inmates a sense of individuality and power within a system where neither is awarded to them. The inmates receive their food from "a largely invisible source," stripping them of their individuality and any little power they feel they may have. Creating spreads not only allows the inmates to creat their own unique culture; it also allows them a small form of power within the system. Furthermore the act of making spreads acts as a way for the inmates to develop their own power within the inmate community, it also allows for them to "give respect" to those higher up within the jailhouse hierarchy. Having their own unique recipes and methods for creating spreads gives inmates the same privilege that comes with having a unique trade. The quality of the spread is also in itself an expression of individuality and power, the ingredients (when not from one of the three daily meals) show the inmates wn preference, not under the control of the man. Across the ocean in Shenzhen, China the connection with food is also seen as political, as seen in the article ""The Cultural Politics of Eating in Shenzhen" by Mary Ann O'Donnell. When the city was on the rise, citizens came together under the socialist idea of the "iron rice bowl." citizens worked together, sacrificing good food and at many times a full stomach, however the knowledge that they were working together for the communities betterment kept them satisfied. After the development of the the city, the new wave of immigrants who came for the free market economy acquired taste for different high quality regional foods. When eating in Shenzhen, a rift becomes apparent. Those who enjoy the old style community and rationed style foods do so because they prefer the socialist style government of Mao. While the newer residents enjoy the many varieties of food offered by the free market style economy. Food is not just sustenance, nor is it just culture, nor is it just power, nor is it just political thought, in actuality, food is everyone of those things and many more. Food encompasses all aspects of life, eating makes the edible political.