Assignment

Impact of Cultural Change on the Fooding Behavior of

Young People in Bangladesh

Course Name Post-Graduation Diploma In Marketing

Management
Subject Name
Year

Consumer behavior

2015

Student Name: Shah Yaser Maqnoon Nadvi

ID:15MM44
Date:.

Impact of cultural change on the food behavior of young

people of Bangladesh
Abstract
In this writing we try to define nature and motion of changing food
consumption behavior of the young people of Bangladesh due to cultural
changes. As part of the global village every culture is changing by sharing in
material and immaterial. As part of the culture food behavior is also
changing. Here we find the change of component of culture and its impact on
food consumption behavior of the young people.
Introduction
Bangladesh straddles the Bay of Bengal in south Asia. To the west and north
it is bounded by India; to the southeast, it borders Myanmar. Bangladeshi
national identity is rooted in a Bengali culture that transcends international
borders and includes the area of Bangladesh itself and West Bengal, India.
The creation of the independent nation represents the triumph of ethnic and
cultural politics. The region that is now Bangladesh has been part of a
number of important political entities, including Indian empires, Buddhist
kingdoms, the Moghul Empire, the British Empire and the Pakistani nation.
Bangladesh is still primarily a rural culture, and the village is an important
spatial and cultural concept even for residents of the major cities.
Bangladesh has been characterized as a nation of small, subsistence-based
farmers, and nearly all people in rural areas are involved in the production or
processing of agricultural goods. The majority of the rural population
engages in agricultural production, primarily of rice, jute, pulses, wheat, and
some vegetables. The food consumed in Bangladesh is mostly grown in
Bangladesh. But being part of global her inhabitants food consumption
pattern and behavior is changing.
What is Culture?
Culture is defined as the shared patterns of behaviors and interactions,
cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through a
process of socialization. These shared patterns identify the members of a
culture group while also distinguishing those of another group.[1]
"Most social scientists today view culture as consisting primarily of the
symbolic, ideational, and intangible aspects of human societies. The essence
of a culture is not its artifacts, tools, or other tangible cultural elements but
how the members of the group interpret, use, and perceive them. It is the

values, symbols, interpretations, and perspectives that distinguish one

people from another in modernized societies; it is not material objects and
other tangible aspects of human societies. People within a culture usually
interpret the meaning of symbols, artifacts, and behaviors in the same or in
similar ways." [2]
"Culture: learned and shared human patterns or models for living; day- today living patterns. these patterns and models pervade all aspects of human
social interaction. Culture is mankind's primary adaptive mechanism" [3](p.
367).
"Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the
members of one category of people from another."[4] (p. 51).
"By culture we mean all those historically created designs for living, explicit
and implicit, rational, irrational, and no rational, which exist at any given
time as potential guides for the behavior of men."[5]
Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior
acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive
achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the
essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e. historically derived and
selected) ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may,
on the one hand, be considered as products of action, and on the other as
conditioning elements of further action."[6]
"Culture is the shared knowledge and schemes created by a set of people for
perceiving, interpreting, expressing, and responding to the social realities
around them" [7](p. 9).
"A culture is a configuration of learned behaviors and results of behavior
whose component elements are shared and transmitted by the members of a
particular society"[8] (p. 32).
"Culture...consists in those patterns relative to behavior and the products of
human action which may be inherited, that is, passed on from generation to
generation independently of the biological genes" [9](p. 8).
"Culture has been defined in a number of ways, but most simply, as the
learned and shared behavior of a community of interacting human beings"
[10](p. 169).

Cultural change
Cultural change, to the dynamic process whereby the living cultures of the
world are changing and adapting to external or internal forces. Forces which
contribute to the cultural change may include: colonization, globalization,
advances in communication, transport and infrastructure improvements, and
military expansion.[11]

