A. The word “security”, has both positive and negative connotations. Most of us would say that we crave security for all its positive virtues, both physical and psychological-its evocation of the safety at home, of undying love, or freedom from need. More negatively, the word now days conjure up images of that huge industry which has developed to protect individuals and property from invasion by “outsiders”, ostensibly malicious and intent on the theft or willful damage.

B. Increasingly because they are situated in urban areas of escalating crime, those buildings which used to allow free access to employees and other users (building such as offices, schools, colleges or hospitals) now do not. Entry areas which in another age were called “Reception” are now manned by security staff. Receptionists, whose task it was to receive visitors and to make them welcome before passing them on to the person they had come to see, have been replaced by those whose task it is to bar entry to unauthorized, the unwanted or the plain unappealing.

C. Inside, these buildings are divided into “secure zones” which often have all the trappings of combination locks and burglar alarms. These devices bar entry to uninitiated, hinder circulation, and create parameters of time and spaces created by these zones, individual rooms are themselves under lock and key, which is a particular problem when it means that working space becomes compartmentalized.

D. To combat the consequent difficulty of access to people at a physical level, we have now developed technological access. Computers sit on every desk and are linked to one another, and in many cases to an external universe of other computers, so that messages can be passed to and fro. Here too security plays part, since we must not be allowed access to messages destined for others. And so the password was invented. Now correspondence between individuals goes from desk to desk and cannot be searched from one’s desk. Papers can be delivered to, and received from, other people at the press of a button.

E. And yet it seems that, just as work is isolating individuals more, organizations are recognizing the advantage of “team-work”; perhaps in order to encourage employees to talk to one another again. Yet how can groups work in teams if the possibilities for communication are reduced? How can they work together if e-mail provides a convenient electronic shield behind which the blurring of public and private can be exploited by less scrupulous? If voice –mail walls up messages behind a password? If I can’t leave a message on my colleague’s desk because his office is locked?

Team-work conceals the fact that another kind of physical resources: those they buy, those they lease long-term and those they rent short-term-so it is with their human resources. Some employees have permanent contacts, and some are regarded simply as casual labor.

F. Telecommunication systems offer us the direct line, which means that individuals can be contacted without the caller having to talk to anyone else. Voice-mail and the answer-phone mean that individuals can communicate without ever actually talking to one another. If we are unfortunate enough to contact a organization with a sophisticated touch-tone dialing system, we can buy things and pay for them without ever speaking to a human being.

G. To combat this closing in on ourselves we have the Internet, which opens out communication channels more widely than anyone could possibly want or need. An individual’s electronic presence on the internet is known as the “Home Page”- suggesting safety and security of an electronic health. An elaborate system of 3-dimensional graphics distinguishes this very of 2-dimensional medium of “web sites”. The nomenclature itself creates the illusion of a geographical entity that the person sitting before the computer is travelling, when in fact the “site” is coming to him. “Addresses” of one kind or another move to the individual, rather than the individual moving between them, now that location is no longer geographical.

H. An example of this is the mobile phone. I am now not available either at home or at work, but wherever I take my mobile phone. Yet, even now, we cannot escape the security of wanting to “locate” the person at the other end. It is no coincidence that almost everyone we see answering or initiating a mobile phone-call in public begins by saying where he or she is.

A. The word “security”, has both positive and negative connotations. Most of us would say that we crave security for all its positive virtues, both physical and psychological-its evocation of the safety at home, of undying love, or freedom from need. More negatively, the word now days conjure up images of that huge industry which has developed to protect individuals and property from invasion by “outsiders”, ostensibly malicious and intent on the theft or willful damage.

B. Increasingly because they are situated in urban areas of escalating crime, those buildings which used to allow free access to employees and other users (building such as offices, schools, colleges or hospitals) now do not. Entry areas which in another age were called “Reception” are now manned by security staff. Receptionists, whose task it was to receive visitors and to make them welcome before passing them on to the person they had come to see, have been replaced by those whose task it is to bar entry to unauthorized, the unwanted or the plain unappealing.

C. Inside, these buildings are divided into “secure zones” which often have all the trappings of combination locks and burglar alarms. These devices bar entry to uninitiated, hinder circulation, and create parameters of time and spaces created by these zones, individual rooms are themselves under lock and key, which is a particular problem when it means that working space becomes compartmentalized.

