After the first tutorial, I reconsidered my research question and changed it to: “How can the exploration of urban food culture serve as a bridge between home and new environments for youth migrating within and across different regions or countries?”
Based on this research question, I explored various theories related to cultural adaptation, cross-cultural communication and food memories.
First, Henri Tajfel and John Turner’s Social Identity Theory (1986) offered me a starting point. It explains how people define themselves through their connection to groups—cultural, linguistic, or otherwise. This led me to think about how we often use food as a badge of cultural pride. For young migrants, eating traditional dishes or even seeking out familiar ingredients becomes a way of saying, “This is my cultural roots.” Food doesn’t just nourish the body; it keeps cultural roots alive.
Next, I discovered John Berry’s Cultural Adaptation Theory, which really clicked with my focus. Berry describes four strategies migrants use when adapting to a new culture: assimilation (fully adopting the new culture), separation (sticking to the old one), integration (blending both), and marginalisation (disconnecting from both).
In terms of food, this plays out in fascinating ways. For example, related to my research in Unit 3, some young migrants might try to recreate traditional dishes using local ingredients, creating a mix that’s both familiar and new. Others might dive into recreating authentic cuisine, experimenting with flavours from home. This means food becomes a creative tool for striking a balance between past and present.
As for the communication, Edward Hall’s Cross-Cultural Communication Theory (1976) helped me see how food becomes a universal language. Sharing a meal, introducing someone to your favourite dish, or learning how to cook something local—these moments bridge cultural gaps in ways that conversation sometimes can’t. This enhanced my faith to explore how food can be an icebreaker for migrants, as a way to build connections and start feeling part of a community.
Finally, the emotional side of food really hit home when I read about the Food Memory studies by David Sutton (2001) and Deborah Lupton (1994). For example, everyone has the experience that taken one bite of something and been transported back to your childhood. That’s the power of food memory. For migrants, familiar flavours are a comfort space during tough times, whether it’s a bowl of soup that tastes like home or a spice that reminds them of family gatherings.
Taking from these theories, I learned that food isn’t just about eating—it’s about belonging, creating, and connecting. For young migrants, food could act as a cultural anchor, a communication tool, and a source of emotional comfort. It’s a way to adapt to a new environment while staying true to where they came from.
As I continue my research, I hope to uncover more stories of how food shapes the experiences of migrants. Whether it’s through sharing a dish, shopping for ingredients, or blending cuisines, food remains at the heart of their journey, becoming a delicious, meaningful link between home and new surroundings.
Bibliography
Berry, J.W. (1997) ‘Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation’, Applied Psychology, 46(1), pp. 5-34.
Berry, J.W. (2005) ‘Acculturation: Living successfully in two cultures’, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29(6), pp. 697-712.
Gudykunst, W.B. (2003) Cross-Cultural and Intercultural Communication. Sage Publications.
Hall, E.T. (1976) Beyond Culture. Anchor Books.
Heldke, L. (2003) Exotic Appetites: Ruminations of a Food Adventurer. Routledge.
Lupton, D. (1994) ‘Food, the body and the self’, Social Science Information, 33(3), pp. 541-572.
Sutton, D. (2001) Remembrance of Repasts: An Anthropology of Food and Memory. Berg Publishers.
Tajfel, H. and Turner, J.C. (1986) ‘The Social Identity Theory of Intergroup Behavior’, in Worchel, S. and Austin, W.G. (eds.) Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Nelson-Hall, pp. 7-24.
Watson, J.L. (2006) Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia. Stanford University Press.