Running head: CULTURAL SCHOLARY PAPER

Cultural Scholarly Paper Sara Towers NURS 310

2 CULTURAL SCHOLARLY PAPER CULTURAL SCHOLARLY PAPER After reading the article, Comparison of international food guide pictorial representations, I chose Germany to research and report on. Germany is located in Central Europe, covering an area of 356,959 square kilometers. It is bordered by the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea in the north, by the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France in the west, Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, and Austria and Switzerland in the south. About one third of the land is covered by forests and woodlands and about 50% of the land is used for agricultural production. See figure 1. (Schleunes,2013). Germany can be divided into several topographic regions: The flat North German Lowlands including the North Sea coast, the Wadden Sea, the Frisian Islands and the Baltic Sea coast. The mountainous Central German Uplands with their extensive forests, rifts and valleys. The Rhine River Valley area with its mild climate in the west. The Alpine Foreland in southern Germany with its rolling green hills and lakes. The German Alps in Bavaria with their peaks well above 2000 meters.

Agriculture is important for the country's food security and also a provider of jobs. Over 80 percent of Germany's land is used for agriculture and forestry. Leading agricultural products include milk, pork, beef, poultry, cereals, potatoes, wheat, barley, cabbages, and sugar beets. In some regions wine, fruits, and vegetables, and other horticultural products play an important

3 CULTURAL SCHOLARLY PAPER role. In the flat terrain of northern Germany and especially in the eastern portions, cereals and sugar beets are grown.

Germans tend to eat heavy and hearty meals that include generous portions of meat and bread. Potatoes, veal, pork and soups are also some examples of staple foods. Throughout Germany desserts made with apples are very popular. Germans enjoy bread with every meal, rye, pumpernickel, and sourdough breads are more common than white bread. Soft pretzels can be found almost anywhere (Food in Every Country,n.d).

Germany is a Christian land, with the South and West predominantly Roman Catholic and the North and East mos tly Protestant. Thats why most holidays are based on the Christian calendar. Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost. All of these holidays have special foods and rituals associated with them. Christmas Eve is when presents are shared and people eat fish, often carp, sausage, potato salad, casseroles and soups are served. Christmas Day (theres actually two of them, 25th and 26th) is for visiti ng family and feasting. The Christmas meal is usually an extravagant, multi-course meal, which includes goose, carp and cheese fondue. Sauerkraut, seafood and soups are served on New Years Eve (McGavin,2013). Fastnacht, or Mardi Gras, the party before lent starts, is celebrated mostly in the South. Traditional foods such as soft pretzels, Ktteln (a soup with cows stomach) and deep fried donuts are the main foods (McGavin, 2013). Easter is one of the most important holidays in Germany. On Easter Sunday, the breakfast menu is often eggs, including some of the hard-boiled, decorated eggs, fruits and vegetables, bread rolls, fresh homemade cakes, different types of jams, cheese and wurst. On Monday, the day after

4 CULTURAL SCHOLARLY PAPER Easter the whole family comes together for an Easter meal, where the Easter lamb is the main course.

On typical days, Germans start the day with a huge breakfast of rolls, jam, cheese, cold meats, hard-boiled egg, and coffee or tea. (See figure 3). Lunch is the main meal of the day, between 12 and 2 p.m. A typical lunch plate might consist of potato salad with sausage or meat balls, noodles with stir-fry or fish sticks with mashed potatoes. Meat is served most every day, particularly pork and chicken. Vegetables are also a standard part of any lunch such as green beans, carrots, peas and cabbage. Potatoes are also a staple food and come in the form of boiled dumplings, fried potatoes, mashed potatoes and french fries. Beer is the national beverage and each region has a beer with a distinctive taste and body. Dinner is a light meal that is eaten usually between 6 and 7 pm. A standard dinner consists of a selection of whole grain bread, cheeses, deli meats and sausages, mustards and pickles. Often it is accompanied by a salad and/or a soup.

The typical German diet is high in fat, including saturated fat, as well as refined sugars and carbohydrates. The diet is deficient in vegetable, fruit and dietary fiber. High dietary fat is likely to increase your blood cholesterol levels, placing you at greater risk for heart problems and stroke. High intake of sugars and carbohydrates increases the risk of obesity and associated health problems. The heavy reliance of the German diet on red meat, lard, butter and carbohydrates, combined with limited use of fruits and vegetables, pose health problems such as cardiovascular disease, vitamin deficiencies and diabetes. Up to 40 percent of Germans may have diet-related health problems. Alcohol plays a major role in

5 CULTURAL SCHOLARLY PAPER the German diet, which may also contribute to heart disease and cirrhosis. The average German consumes the equivalent of 2.5 gallons of pure alcohol per year (Allen, J. 2011).

