Sun 1
Chapter 12 Questions
1. Choose one typical Filipino dish and describe it. Explain how it conforms to the
principles of Filipino cooking. Select one or two ingredients and discuss whether
they are due to an influence from another culture and why that might have
happened.
The dish I chose for this description is the Lumpia. Its similar to an egg roll and is one of the
most popular traditional Filipino dishes – together with pancit. The main ingredients of the
Lumpia are ground pork, green cabbages, carrots, onions, garlic, minced carrots, and other
vegetables and soy spices. It conforms to several principles of Filipino cooking. To begin
with the pork and greens are made in a traditional wok with relatively small amounts of
vegetable oil. Additionally, soy seasoning is used as an alternative to salt – a practice that is
common in most of Filipino cooking. Pork is chosen in place of eggs in Lumpia because pork
has traditional roots in Southern Asia and the surrounding region.
2. Describe the traditional health and dietary beliefs for the prevention and treatment
of disease in one Southeast Asian immigrant group. How does the concept of
“balance” for maintenance of health fit within Southeast Asian health beliefs?
The Vietnamese and other Mainland Southeastern Asians who have immigrated to the United
States continue to hold traditional beliefs about health and diet. Chapter 12, for example,
notes that “cultural factors that are potential barriers to treatment are believing in the spiritual
etiology of diseases, patriarchal values, modesty, and mistrust of the Western medical
system”1. The general mistrust of western medical system is maintly attributable to the belief
of illness being caused by an imbalance in diet and in nature. As such, “botanical home
remedies and coining” might appear more preferable and accessible to most immigrants.
However, the immigrant Southeastern Asians who adopt new religions, e.g. Christianity,
sooner or later drop their traditional and dietary health beliefs to embrace American ones.
3. Pick one type of traditional healer used in Southeast Asian countries. Describe this
type of healer’s practice and research whether he or she currently practices in the
United States (cite your references using AMA).
Traditional healers are common across all cultures in the Southeast Asian countries. They are
“typically specialized practitioners among mainland Southeast Asians. They may provide
services for broken bones, skin infections, or objects stuck in the throat”1. One of the most
popular type of healers are the Hmong Herbalist – also known as kws tshuaj. The Hmong
herbalists treat “natural disorders, such as menstrual problem, impotence, infertility, stomach
disorders, and diarrhea” (). Teas and poultices are used extensively in healing these disorders.
When Lor Maichou et al. studied the criteria used by Hmong immigrants in the United States
to “make decisions about whether and when to use traditional and/or Western health service”
they found that “their decisions depended on whether they classified the illness as spiritual or
not and how they evaluated the effectiveness of different treatment options for their illness”2.
From this we can deduce that Hmong herbalists do practice in the United States.
4. List the indigenous foods of the Pacific Islands. Pick two from your list, describe
how they might be prepared today, and discuss whether they are considered to have
any special dietary or health properties.
Chapter 12 Questions
1. Choose one typical Filipino dish and describe it. Explain how it conforms to the
principles of Filipino cooking. Select one or two ingredients and discuss whether
they are due to an influence from another culture and why that might have
happened.
The dish I chose for this description is the Lumpia. Its similar to an egg roll and is one of the
most popular traditional Filipino dishes – together with pancit. The main ingredients of the
Lumpia are ground pork, green cabbages, carrots, onions, garlic, minced carrots, and other
vegetables and soy spices. It conforms to several principles of Filipino cooking. To begin
with the pork and greens are made in a traditional wok with relatively small amounts of
vegetable oil. Additionally, soy seasoning is used as an alternative to salt – a practice that is
common in most of Filipino cooking. Pork is chosen in place of eggs in Lumpia because pork
has traditional roots in Southern Asia and the surrounding region.
2. Describe the traditional health and dietary beliefs for the prevention and treatment
of disease in one Southeast Asian immigrant group. How does the concept of
“balance” for maintenance of health fit within Southeast Asian health beliefs?
The Vietnamese and other Mainland Southeastern Asians who have immigrated to the United
States continue to hold traditional beliefs about health and diet. Chapter 12, for example,
notes that “cultural factors that are potential barriers to treatment are believing in the spiritual
etiology of diseases, patriarchal values, modesty, and mistrust of the Western medical
system”1. The general mistrust of western medical system is maintly attributable to the belief
of illness being caused by an imbalance in diet and in nature. As such, “botanical home
remedies and coining” might appear more preferable and accessible to most immigrants.
However, the immigrant Southeastern Asians who adopt new religions, e.g. Christianity,
sooner or later drop their traditional and dietary health beliefs to embrace American ones.
3. Pick one type of traditional healer used in Southeast Asian countries. Describe this
type of healer’s practice and research whether he or she currently practices in the
United States (cite your references using AMA).
Traditional healers are common across all cultures in the Southeast Asian countries. They are
“typically specialized practitioners among mainland Southeast Asians. They may provide
services for broken bones, skin infections, or objects stuck in the throat”1. One of the most
popular type of healers are the Hmong Herbalist – also known as kws tshuaj. The Hmong
herbalists treat “natural disorders, such as menstrual problem, impotence, infertility, stomach
disorders, and diarrhea” (). Teas and poultices are used extensively in healing these disorders.
When Lor Maichou et al. studied the criteria used by Hmong immigrants in the United States
to “make decisions about whether and when to use traditional and/or Western health service”
they found that “their decisions depended on whether they classified the illness as spiritual or
not and how they evaluated the effectiveness of different treatment options for their illness”2.
From this we can deduce that Hmong herbalists do practice in the United States.
4. List the indigenous foods of the Pacific Islands. Pick two from your list, describe
how they might be prepared today, and discuss whether they are considered to have
any special dietary or health properties.