Ways of cultural change

Raimon Panikkar pointed out 29 ways in which cultural change can be
brought about. Some of these are:
1. Growth. It comes from a natural exchange with the surrounding cultures.
Growth comes from within, but it is nourished from the outside.
2. Development. Its meaning extends from a shared belief generating
compulsory practices transforming "social relations and nature into
commodities to be bought and sold on the market"
3. Evolution. It implies a change promoted by a more or less natural
selection of cultural values. The fittest culture, that is well adapted, will
survive.
4. Involution. It expresses the retrieval from more recent changes, in one
particular society, because the latter changes are seen as a denial of the
own cultural identity. It is a resistance to the extrinsic pressure of allegedly
foreign cultural values.
5. Renovation. It is the attempt at renewal from within the culture itself.
6. Re-conception. It is re-interpretation or creative hermeneutics by means
of which the culture enlarges its own interpretation so as to be able to
include other forms which until then seemed incompatible with orthodox
ways.
7. Reform. It implies that something has gone wrong with the culture and
stresses the need for reform. The impulse is generally endogenous, although
a "prophet" is normally needed in order to trigger the reaction.
8. Innovation. It relates to the former with an emphasis on exogenous
factors bringing about the renewal. While renovation looks back to the
sources of a culture, innovation is more sensitive to the present.
9. Revivalism. It attempts to revive some aspects of a particular culture that
are thought to have died through the passing of time.

10. Revolution. It entails an upside down of the cultural values produced

generally by some small "party" of either endogenous or exogenous
character.
11. Mutation. It implies a certain rupture in cultural patterns (brought about
by revolutions or other causes like wars, catastrophes, etc.).
12. Progress. It refers to a somewhat peaceful cultural change with a
positive value.
13. Diffusion. It is used to express the inner vitality of a particular culture
which by its own dynamics tends successfully to penetrate into neighboring
cultures.
14. Osmosis. Almost synonymous with the previous one. It is a physical
name suggesting that the cultural influence proceeds in one particular
direction due to the superior or more powerful character of the influencing
culture.
15. Borrowing. Relates to the two previous ones and suggests an adoption
of foreign cultural values because they are found "useful" to the borrowing
culture. The impulse is from within and unrelated to external pressures.
16. Eclecticism. It generally denotes a choice (eklego, I select, choose) of
different ideas or practices belonging to different systems, religions or
cultures.
17. Syncretism. It implies a fusion similar to the previous one, but not by
virtue of a conscious choice but as a result of historical inertia or a fruit of
the spontaneity of the spirit.
18. Modernization. It particularly refers to the adoption of the present day
"modern" values which, having originated in one particular culture, are
presented or seen, with or without reason, as capable of bringing the host
culture "up to date".
19. Indigenization. It goes in almost the opposite direction to the previous
one. It involves a culture's getting rid of its customary garb and adopt the
indigenous cultural forms of the culture in which it happens to live.
20. Adaptation. It is a kind of adjustment to the host culture for different
motives like survival, influence, merger, etc.
21. Accommodation It connotes a certain acceptance of the foreign value
for the sake of a peaceful co-existence or simply tranquility.
22. Adoption. It connotes a conscious introduction of the external idea,
symbol or practice for the benefit of the host culture.
23. Translation. The transforming powers of cultural change brought about
by literary translations.
24. Conversion. Cultural change brought about by religious conversion.
25. Transformation. It refers to the internal change of the basic structure of

a culture.
26. Fecundation. It suggests an internal cultural change due to an external
seed which has been introduced into the host culture and given birth to a
new type of self-understanding and ultimately of culture.
27. Acculturation. Overtaken popularity after the failure of the word
enculturation. In its most general sense it is used when a particular cultural
group lives in constant contact with another one. Or it can also indicate a
conscious effort at producing such a homogenization.
28. In-culturation. Used in preference to the above. Panikkar suggests to
reserve this to indicate the conscious effort at adopting another culture.
29. Inter-culturation. The word was introduced in 1980 by Bishop Joseph
Blomjous. The very word underlines a two-way traffic, and underscores
partnership and mutuality.
Food in Daily Life in Bangladesh.
Rice and fish are the foundation of the diet; a day without a meal with rice is
nearly inconceivable. Fish, meats, poultry, and vegetables are cooked in
spicy curry (torkari) sauces that incorporate cumin, coriander, cloves,
cinnamon, garlic,and other spices. Muslims do not consume pork and Hindus
do not consume beef. Increasingly common is the preparation of ruti, a whole
wheat circular flatbread, in the morning, which is eaten with curries from the
night before. Also important to the diet is dal, a thin soup based on ground
lentils, chickpeas, or other legumes that is poured over rice.
A typical meal consists of a large bowl of rice to which is added small
portions of fish and vegetable curries. Breakfast is the meal that varies the
most, being rice- or bread-based. A favorite breakfast dish is panthabhat,
leftover cold rice in water or milk mixed with gur (date palm sugar). Food is
eaten with the right hand by mixing the curry into the rice and then
gathering portions with the fingertips. In city restaurants that cater to
foreigners, people may use silverware.
Snacks include fruits such as banana, mango, and jackfruit, as well as puffed
rice and small fried food items. For many men, especially in urbanized
regions and bazaars, no day is complete without a cup of sweet tea with milk
at a small tea stall, sometimes accompanied by confections.[12]
Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions in Bangladesh.

