a short thesis presents the formation of habits through culinary culture the interaction between Vietnamese and New Zealand cuisines In the book “The Social Construction of Reality” in 1966, Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann determined that society is shaped by human and the way human interactions with others. In other words, this idea is defined as “Habitualization” describing how “any action that is repeated frequently becomes cast into a pattern, which can then be performed again in the future in the same manner and with the same economical effort” (Berger and Luckmann, 1966).
Habitualization in Culinary culture – a cross between New Zealand and Vietnam Culinary culture is not merely the beautifully presented delicious food, but also the traditional meanings and customs of the country, as well as memories and lessons for each person For me, making “Banh chung” - a traditional dish in Lunar New Year of Vietnam - is my family tradition and the way of cultural expression In the book “The Social Construction of Reality” in 1966, Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann determined that society is shaped by human and the way human interactions with others In other words, this idea is defined as “Habitualization” describing how “any action that is repeated frequently becomes cast into a pattern, which can then be performed again in the future in the same manner and with the same economical effort” (Berger and Luckmann, 1966) Aligning with the thesis, Vietnamese has been preserved the habit of preparing Lunar New Year's meals for years from generations to generations, being a part of the national culture Each Vietnam’s region will have a spring meal with various tasty dishes, in which "Banh chung" - made from glutinous rice, mug beans, fatty pork and other ingredients - is an indispensable traditional dish of Vietnam regardless of regions My family has been bustling every year in preparing “Banh chung” with many steps, including preparing ingredients, wrapping and tying it in a square shape, boiling it for hours in a large pot until cooked perfectly During the cooking process, sitting and sharing stories, happiness, difficulties in a year, and new coming plans with my family members has bonded the relationship between me and my relatives, creating deep memory time in my mind Besides, my grandmother, whom I always love and respect, often tells me about the origin of “Banh chung” every New Year She said: during the 6th Hung King period, the king held a contest on delicious and meaningful food to find a successor His children raced to seek strange dishes from rare and precious ingredients everywhere; meanwhile, Mr Lang Lieu (the 18th son of King Hung) was a kind-hearted and filial person who makes “Banh chung” and “Banh giay” With the two dishes, Mr Lang Lieu's talent and mind are to know how to use common and familiar ingredients to make dishes, which encapsulates a country's wet-rice farming civilization A “Banh chung” in square shape and a “Banh giay” in round shape are symbols of a harmonious Heaven and Earth, wishing for a new year with good weather Such stories have contributed to form and concrete the history and traditions of a country Indeed, Linda Tuhiwai Smith (1999) stated that “story-telling, oral histories, the perspectives of elders and of women” (p 144) have become an integral part in researching indigenous investigation as well as traditional knowledge systems In New Zealand, the maintenance of ancestral linkages and pass down beliefs and values of mātauranga Māori are preserved via oral Besides, ancestral stories could be found in art and physical form as whakairo, raranga, and metaphysical manifestations of taonga tuku iho; these acts as a map or storybook for researchers to interpret and study In 1934, Mead introduced the Symbolic Interactionism perspective – one of the major frameworks of the sociological theory The symbolic perspective addresses the manner that symbolic world is created and maintained through individual's behaviors and interaction in society Regarding the symbolism of "Banh chung", it has a spiritual meaning to me Making the dish to worship the ancestors is an ancient way to express remembering my roots and the merit of being born into a great and immense nurturing like heaven and earth of parents Similar to Kaimoana of Maori, the food represents food from the ocean On the Lunar New Year holiday, the image of a family sitting together next to a pot of "Banh chung" is beautiful and meaningful Cooking “Banh chung” is also an ancient Vietnamese tradition in the beginning of the year, praying for a lucky New Year, good crops and weather since Hung King period However, convincing evidence about the existence of the Hung King’s era has remained under discovery Many historians believe that the 18 th period of Hung King is just a general term according to the traditional conception of the history of nation formation, instead of based on the real scientific research result with the archaeological verification Besides, in the researches about this period, scientists have a better understanding of economics, the birth and development of wet - rice agriculture using tools (such as plowing, harrowing, buffalo and cattle as traction) which could be considered a revolution in agriculture of Vietnam in the early stage of history According to Smith (1999), controversial and contested stories and multiple discourses about the past of different communities generally linked to and expressed contemporary indigenous life, playing a critical part in the structure of communities, especially with communities that value oral ways of knowing knowledge These contested issues are stored in genealogies, in landscapes, in textiles and carvings, even in personal names, meaning by which these histories and tradition are stored and passed down to the next generation via their knowledge system Along with the development of society, the culinary culture has undergone due to immigration changes Vietnam had the 2nd highest number of international students coming to New Zealand in Southeast Asia, increasing of 55% over the past six years from 2013 to 2019 The dissemination of Maori's presence, history, and culture in the community has contributed to increasing the understanding of the Maori’s culture of immigrants, in general, and Vietnam, particularly I also recognized an interesting similarity between the two countries in the culinary scene (such as flat white in New Zealand similar to Coffee milk in Vietnam) With the immigration increasingly tendency, it is expected that culinary culture and traditions will be shared and exchanged between the two countries Reference Berger, P L., & Luckmann, T (1967) The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge Smith, Linda Tuhiwai (1999) Decolonizing methodologies : research and indigenous peoples London ; New York : Dunedin, N.Z : New York : Zed Books ; University of Otago Press ; Distributed in the USA exclusively by St Martin's Press Mead, G.H (1934) Mind, Self, and Society from the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist University of Chicago Press: Chicago ... researching indigenous investigation as well as traditional knowledge systems In New Zealand, the maintenance of ancestral linkages and pass down beliefs and values of mātauranga Māori are preserved via... via oral Besides, ancestral stories could be found in art and physical form as whakairo, raranga, and metaphysical manifestations of taonga tuku iho; these acts as a map or storybook for researchers... is created and maintained through individual's behaviors and interaction in society Regarding the symbolism of "Banh chung", it has a spiritual meaning to me Making the dish to worship the ancestors