4 Food Taboos

Iam Rafael, a second-generation American of Hispanic descent. I was born in Los Angeles and have lived there for eighteen years. My neighborhood is largely Hispanic. Being raised in a community that has one main ethnic group is both good and bad. It is good because I appreciate my culture. It is bad because I am ignorant of other cultures that inhabit the earth. So, not surprisingly, there was an incident when I experienced culture shock. It happened just recently in the home of Gopal, a friend from India.

One rainy day Gopal, who I have known for five months,invited me to his home. On my way there I stopped and bought hamburgers for him and me. However, I did not tell him about the hamburgers.

Gopal's family was eating in the dining room. Gopal and I were in the living room.I asked him,“Do you mind if I eat some food I bought for us? ”

“Go right ahead, ” he answered. “Here, let's go into the dining room. I'll set a place for you at the table.”

I seated myself at the table. Slowly I placed the bag on the table and extracted one hamburger for myself and handed the other one to Gopal. As I sank my teeth into the hamburger, his family abruptly stopped eating their meal and began to stare at me. I asked,“Enjoying your meal? ”

Not one person answered me. Their stares and the silence that accompanied the stares sent chills through my body.I was confused.

Finally, after about two minutes, Gopal's mother spoke. She said,“You do not know very much about India and our culture. Did you know that in India the cow is considered sacred?It is sacred because the Hindu religion made it holy. We don't and can't eat beef.”

She and the family understood that I did not know about Hinduism. I listened and learned more about India. My interest was undivided and her information was rewarding. As a result of this incident I now think before buying beef products. I keep in mind that other cultures have beliefs that we don't have. I do not think the family, especially Gopal, was affected by the incident. No one was angry at me. It is ironic that Gopal is presently working at Tommy's Burgers.