From my own experience as an Anthropology student, I know that only few things can be considered universally accepted in our world. Nevertheless, sweetness seems to be a pretty well accepted concept in all cultures. Although most of the cultures in the world see not to be opposed to the introduction of some form of sweetness in their daily diet, the amount of these substances that is used in different areas varieties a lot. This book is meanly concerned with the form of sweetness that comes from sugar. Sugar is obtained from sugar cane through a process that requires a lot of steps and labor. This could be the reason for which for a long time, sugar was a product known only to the wealthy and opulent class. Nevertheless, it fame grew among
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The primaries uses of the cane sugar were as a preservative, condiment and medicine. It is important to mention that until this point sugar was not considered food. As the consumption and production of sugar increased during the XIII century, the prices of it were slowly decreasing which caused that even more people could have access to it. The capacity of sugar of being produced in different colors gave it another important characteristic. Whiter sugar was considered to be purer which made it to be highly appreciated by wealthy people. This is a very interesting part of the book because it shows how deep the sense social stratification that this people have created was. Nevertheless, I think that one of the most important ideas that this portion of the book gives us is that sugar was a product that changed the diet of many people around the world not only because the impact it had on the market as a new product but also because it changed the way that many other products were consumed. With the increase of sugar consumption, tea, chocolate, and coffee consumption also went up. So at this point we can see the real impact that sugar had on the economy and the market. I think that the increase in the consumption of other products along with sugar created a very successful and stable …show more content…
The chapter does a very interesting comparing among England, France, and the United States taking into considerations some of the factors that allowed sugar industry in some of these countries to developed at such a fast rate while in others it practically changed over the centuries. For instance, one of the reasons the author gives for the slow development of sugar industry in France colonies is that France cuisine is significant less sugar than England and American’s ones. Lather in the chapter, the author highlights the incredible productiveness that sugar cane has. Mintz gives some facts that allows us to see how much productive a one hectare of sugar cane in the Caribbean can be. This productiveness combined with an increasing market for sweet products is what allows the author to think that sugar cane production will only increase. Nevertheless, the true anthropological approach of the author lies inn how Mintz is able to uncover how much the markets techniques are tight to the increasing consumption of sugar in modern times. The author is aware that market is not a static identity. It needs to change in order to attract new consumers. This changes in the market is what makes the pattern of sugar consumption to be so erratic in modern times. For example, we can see how today the demand for the not so refined sugar is growing in
The primaries uses of the cane sugar were as a preservative, condiment and medicine. It is important to mention that until this point sugar was not considered food. As the consumption and production of sugar increased during the XIII century, the prices of it were slowly decreasing which caused that even more people could have access to it. The capacity of sugar of being produced in different colors gave it another important characteristic. Whiter sugar was considered to be purer which made it to be highly appreciated by wealthy people. This is a very interesting part of the book because it shows how deep the sense social stratification that this people have created was. Nevertheless, I think that one of the most important ideas that this portion of the book gives us is that sugar was a product that changed the diet of many people around the world not only because the impact it had on the market as a new product but also because it changed the way that many other products were consumed. With the increase of sugar consumption, tea, chocolate, and coffee consumption also went up. So at this point we can see the real impact that sugar had on the economy and the market. I think that the increase in the consumption of other products along with sugar created a very successful and stable …show more content…
The chapter does a very interesting comparing among England, France, and the United States taking into considerations some of the factors that allowed sugar industry in some of these countries to developed at such a fast rate while in others it practically changed over the centuries. For instance, one of the reasons the author gives for the slow development of sugar industry in France colonies is that France cuisine is significant less sugar than England and American’s ones. Lather in the chapter, the author highlights the incredible productiveness that sugar cane has. Mintz gives some facts that allows us to see how much productive a one hectare of sugar cane in the Caribbean can be. This productiveness combined with an increasing market for sweet products is what allows the author to think that sugar cane production will only increase. Nevertheless, the true anthropological approach of the author lies inn how Mintz is able to uncover how much the markets techniques are tight to the increasing consumption of sugar in modern times. The author is aware that market is not a static identity. It needs to change in order to attract new consumers. This changes in the market is what makes the pattern of sugar consumption to be so erratic in modern times. For example, we can see how today the demand for the not so refined sugar is growing in