D. To combat the consequent difficulty of access to people at a physical level, we have now developed technological access. Computers sit on every desk and are linked to one another, and in many cases to an external universe of other computers, so that messages can be passed to and fro. Here too security plays part, since we must not be allowed access to messages destined for others. And so the password was invented. Now correspondence between individuals goes from desk to desk and cannot be searched from one’s desk. Papers can be delivered to, and received from, other people at the press of a button.

E. And yet it seems that, just as work is isolating individuals more, organizations are recognizing the advantage of “team-work”; perhaps in order to encourage employees to talk to one another again. Yet how can groups work in teams if the possibilities for communication are reduced? How can they work together if e-mail provides a convenient electronic shield behind which the blurring of public and private can be exploited by less scrupulous? If voice –mail walls up messages behind a password? If I can’t leave a message on my colleague’s desk because his office is locked?

Team-work conceals the fact that another kind of physical resources: those they buy, those they lease long-term and those they rent short-term-so it is with their human resources. Some employees have permanent contacts, and some are regarded simply as casual labor.

F. Telecommunication systems offer us the direct line, which means that individuals can be contacted without the caller having to talk to anyone else. Voice-mail and the answer-phone mean that individuals can communicate without ever actually talking to one another. If we are unfortunate enough to contact a organization with a sophisticated touch-tone dialing system, we can buy things and pay for them without ever speaking to a human being.

G. To combat this closing in on ourselves we have the Internet, which opens out communication channels more widely than anyone could possibly want or need. An individual’s electronic presence on the internet is known as the “Home Page”- suggesting safety and security of an electronic health. An elaborate system of 3-dimensional graphics distinguishes this very of 2-dimensional medium of “web sites”. The nomenclature itself creates the illusion of a geographical entity that the person sitting before the computer is travelling, when in fact the “site” is coming to him. “Addresses” of one kind or another move to the individual, rather than the individual moving between them, now that location is no longer geographical.

H. An example of this is the mobile phone. I am now not available either at home or at work, but wherever I take my mobile phone. Yet, even now, we cannot escape the security of wanting to “locate” the person at the other end. It is no coincidence that almost everyone we see answering or initiating a mobile phone-call in public begins by saying where he or she is.

A. To an extent, agriculture dictates that every country should have a set of specific foods which are native to that country. They may even be unique. However, even allowing for the power of agricultural sciences, advances in food distribution and changes in food economics to alter the ethnocentric properties of food, it is still possible for country ‘to be famous for’ particular food even if it is widely available elsewhere.

B. The degree to which cuisine is embedded in national culture

Within the sociology of food literature two themes suggest that food is linked social culture. The first relates food and eating to social relationships, (Finkelstein, visor, wood), and the second establishes food as a reflection of the distribution of power within social structures, (Mennell). However, establishing a role for food in personal relationships and social structures is not a sufficient argument to place food at the centre of national culture. To do that it is necessary to prove a degree of embeddedness. It would be appropriate at this point to consider the nature of culture.

C. The distinction made by Pierce between a behavioral contingency and a cultural contingency is crucial to our understanding of culture. Whilst a piece of behavior may take place very often, involve a network of people and reproducible by other networks who do not know each other, the meaning of the behavior does not go beyond the activity itself. A cultural practice, however, contains and represents ‘meta contingencies’ that is, behavioral practices that have a social meaning greater than the activity itself and which, by their nature reinforce the culture which houses them. Celebrating birthdays is a cultural practice not because everybody does it has a religious meaning. Contrast this with the practice in Britain of celebrating ‘Guy Fawkes Night’. It is essentially an excuse for a good time but if fireworks were banned, the occasion would gradually die away altogether or end up as cult to California. A smaller scale example might be more useful. In the British context, compare drinking in pubs with eating ‘fish and chips’. Both are common practices, yet the former reflects something of the social fabric of the country, particularly family, gender, class and age relationships while the latter is just a national habit. In other words, a constant, well populated pattern of behavior is not necessarily cultural. However, it is also clear that a cultural practice needs behavioral reinforcement. Social culture is not immortal.

D. Finkelstein argues that ‘dining out’ is simply ‘action which supports life’. For him it is the word ‘out’ that disconnects food from culture. This view of culture and food places the ‘home’ as the cultural centre. Continental European eating habits may contradict this notion by their general acceptance of eating out as part of family life. Following the principle that culture needs behavioral reinforcement, if everyone ‘eats’ out’ on a regular basis, irrespective of social and economic differentiation, then this might constitute behavioral support for cuisine being part of social culture. That aside, the significance of a behavioral practice being embedded in culture is that it naturally maintains an approved and accepted way of life and therefore has a tendency to resist change.

