Short paper #2: Recipe + ethnographic Analysis
You will connect the theoretical concepts we have discussed in class to the lived experiences of a real person. You will conduct a short, 15-to-20-minute mini-interview with a woman from Latin America (either in person, via phone, or over a video call).
Your goal is to understand her relationship to food, domestic labor, and the social dynamics of teaching or maintaining culinary skills within her community or household. We are focusing specifically on the preparation of a traditional regional dish as an anchor for cultural knowledge and female labor.
Ethics and Informed Consent
Before you began your interview, you must inform your participant about the overall short project and obtain her consent. Please read the following statement for your interviewee before you began:
Thank you for taking your time to speak with me. The interview is for a class assignment and my class on “Women in Latin America.” The assignment is just for me and my professor, it will not be shared publicity nor outside our classroom. I would like to audio record this conversation so I can accurately capture your experiences, and I may include a photograph of the dish you are preparing. You may choose to use a pseudonym (a fake name) for your privacy, and you can skip any question or stop the recording at any time.”
Interview Guide
When social scientists like sociologists and anthropologists conduct qualitative research, they often use interviews. One method anthropologists use is ethnography, which involves observing daily life to understand the why behind human behaviors. One great technique is using semi-structured interviews, which are in-depth, open-ended conversations about specific topics.
Please use the following seven questions to guide your conversation. Remember that this is a conversation, not an interrogation:
Can you briefly introduce yourself? (you may redact name/last name)
Tell me the story of the first time you remember learning to cook or being in the kitchen? What do you remember about the sounds, smells, or the person who guided you?
When you prepare traditional dishes or one of your favorite’s dishes (e.g., sancocho, mofongo, arepas, mole, baleadas), how was the process of learning this dish (e.g., explicit step-by-step instruction) or informal (e.g., observation and helping with small tasks, such as peeling or stirring)?
Do you feel your cooking connects you to cultural roots or agricultural practices?
How do you adapt when certain traditional ingredients are difficult to find?
How do you balance the preparation of this meal with other household or work responsibilities?
Have you noticed any changes in the availability or cost of ingredients over the years?
Your final paper should be around 4 to 7 pages, double space, and 12 Time New Roman.
Introduction:
Add a title to your paper
Biographical paragraph: Introduce your interviewee, including her background, where she is from, and her relationship to food preparation
Personal Takeaways & Thesis: Briefly state the traditional dish discussed and present a clear thesis statement.
Analysis of Cultural Transmission
A sub-title of your paper. Example: Kitchen as a site for resistance
Have a topic sentence (meaning you will support this argument with evidence such as your finding and readings).
Insert your interview quotes and analyze them and used the readings.
Show how generational knowledge is maintained.
Requirement: Integrate two additional outside sources (peer-reviewed articles) in this section or the next to support your argument.
Analysis Food Sovereignty and Everyday Practice
A subtitle of your paper. Example: Kitchen as a site for resistance
Have a topic sentence (meaning you will support this argument with evidence such as your finding and readings).
Contrast or align her daily labor, ingredient sourcing, and preparation methods with the concept of localized food systems and community agency discussed in Turner et al. (2020).
Insert your interview quotes and analyze them
Requirement: Include a photograph of the traditional dish or its ingredients in this section (or in Section 2).
Conclusion
Reflect on the value of women’s invisible work in the food sector.
Discuss broader gender inequalities in Latin American societies based on your findings.
References
Include a complete bibliography in a standard academic format (e.g., APA). Include 3 or 5 citation outside our course and you must include these authors:
da Silva Oliveira, M. S., Fernandez Unsain, R. A., Morais Sato, P. D., Ulian, M. D., Scagliusi, F. B., & Cardoso, M. A. (2022). “Because I saw my mother cooking”: the sociocultural process of learning and teaching domestic culinary skills of the Western Brazilian Amazonian women. Food and Foodways, 30(4), 310-330.
Turner, K. L., Idrobo, C. J., Desmarais, A. A., & Peredo, A. M. (2022). Food sovereignty, gender and everyday practice: the role of Afro-Colombian women in sustaining localised food systems. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 49(2), 402-428.
