Abstract
The authors situate student food experience as a key source of tension for international students. Multicultural food learning activities (MFLAs) are positioned as spaces for cultural connection and knowledge exchange. Through a review of relevant literature, three themes emerge: 1) food, diet and culture, 2) acculturation and identity through social connections with food, and 3) the implications of lack of food on culture, identity, and well-being. Reflecting on the authors' personal applications of MFLAs within nutrition curricula and a student-led society supporting cultural integration, the implications of such a learning platform are illuminated. In response to emergent themes, the authors share observations and make recommendations for university-based programming and future research. The authors urge academic communities to consider the complexity and impact of student food experiences when contemplating the international student experience in Canada. Food learning and experience-based platforms are opportunities to support student culture and identity.
TopIntroduction
Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) is an urban campus in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, promoting small class size and personalized learning. The university hosts approximately 4000 students from across Canada and from more than 50 countries (MSVU, 2020a). The rise in international students over the past ten years has seen the development of an on-campus International Education Centre (IEC) that is a source of academic, financial and cultural advice, as well as language studies for visiting students (MSVU, 2020b).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Assimilation: A strategy to acculturate where an individual or group from a minority culture fully adopts the practices and values of the dominant culture without retaining the practices and values of the original culture.
Dietitian: A regulated health professional who receives extensive training in food and nutrition from an accredited university and internship program, and is licensed after writing a national registration exam.
Integration: A strategy to acculturate where an individual or group from a minority culture learns and adopts features a new culture without sacrificing the original cultural identity.
Food Security: The ability to source and afford enough and acceptable food to enjoy a healthy life.
Multicultural Food Learning Activity (MFLA): A leisure learning activity in which people from different cultural backgrounds engage in dialogue around the preparation, tasting, and sharing of new and familiar foods and beverages.
Acculturation: An adaptive process by which an individual or group learns and adjusts to the practices and values of a new environment with a different culture.
Intercultural Connection: Deep, authentic relationships between people from different cultures that go beyond shallow courtesy and politeness.
Cultural identity: One’s behaviour pattern, beliefs, and value system that are learned and passed within ethnic groups.
Food Lab Experience (FLE): An activity developed by one of the chapter authors, Guy, to mitigate the communication, relationship and learning challenges faced by international students while navigating the university settings. Participants prepare recipes of their choice and share food within in a post-secondary controlled food lab environment.