E. The thrust of the argument is that countries differ in the degree to which their food and eating habits have a social and cultural meaning beyond the behavior itself. This argument, however, could be interpreted to imply that the country with the greatest proportion of meals taken outside the home would be the one in which the national cuisine is more embedded in social culture. this is difficult position to maintain because it would bring America, with its fast-food culture to the fore. The fast-food culture of America raises the issue of whether there are qualitative criteria for the concept of cuisine. The key issue is not the extent of the common behavior but whether or not it has a function in maintaining social cohesion and appreciated and valued through social norms. French cuisine and ‘going down the pub are strange bedfellows but bedfellows nevertheless.

F. How homogeneous is national cuisine?

Like language, cuisine is not static entity and whilst its fundamental character unlikely to change in the short run it may evolve in different directions. Just as in a language there are dialects so in a cuisine there are variations. The two principal source of diversity are the physical geography of the country and its social diversity.

The geographical dimensions work through agriculture to particularize and to limit locally produced ingredients. Ethnic diversity in the population works through the role of cuisine in social identity to create ethnically distinct cuisines which may not converge into national cuisine. This raises the question of how far a national cuisine is related to national borders. To an ethnic group their cuisine is national. The greater the division of a society into classes, castes and status groups with their attendant ethnocentric properties, of which cuisine is a part, then the greater will be the diversity of the cuisines.

G. However, there is a case for convergence. But these principal sources diversity are, to an extent, influenced by the strength of their boundaries and the willingness of society to erode them. It is question of isolation and integration. Efficient transport and the application of chemistry can alter agricultural boundaries to make a wider range of foods available to cuisine. Similarly, political and social integration can erode ethnic boundaries However, all these arguments mean nothing if the cuisine is not embedded in social culture. Riley argues that when a cuisine is not embedded in social culture it is susceptible to novelty and invasion by other cuisines.

Newspaper headlines and TV or radio News bulletins would have us believe erroneously that a new age has come upon us the Age of Cassandra people are being associated not just with contemporary doom, or post gloom, but to be fall, The down of the new millennium has now passed; the earth is still intact, and the fin de siecle Jeremiahs have now gone off to configure a new date for the apocalypse.

It can, I believe, be said with some certainty that the doom- mangers with never run out of business Human nature has an inclination for pessimism and anxiety, with each age having its demagogues, for telling doom or dragging it in their wake. But what makes the modern age so different is that the catastrophes are more 'in your face' Their assault on our senses is relentless whether it be sub- conscious or not this is a situation not lost on politicians They play upon people’s propensity for unease, turning it in to a very effective political tool.

Deluding the general public

All too often, when politicians want to change the status quo, they take advantage of people’s fears of the unknown and their uncertainties about the future, For example, details about a new policy may be locked to the press of course, the worst case scenario is presented in all its depressing detail when the general public reacts in horror, the government appears to cave in, And then accepting some of the suggestions from their critics, ministers water down their proposals This allows the government to get what it wants, while at the government to get what it wants, while at the same time following the public in to believing that they have got one over on the government , or even that they have some say in the making of policy.

There are several principles at play here and both are rather simple; unsettle people and then Play on their fears; and second people must be given an opportunity to make a contribution however in significant in a given, situation otherwise, they become dissatisfied not fearful of anxious.

A similar ruse, at a local level, will further illustrate how easily people’s base fears are exploited A common practice is to give people a number of options say in a housing development, ranging from no change to radical trans formation of an area. The aim is to persuade people to agree significant modifications, which may involve disruption to their lives, and possibly extra expenditure, The individuals fearful of the worst possible outcome, incidentally, is invariably the option favoured by the authorities, Everything is achieved under the guise of market research But it is obviously a blatant exercise in the manipulation of people’s fears.

Fear and survival

Fear and anxieties about the future affect us all people are worked with self- doubt and low self- esteem. In the struggle e exist and advance in life, a seemingly endless string of obstacles is encountered so many in fact that any accomplishment seems Surprising, Even when people do succeed, they are still nagged by uncertainty.

Not surprisingly, feelings like doubt, fear, anxiety and pessimism are usually associated with failure yet, it properly harnessed, they are the driving force behind success, the very engines It things turn out well for a long time, there, is a further anxiety that of constantly waiting for something to go wrong people then find.