At weddings and on important holidays, food plays an important role. At

holiday or formal functions, guests are encouraged to eat to their capacity. At
weddings, a common food is biryani, a rice dish with lamb or beef and a
blend of spices, particularly saffron. On special occasions, the rice used is
one of the finer, thinner-grained types. If biryani is not eaten, a complete
multicourse meal is served: foods are brought out sequentially and added to
ones rice bowl after the previous course is finished. A complete dinner may
include chicken, fish, vegetable, goat, or beef curries and dal. The final bit of
rice is finished with yogurt (doi).
On other important occasions, such as the Eid holidays, a goat or cow is
slaughtered on the premises and curries are prepared from the fresh meat.
Some of the meat is given to relatives and to the poor.[12]
Culture changes and their impact on fooding behavior of young
people of Bangladesh
Food - edible source of energy. Traditionally the Bangladeshis are used to
eat rice 3 times but a long before handmade bread in breakfast and rice in
lunch and dinner has been being common.
In current days people in urban area are used to take meal 4-5 times with
light food and 1-2 time heavy food and in the rural area the custom said
before is continued.
Since the times of taking food increased the food consumed at a time is less.
Clothing - protective covering for the body. Traditionally male dresses are
lungi, shirt, pant, Guernsey, robe, trouser For the female saree and salwar
kameez.
Currently the male dress are not changed very much compared to the female
though young man ware shorts 3 quarter, woman wear skater, taps, jinces
,shirt, guernsey. The theme is easy short or tight fit dress
Due to wearing short or tight fit dress the body exposing is increased among
the young people. This has an impact on food consumption habit. They try to
keep them-selves skinny. For this reason they are controlling their diet.

Defense - tools and strategies used to protect people from threats.

Traditional defense tools are non-fire arms and physical strength which is
very much wrestling oriented.
Modern defense tools are non-fire arms as well as fire arms and physical
fitness over strength which is very much eastern martial art oriented. The
perception is tackling 5-6 attacker without weapons.
A wrestlers body is heavy and movements are slow so to be fit and swift
extra wait is reduced. Thats why young people are controlling their diet.
Shelter - structure used to protect people and their belongings. In past light
establishment in rural area and heavy large establishment were in urban
ware common. In modern days small and heavy establishment are common.
Since the shelter place are smaller in size the storage are also smaller in size
so readily available food type has changed. In the past the readily available
foods were corn and fruit oriented but now most are processed and with high
energy in little quantity. Consuming this kind of food make our young people
bulky and un-healthy.
Education - the way people in a culture learn what they need to know in
order to be successful in their culture. The education system was mostly
religion oriented in the past.
Mostly the education system is modern, application oriented and science
based. Woman literacy is mentionable compared to the past. Since the
women can read recipes outside their territory as well as apply their
imagination to cook new food. This available foreign and new food item to
our young people.
Transportation - the way a culture gets people and goods from one place to
another. The traditional vehicle are bus, track, train, car, cut, boat, launch,
airplane etc.
In current time the traditional vehicle are used but so many different features
and accessories are introduced to them. The availability of the vehicle is
increased. The improvement of transportation makes available foreign food
ingredients, their recipes and style to us to change the food taking behavior
of our young people. Young people like adventure and new test. The vehicle

