Assignment one:
This section comprehensively captures the history of the word sugar in the English language. Moreover, the historical significance of sugar, as well as, the cultural background of sugar is articulated. The lessons learnt, surprises and questions are also incorporated. A comparative analysis of the information obtained from different sources is also included.
The word sugar was deduced for a French word Sukere. Moreover, the word is associated with two other word which include zucchero an Italian word and sukkar an Arabic word. It is very surprising that two of the three words associated with sugar are European. This is an indication that the origins of sugar are associated with Europe. The origin of the word sugar is associated with multiple languages indicating interactions between different cultural backgrounds. However, the historical background provided does not clearly articulate the first users of sugar. Another question raised by the source is the initial uses of sugar in the first communities that used sugar. It was also exciting to learn that during the ancient times sugar was used by the wealthy and the influential in the society.
According to Katz, Solomon, and William (361) sugar was first used as a condiment. Moreover, the first use of sugar was in Europe and it was also used medicine. This aspect was not articulated in the oxford dictionary. On the other hand the Cambridge world history of food indicates that inadequate data presents a challenge to identifying the dates when sugar became the principal sweetener. Moreover, they indicate that the Portuguese were the first to discover sugar in Madeira. It is also pertinent to note that sugar was important for multiple activities such as medicinal and status symbol (Kiple, Kenneth and Kriemhild 436).
Assignment two:
This section articulates multiple aspects of studies associated with sugar in relation to ordinary experiences in life. A personal connection with sugar is described as well as the social dynamics that of interest in relation to sugar.
According to Dewey personal experience is core in any form of study. My personal connection with sugar is the loss of a relative to diabetes that is highly associated with sugar. From that moment I have had low opinion on the use of excessive sugar. This personal connection significantly influences my perspective of sugar due to the negative thoughts that I have regarding sugar. However, the information I have acquired regarding the history of sugar creates an environment that motivates me to learn more about sugar. Moreover, my interests in research in the area have been enhanced. It is pertinent to note that the divergent opinions existing create a rich basis of establishing research questions and subsequently a comprehensive study. The word sugar is associated with the rise of the slave trade across different continents. This social tension existed for decades and had a significant influence in the political power interactions across the world. Slaves were highly demanded in sugar growing economies since the growth and processing of sugar during those ancient times was highly labor intensive. There are multiple aspects that I would want to study further regarding the history of sugar. First the influences that sugar had in the cross border economic activities during the ancient times. Secondly, the motivation behind initial uses of sugar across different regions in the world. It is pertinent to note that the complexity around the ancient sugar processing is another study gap (Samat 48).
Works Cited
Katz, Solomon H, and William W. Weaver. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. New York: Scribner, 2003. Internet resource.
Kiple, Kenneth F., and Kriemhild Coneè Ornelas. The Cambridge world history of food. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print.
Samat, Maguelonne. A history of food. New expanded ed. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.
"sugar: definition of sugar in Oxford dictionary (British & World English)." Oxford Dictionaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/sugar?q=sugar>.