If things turn out well for a long time, there is a further anxiety: that of constantly waiting for something to go wrong. People then find themselves propitiating the gods: not walking on lines on the pavements, performing rituals before public performances, wearing particular clothes and colours so that they can blame the ritual when things go wrong. But surely the terror comes when success continues uninterrupted for such a long period of time that we forget what failure is like!

We crave for and are fed a daily diet of anxiety. Horror films have an increasing appeal. Nostradamus pops his head up now and again. And other would -be prophets make a brief appearance, predicting the demise of human kind. Perhaps, this is all just a vestige of the hardships of early man - our attempt to recreate the struggles of a past age, as life becomes more comfortable.

Mankind cannot live by contentment alone. And so, a world awash with anxieties and pessimism has been created. Being optimistic is a struggle. But survival dictates that mankind remain ever sanguine.

A.     

The chances are that you have already drunk a cup or glass of tea today. Perhaps, you are sipping one as you read this. Tea, now an everyday beverage in many parts of the world, has over the centuries been an important part of rituals of hospitality both in the home and in wider society.

B.     

Tea originated in China, and in Eastern Asia tea making and drinking ceremonies have been popular for centuries. Tea was first shipped to North Western European by English and Dutch maritime traders in sixteenth century. At about the same time, a land route from the Far East, via Moscow, to Europe was opened up. Tea also figured in America’s bid for independence from British rule-the Boston Tea party.

C.     

As, over the last four hundred years, tea-leaves became available throughout much of Asia and Europe, the ways in which tea was drunk changed. The Chinese considered the quality of the leaves and the way in which they were cured all important. People in other cultures added new ingredients besides tea-leaves and hot water. They drank tea with milk, sugar, spices like cinnamon and cardamom, and herbs such as mint or sage. The variations are endless. For example, in Western Sudan on the edge of the Sahara Desert, sesame oil is added to milky tea on cold mornings. In England tea, unlike coffee, acquired a reputation as a therapeutic drink that promoted health. Indeed, in European and Arab countries as well as in Persia and Russia, tea was praised for its restorative and health giving properties. One Dutch physician, Cornelius Blankaart, advised that to maintain health a minimum of eight to ten cups a day should be drunk, and that up to 50 to 100 daily cups be consumed with safety.

D.     

While European coffee houses were frequented by men discussing politics and closing business deals, respectable middle-class women stayed at home and held tea parties. When the price of tea fell in the nineteenth century poor people took up the drink with enthusiasm. Different grades and blends of tea were sold to suit every pocket.

E.      

Throughout the world today, few religious groups object to tea drinking. In Islamic cultures, where drinking of alcohol is forbidden, tea and coffee consumption is an important part of social life. However, Seventh-Day Adventists, recognizing the beverage as a drug containing the stimulant caffeine, from upon the drinking of tea.

F.      

Nomadic Bedouin are well known for traditions of hospitality in the desert. According to Middle Eastern tradition, guests are served both tea and coffee from pots kept ready on the fires of guest tents where men of the family and male visitors gather. Cups of ‘bitter’ cardamom coffee and glasses of sugared tea should be constantly refilled by the host.

G.     

For over a thousand years, Arab traders have been bringing Islamic culture, including tea drinking, to northern and western Africa. Techniques of tea preparation and the ceremonial involved have been adapted. In West African countries, such as Senegal and The Gambia, it is fashionable for young men to gather in small groups to brew Chinese ‘gunpowder’ tea. The tea is boiled with large amounts of sugar for a long time.

H.     

Tea drinking in India remains an important part of daily life. There, tea made entirely with milk is popular. ‘Chai’ is made by boiling milk and adding tea, sugar and some spices. This form of tea making has crossed the Indian Ocean and is also popular in East Africa, where tea is considered best when it is either very milky or made with water only. Curiously, this ‘milk or water’ formula has been carried over to the preparation of instant coffee, which is served in cafes as either black, or sprinkled on a cup of hot milk.

I.       In Britain, coffee drinking, particularly in the informal atmosphere of coffee shops, is currently in vogue. Yet, the convention of afternoon tea lingers. At conferences, it remains common practice to serve coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. Contemporary China, too, remains true to its long tradition. Delegates at conferences and seminars are served tea in cups with lids to keep the infusion hot. The cups are topped up throughout the proceedings. There are as yet no signs of coffee at such occasions.