Scholars often discuss food and faith as enduring ties to a shared, ethnic identity. Ties endure through

one’s ability to participate in rituals or to prepare traditional foods. Due to these connections, food and

religion are often seen as unchanging material culture and as a means of in-group belonging. Discuss the

concept of belonging (or not-belonging) that we experience as humans through foodways or religious

participation. In what ways does food or religion transform “culture” into a tangible expressive reality?