are decorated by different kind of accessories like music, video etc. which
creates excitation in mind and provoke young people to take exiting food.
Language & Communication - the way a culture shares ideas and
messages. In traditional Bangla is influenced by English Hindi, Urdu, Chinese
and Arabic. In modern era the Hindi and English language fusion is high and
their influence on pronunciation is countable. It is not very rare instance that
young people are speaking, listening and writing in English and Hindi. Some
of them also show professional proficiency in other language like French,
Spanish, Chinese, Italian and Korean.
Since the language and communication barrier between the cultures is low
for the young people they can easily know about the food and create a
demand for these. The aristocratic restaurants are fulfilling these exotic food
demand. Thats why now we see pizza, burger and fried chicken very
common in our cities.
Economy - the way people in a culture get what they need and want. The
traditional economy was agro-based. Modern economy is moving from agrobased to industry and trading based. A mentionable portion of our foreign
currency come from the foreign remittance. The economic inequality in our
country is high.
These economic flexibility gives young people chances to test exotic food
even being in Bangladesh.
Technology - manmade tools that make life easier. Bangladeshis are not
technology oriented traditionally. In modern days technology are spreading
specially in the field of ICT & textile.
Technology like internet, make easy to have in touch of global which bring
our young people in touch of other culture. In this way the food behavior our
young people is changing.
Social Structure - who is considered important in a culture and who isnt. In
traditional the social structure is based on the age, family status, education.
In current time the social structure is based on the smartness of economic
power and networking.

Since the social status in current days based on economic power and
networking and solvent family enjoy exotic food, the inferior also try to have
them. In this way the exotic foods are spreading among the young people.
Beliefs and Traditions - the ideas a culture believes in and the way they
celebrate those beliefs. In traditional society core was religious belief and the
customs.
Now people are not driven by the religious belief or the customs they want to
judge everything by their knowledge and experiment. The adventurous
nature and lose control with less religious education support our young
people to test different foods some of which illegal and harmful to them.
Rules and Regulations - the rules that maintain order in a culture and the
structure that maintains those rules. In traditional society the people were
very much depends on society, clan or ethnic group. So the influence of rules
and regulations were very high.
In modern days the society is very much person oriented. So social rule
regulation are not so influencing. Since the social rule regulation are very
lose people enjoy more freedom to exercise their interest as well as growing
different food habit.
Arts & Recreation - the way a culture spends its spare time and expresses
itself creatively. The arts and recreation in traditional era was perform
oriented and driven by beliefs and traditions.
In current time arts and recreation are business driven. The ritual like 31 st
night, 1st Bawishak are commercially motivated the exotic foods some of
which are harmful for health easily available to the young people during the
ritual. In the family ritual the exotic foods are distributed as part of the
ritual. In most of the case these foods are not illegal but alien to our culture.
Daily life-The traditional life style is social centered. Thats why people
spent more time in social relationship. The modern life style is person
centered. So people are busy to ensure safety to their life by earnings,
makes people daily life very fast.
People are very busy and mostly lead a separate personal life, maintain a
unique routine and style suitable for him which give an opportunity to violet
the traditional food consume behavior. Young people are used to take juice,

cold drinks in breakfast even do not do breakfast. They do there breakfast

and lunch with western fast food or desert.
Gender Roles - Gender roles refer to what is considered appropriate and
acceptable behavior for men and women. Since religious beliefs and custom
were in the core of traditional society the roles of male and female was well
defined. Male were for out-side and female were for in-side.
Now people are not driven by the religious belief or the customs so the role is
now is not well defined and driven by the personal and economic needs. Man
and woman both work in inside and outside. So the traditional homemade
meal are not always taken in home rather meal are taken in the restaurant.
Government-Traditionally the government is dictatorship style. Modern
government style is democratic. The dictatorship govt. do not allow open
market conception but the democratic allows. Entering in the open market
give the foreign foods a chance to spread in Bangladesh. Young people are
becoming habituated with this type of food.
Conclusion: The fooding behavior is changing with the changing culture of
Bangladesh. To keep it in positive track we need to align it with components.
Reference:
[1] http://www.carla.umn.edu/culture/initiatives.html
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education. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
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[4] Hofstede, G. (1984). National cultures and corporate cultures. In
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J.P.
(1995).
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[8] Linton, R. (1945). The Cultural Background of Personality. New

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[11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformation_of_culture
[12] Countries and their cultures volume 1