Basque Culture Vs American Culture

Before taking this course, I didn’t know much about the Basque culture. All I knew at the time, was that the Basque country, Euskal Herria was located somewhere near France and there were a couple restaurants in downtown Boise. So to no surprise, whenever I heard the word Basque, I always associated the term with food. “Oh, you mean the restaurants downtown?” was normally my response to anyone who brought up the subject. However, after taking this class I’ve learned that the Basque culture, and the American culture share both similarities and differences. With that being said, my goal is to compare and contrast how the two cultures use’s food, and language as a means of communication. In other words, I want to view the different ways food and …show more content…
Meaning that the recipes used by the Basque people are effortless. The emphasis, however, is on “fresh, canned, and cured food,” which are all locally sourced throughout the Basque country (5). Freshness, is the key that Basque people rely on when preparing their food; and freshness, is what turns regular canned food into “the world’s highest quality canned seafood” (5). The Basque culture also believes that, eating food should be a communal experience. To put it differently, it’s an activity they feel, shouldn’t be done alone. Food is meant to be enjoyed and shared not only with family, but with friends as well. That being said, it’s also important to note that the Basque culture, unlike the American culture, is deeply connected with growing food. Generally speaking, most Americans don’t grow or harvest their own food. We typically leave that up to the farmers, and government officials to make sure we get the best nutrients out of our meals. For most Americans, food isn’t viewed as a communal experience. It’s simply viewed as an object to eat while you’re on the run unless the meal, of course, is for a special occasion such as, Christmas, or Thanksgiving. The Basque natives, however, tend to have a closer relationship with the food they plant since they’re the primary …show more content…
In the U.S., for example, the primary language then was English. A language that came with the early settlers, and a language that simply had money tied to its roots. To emphasize, the reason why the English language is still around today, is due to the fact that it’s simply a rich language. A language that carries meaning to it, and a language that associated with wealth, a strong military, and economic power. According to Tore Janson, the author of “Speak: a short history of languages,” the reason why most languages are either extinct, or endangered has to deal with resources (17). To put it differently, it all comes down to “political, social, and economic threats” (18). Which is what almost drove the Basque native language to become extinct. A language will also perish to the ground if those who speak it are either dead, or having begun mixing with other groups. In this case, since the Basque moved to the U.S., they not only risked losing their language, but they also risked losing their cultural food as