Ways to define culture

What is culture?
Culture is the way of life such as ideas, customs, beliefs, and social behaviors of a particular
group at a particular time.
Culture can be expressed in many different ways such as telling stories, celebrations,
entertainment, remembering the past and imaging the future. There are two types of culture,
material and non-material. Material culture refers to society’s physical objects such as clothing,
food, means of transportation etc… while non-material culture refers to values, beliefs, symbols
and language. Culture can be defined in many different ways however, here are three such ways:
1. Through Art, 2. Through Food, and 3. Through Beliefs.
 Art is an expression of human skills, thoughts, ideas, emotions, intuitions, and desires, but it is
even more personal than that, it's about sharing the way we experience the world, which for
many is an extension of personality. It is also the communication of intimate concepts that
cannot be faithfully portrayed by words alone. Art mainly is about creation not just paintings or
tangible things but things such as music, poetry, dancing, indigenous clothing etc…, and these
things are a form of art and they help to shape our mindset and bring us together as a people. Art
is an important form of culture because it is an avenue through which we connect with
others on a deeper level, especially in times of crisis whether that be by speaking your
language or by visualizing your thoughts differently. Art has been a part of human culture
for many centuries. It has been used to express emotions, to communicate ideas and it has
been a way to pass down knowledge from one generation to another.
It is also an important tool for learning, teaching, and communicating. Art plays a role in
recording history, and many artworks help us paint a picture (literally) of what life was
like in previous generations thus art can never die. Art is also particularly important as a
signifier of culture across the globe.
Folk arts, for example, are highly unique to specific cultures and tell the history and rich
traditions of a region. Painting, architecture, art sculpture, music, literature, and many other
fine arts can be considered a repository of a given society's collective memory. Therefore
because of all of arts contribution which helps shape our way of life it can be used to
define culture.
Food in this case refers to an exploration of culture through food.
People also connect to their cultural or ethnic group through food patterns. Food is often used as
a means of retaining their cultural identity. People from different cultural backgrounds eat
different foods. History, the areas in which families live and where their ancestors originated
influence food like and dislikes. These food preferences result in patterns of food choices within
a cultural or regional group.

Beyond merely nourishing the body, what we eat and with whom we eat can inspire and
strengthen the bonds between individuals, communities, and even countries. There is no closer
relationship than the one with the family and food plays a large part in defining family roles,
rules, and traditions. It helps us to discover attitudes, practices, and rituals surrounding food, it
sheds light on our most basic beliefs about ourselves and others. There is a relationship between
culture and food, this negotiates our identities, cultures and environments. Food is seen more
than just a means of survival. Food is considered to be multidimensional, as something that
shapes us, our identities, and our cultures and in the end, our society. food transmits meaning.
But the meaning varies from culture to culture. Furthermore, food is considered a trope because
it signifies a meaning of something to begin with, for example: tomato, basil and mozzarella
cheese on a pizza signify a taste of Italy. Ackee and saltfish is indigenous to Jamaica and these
recipes are passed down to the younger generation and thus becomes a tradition. Food traditions
vary widely throughout the world. Even among people who share similar cultural backgrounds
and some of the same food habits, eating patterns are not identical. Food culture has undergone
transformations and developments, so has it also caused changes in some places without
discarding its own customs and traditions, food culture in many regions could gain a new visual
identity, and help us to better understand our own culture and those of others. The multicultural
character of contemporary different cuisines is the result of the specific circumstances in which
regions identify themselves, and yet its authenticity and cultural preservation is maintained. In
conclusion, understanding a culture through food is an interesting process because once a person
starts asking these questions, such as how something is made, what ingredients are in it, or why it
is called a certain way, the answers obtained go beyond culinary learning. In these answers, food
tells us something about a culture’s approach to life. In the end, we can say that food functions
symbolically as a communicative practice by which we create, manage and share meanings with
others. Understanding culture, habits, rituals and tradition can be explored through food.
Cultural beliefs are beliefs that are learned and shared across groups of people. Because the
amount of information in a culture is too large for any one individual to master, individuals know
different subsets of the cultural knowledge and thus can vary in their cultural competence. way
others perceive it. Beliefs can be in the form of myths like in Jamaica when they talk and tell
stories about rolling calf, anancy and duppy. These stories emit fear, paranoia and sometimes
phobias but most times it is considered fun and interesting, and it really brings people together.

Another example of belief is Religion, the positive aspect of religion focuses on bringing people
together to worship God in a monotheistic religion or Gods if polytheistic religion. What is clear
from the literature is that culture and cultural expression is seen as fundamental to a person’s
existence and humanity. To be fully human, humans need to have either a form of self-
expression which is self-defining; or the freedom to partake in forms of cultural expression, or to
participate in ceremonies with cultural (and possibly religious or spiritual) dimensions; or to
engage in artistic endeavors. The relationship between culture and religion is revealed in the
motivation and manifestation of cultural expression. If culture expresses how humans experience
and understand the world; religion is a fundamental way in which humans experience and
understand the world. Religion is seen as a substantive base that is expressed in culture, religion
cannot be a self-contained area of culture, nor indifferent to other cultural developments. On the
contrary, religious expression and motivation can drive cultural expression, with culture being a
means to which humans can express the purpose and meaning religion gives them. This
transpires into the artistic and cultural heritage of religions. Religion gives hope and a meaning
for life and an explanation to what happens after we die which gives us peace and a reason to
continue knowing that everything will be alright because our lives are in the hands of our creator.
Thus religion is more than just something we do to pass time, it is not just a joke but it is
something that binds us together. Religion is passed from one individual to another and that can
be from parent to offspring or from friend to friend or people to people thus it is all over the
world and most people belong or believe in a particular religion and its apart of them, therefore If
you take away a person religion you take away their hopes and dreams, culture and who they are
as an individual. Thus religion is our way of life and who we are and that is very important.

In conclusion, culture can be defined in many different ways as said before but three such ways
are Art, Food, and Beliefs and these express and define culture in different ways but regardless
how the aim intended is fulfilled and we need these are important in shaping our thinking,
mindset and how we behave as individuals. Therefore, culture is a very important part of our
daily lives.