Eating Ritual among the Nacriema
Upon reading Body Ritual among the Nacirema, I decided to undertake my own study on the Nacriema. Today, I bring to light more "magical beliefs and practices" that the group presents. I present to you: Eating Ritual among the Nacriema.
Nacirema culture is characterized by a highly developed market economy. While much of their time is devoted to economic pursuits through long, intensive hours of obligations, a portion is spent in ritual activity. The rituals are multi-faceted, for they are alert of the brains of their peers. One focus of this activity is eating, attempting to balance the needs of the body and the reputation upheld, which continues as a dominant concern for the people. While the habit of eating is certainly not unusual, the proposed dilemmas within and its impatience are unique.
The fundamental belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the hands of a clock fail to cease. Ingrained in the minds of the Nacirema is the golden crown of work. The removal of sixty seconds is terrifying, for they have things to do and place to go to. The more powerful individuals in society may find themselves able to stay aligned to the hands of the clock. But to the majority, what they consume must a magic spell. It must not be a magic potion, for it must go down the body fast and work immediately so that the Nacriema can return to their economic pursuits. It is hard for the hands of the clock to meet the hour mark for the Nacirema diners. The distance of the hands from start to end for the diners is merely a fraction of the distance for the chefs.
Perhaps the most popular magic spells are the ones present in every location of where the Nacirema live. Their super powerful gas guzzler circles around the castle of the holy magicians, where they will trade their luxuries (mainly received weekly or monthly) for the magic spell bestowed by the magician's apprentices. Inside the castles, there will sometimes be guests, but the guests rarely linger around. Additionally, sometimes the apprentice may actually be the magician in disguise, for one must remember that the space between the clock hands is always enlarging. Friends of these castles, the non-Nacriemas, have preached weird terms such as "relaxation;" it is unclear what this is as the Nacriemas saw "noitaxaler" which is most definitely not a word.
The Nacriema have this spell at least three times a day. Normally the spell originates from locations in their country, but not where they live. They received it from trading in nearby markets. Their spells are tangible, bundled in clear covers to maintain the enchantment that provides the people energy. Most common are the ones not only bundled in clear covers but also bundled with beautiful brown cases. The more colorful, the better. Families teach their children the procedures associated with these products so that even if no magicians are available, they are able to incant themselves once again.
Nacirema culture is characterized by a highly developed market economy. While much of their time is devoted to economic pursuits through long, intensive hours of obligations, a portion is spent in ritual activity. The rituals are multi-faceted, for they are alert of the brains of their peers. One focus of this activity is eating, attempting to balance the needs of the body and the reputation upheld, which continues as a dominant concern for the people. While the habit of eating is certainly not unusual, the proposed dilemmas within and its impatience are unique.
The fundamental belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the hands of a clock fail to cease. Ingrained in the minds of the Nacirema is the golden crown of work. The removal of sixty seconds is terrifying, for they have things to do and place to go to. The more powerful individuals in society may find themselves able to stay aligned to the hands of the clock. But to the majority, what they consume must a magic spell. It must not be a magic potion, for it must go down the body fast and work immediately so that the Nacriema can return to their economic pursuits. It is hard for the hands of the clock to meet the hour mark for the Nacirema diners. The distance of the hands from start to end for the diners is merely a fraction of the distance for the chefs.
Perhaps the most popular magic spells are the ones present in every location of where the Nacirema live. Their super powerful gas guzzler circles around the castle of the holy magicians, where they will trade their luxuries (mainly received weekly or monthly) for the magic spell bestowed by the magician's apprentices. Inside the castles, there will sometimes be guests, but the guests rarely linger around. Additionally, sometimes the apprentice may actually be the magician in disguise, for one must remember that the space between the clock hands is always enlarging. Friends of these castles, the non-Nacriemas, have preached weird terms such as "relaxation;" it is unclear what this is as the Nacriemas saw "noitaxaler" which is most definitely not a word.
The Nacriema have this spell at least three times a day. Normally the spell originates from locations in their country, but not where they live. They received it from trading in nearby markets. Their spells are tangible, bundled in clear covers to maintain the enchantment that provides the people energy. Most common are the ones not only bundled in clear covers but also bundled with beautiful brown cases. The more colorful, the better. Families teach their children the procedures associated with these products so that even if no magicians are available, they are able to incant themselves once again.
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| I was given the opportunity to try one of their spells for my morning meal. Compared to my culture, the simplicity of this in time, price, and availability was incredibly mindblowing. |
I love how you picked this ritual to imitate Horace miner, especially because it relates to your overall blog theme. I think it is interesting how you talked about the timing of when Naciremas engage in their ritual and how they go about gaining the means to start their rituals( with the magical spells and the apprentice). This is super creative, Great job!
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