Germany uses a three-dimensional pyramid that provides qualitative as well as quantitative advice on food consumption. The four sides of the pyramid are dedicated to the following food groups: Foods primarily of plant origin, animal origin, fats and oils and beverages. The colors on the left of each of the four sides of the pyramid are traffic lights that indicate the nutritional value of the foods and give advice on the amounts to be consumed. The bottom of the 3D pyramid shows a circle indicating the relative proportions of each group in the diet. (See figure 2).

After taking a closer look at the German cultural and their traditions, I reflected on my own family customs and traditions. I grew up in a middle-class home where my family would always sit down at the table and have dinner together. We would always have a main dish like spaghetti, tacos, hamburgers, and hotdogs with a vegetable. On Sundays, we would have our larger meal. Pot roast or beef roast with potatoes, gravy, and another side of a vegetable, a side salad and a dessert. My Dad loved to do the cooking and had many special dishes he would make such as spaghetti salad, his famous German potato salad , barbecue ribs and chicken. These were usually served on Sunday.

When I got married and had children I found myself carrying on the same meal plans. Although, money was tight we still managed to serve many of the same foods except less roasts and more hamburger mixed with pasta. My family was easy to please so even a bowl of hot tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich to dip in it was a great dinner to us. At times because of our busy work and school schedule, we found it easier and more

6 CULTURAL SCHOLARLY PAPER convenient to buy some premade dinners to just heat and serve. On Sunday it was a tradition for us all to meet at my parents home to still have the large meal of the week all together as a family. This will be a tradition I pass on to my children if possible when they are grown and have their own families.

Since my parents have both passed away and my daughter is stationed in Virginia, it is just my Son, Steve, my significant other and I. Steve enjoys cooking a variety of foods and since my Son has decided to be vegetarian we found that we are eating much healthier. Most nights we have chicken or fish, a vegetable with different types of pasta. We have found that during the summer months we tend to enjoy more fresh fruits and vegetables such as watermelon and corn on the cob.

When I think about my comfort foods pasta comes to mind. Something about the pasta with any flavor of sauce feels good in my stomach. I am not real big into sweets, but I love my carbs. On special occasions Steve and I find ourselves sneaking off for a nice prime rib dinner with French fries. When it comes to holidays, we continue to practice the general traditions. Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, fruit salad, cranberry relish, sweet potatoes, rolls and pumpkin pie for thanksgiving, and a ham dinner on Christmas and Easter.

Since we have been following more of a vegetarian diet, I feel that we are eating much healthier, but we continue to use a good amount of butter for our fish and vegetables, which could increase our cholesterol. Also, the pasta is high in carbohydrates, which contributes to obesity and other health related issues. Without the protein from beef we have

7 CULTURAL SCHOLARLY PAPER incorporated more eggs, peanut butter and other sources of protein to meet the daily requirements. After researching the differences and similarities between Germans food pyramid and our current food pyramid they both seem to encourage the same amount of food for each group however, what the average person consumes is different. I feel with the studies that have been done in both Countries it has been proven what the most effective meal plan is best. In conclusion, if all people followed the proven dietary needs, it would decrease many health issues.

8 CULTURAL SCHOLARLY PAPER Figure 1

9 CULTURAL SCHOLARLY PAPER Figure 2

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Figure 3

11 CULTURAL SCHOLARLY PAPER References

Allen, J. (2011, 18). LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools | LIVESTRONG.COM. Diet & Nutrition In Germany | LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved Oct 02, 2013, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/359745-diet-nutrition-in-germany/

Food in Every Country. Food in Germany - German Food, German Cuisine - traditional, popular, dishes, diet, history, common, meals, staple, famous, people, favorite, types, make, customs, country, bread, vegetables, bread, drink, eating. Retrieved Oct 02, 2013, from http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-toJapan/Germany.html#ixzz2ehP72mN5

McGavin, J. (2013, ). German Food Recipes and Culture in English - Rezepte aus der Deutsche Kueche auf Englisch. German Holidays and Foods. Retrieved Oct 02, 2013, from http://germanfood.about.com/od/celebrations/a/gerhol.htm

Pearson, O. (2011, 12). LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools | LIVESTRONG.COM. Typical German Diet | LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved Oct 02, 2011, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/441086-typicalgerman-diet/

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Schleunes, K. (2013 ). Encyclopedia Britannica. Germany :: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing -- Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved Oct 02, 2013, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/231186/Germany/58019/Agricultureforestry-and-fishing

Stehle, P. (2007, 30). Karger Publishers . Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 2007, Vol. 51, Suppl. 2 - Dissemination of Nutritional Knowledge in Germany Nutrition Circle, 3D Food Pyramid and 10 Nutrition Guidelines - FullText - Karger Publishers . Retrieved Oct 02, 2013, from http://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/103563