Every person belongs to a culture, some people may belong to multiple but sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zone to experience a culture unlike our own. Traveling the world is an excellent example of this, although, sometimes we can have a cultural experience not too far from home, since the United States is tremendously diverse.
“Twenty-eight African countries have been at war since 1980, and one-third of Africa’s leadership in 2010 still emanates from the army or a rebellion. According to Africa Humanitarian Action, in 2007 there were seventeen million internally displaced people and five million refugees” (Kande, 2011)
The civil wars in Africa displaced people throughout the continent and the world. America prides its self on …show more content…
Like Professor Pitts stated in class, globalization is networks of different cultures and customs interconnecting with one another (2016). Immigration is a key factor of globalization. The migration of people to the United States and other countries is not always voluntary. Most of these people have been forced to leave their homes because of the civil wars. These immigrants may have never been outside of their hometown; therefore, the intercultural communication for the immigrants and the people living in the place they are moving to is new. The migrants have a chance to experience the American culture. The only way I would experience their culture, in the same way they were experiencing mine, would be if I were to fly to Ethiopia and start a new life. Establishing an Ethiopian restaurant gave me a chance to experience a new culture just down the street. This authentic Ethiopian restaurant is Americanized for simply being in Tucson, and not Ethiopia. For example, people who migrated to the United States have changed the way they make their injera because of the relocation. “[Injera] A thin, round flatbread of Ethiopian origin… traditionally eaten by placing servings of accompanying dishes on top of one flatbread and breaking off pieces of another to scoop up bite sized morsels” (Injera, 2009). Since teff flour is harder to come by, because of it being almost primarily grown in Africa; people have altered the recipe to use half teff and …show more content…
Before this, I never thought about Ethiopia or its people. By stepping out of my comfort zone and into a home-transformed restaurant, I was able to experience a different way of life. It is a given that we need food to live and whether we realize it, or not, each one of us goes through a certain script during meals. A script meaning, going out to eat at a restaurant one first gets seated, the server greets the table, the person orders drinks and some food, then the meals arrive on separate plates. For most people, who have adapted to American culture, flow through the script subconsciously. Going to Zemam’s showed me that I am accustomed to a certain way of life because of the culture I live in. I already knew that there was a war in Africa and it displaced many people, but while researching Ethiopia, I was forced to consider how it also affected Tucson. It brought even more diversity and culture to this city but it is always good to have more. Not only did I learn that I truly enjoy Ethiopian food, but I learned that they have a wide range of dietary options. It would have been more challenging to adapt to the different cultural situation if I had not been enrolled in an intercultural communication course. Overall, Zemam’s is the closest representation of the Ethiopian culture that I am able to receive in Tucson. However, I am unable to say I know everything about this culture because there are multiple
“Twenty-eight African countries have been at war since 1980, and one-third of Africa’s leadership in 2010 still emanates from the army or a rebellion. According to Africa Humanitarian Action, in 2007 there were seventeen million internally displaced people and five million refugees” (Kande, 2011)
The civil wars in Africa displaced people throughout the continent and the world. America prides its self on …show more content…
Like Professor Pitts stated in class, globalization is networks of different cultures and customs interconnecting with one another (2016). Immigration is a key factor of globalization. The migration of people to the United States and other countries is not always voluntary. Most of these people have been forced to leave their homes because of the civil wars. These immigrants may have never been outside of their hometown; therefore, the intercultural communication for the immigrants and the people living in the place they are moving to is new. The migrants have a chance to experience the American culture. The only way I would experience their culture, in the same way they were experiencing mine, would be if I were to fly to Ethiopia and start a new life. Establishing an Ethiopian restaurant gave me a chance to experience a new culture just down the street. This authentic Ethiopian restaurant is Americanized for simply being in Tucson, and not Ethiopia. For example, people who migrated to the United States have changed the way they make their injera because of the relocation. “[Injera] A thin, round flatbread of Ethiopian origin… traditionally eaten by placing servings of accompanying dishes on top of one flatbread and breaking off pieces of another to scoop up bite sized morsels” (Injera, 2009). Since teff flour is harder to come by, because of it being almost primarily grown in Africa; people have altered the recipe to use half teff and …show more content…
Before this, I never thought about Ethiopia or its people. By stepping out of my comfort zone and into a home-transformed restaurant, I was able to experience a different way of life. It is a given that we need food to live and whether we realize it, or not, each one of us goes through a certain script during meals. A script meaning, going out to eat at a restaurant one first gets seated, the server greets the table, the person orders drinks and some food, then the meals arrive on separate plates. For most people, who have adapted to American culture, flow through the script subconsciously. Going to Zemam’s showed me that I am accustomed to a certain way of life because of the culture I live in. I already knew that there was a war in Africa and it displaced many people, but while researching Ethiopia, I was forced to consider how it also affected Tucson. It brought even more diversity and culture to this city but it is always good to have more. Not only did I learn that I truly enjoy Ethiopian food, but I learned that they have a wide range of dietary options. It would have been more challenging to adapt to the different cultural situation if I had not been enrolled in an intercultural communication course. Overall, Zemam’s is the closest representation of the Ethiopian culture that I am able to receive in Tucson. However, I am unable to say I know everything about this culture because there are multiple