Annotated bibliography

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY http care. diabetesjournals. org/cgi/content/full/26/7 The website above is a fairly comprehensive study of the effect nutritionally on Arabs that have recently immigrated to the US. To be more specific it investigates the correlation between this Arab immigration to the US and a rise in diabetes.
It is a very interesting debate. Although it does not directly relate the findings of the research to the differences in American and Middle Eastern diets, it does raise the question in terms of health and fitness of these people after immigrating, as well as challenging our expectations of the study by showing results from their surveys that show lower levels of diabetes in some of the candidates that have taken up some of the healthier habits of the West, such as exercising and working out at the gym.
It is an interesting source as it shows opinions, based on sound research and evidence to support both the benefits as well as the losses of Western cultures and more specifically the Western health and dietary regimes, even if the research is portrayed in a basic format.
2. http://umarlee. blogspot. com/2006/06/when-american-couple-only-eats-arab. html
Here is a slightly different source. Being a blog it will not be sound fact, evidence or academic opinion on the subject of Arabic and American food. However, it does demonstrate the effects that alternative cultures are having on Western culture. It also shows us the difference between the Arab’s attitude to food and the America’s attitude to food. The American shows ignorance and sees food as a pleasure – he’s greedy without realising it. The “ born-again-Arab” sees food as the fuel for your body. It is sacred and treated with respect. It is acknowledged as being from somewhere in the planet and as such deserves the respect they give it. They are careful with their foods and in so doing careful with themselves. As said, it also demonstrates the ignorance of the Western mind who hasn’t taken the time to fully understand what connotations food has for Arabs. Though this source does not provide us with characteristics on the foods of each culture, their nutritional value or any solid facts about either culture whatsoever, it does demonstrate another side to the arguments surrounding the different cultures and their native diets.
3. http://www. aaci-us. org/Food. html
The third website offers a more logical layout and provides the basic information and understanding behind Arab and Arab-American foods. Providing a glossary of terms and a variety of recipes the site offers readers literal descriptions, methods and pictures of actual Arabic foods and in so doing showing us its physical attributes. It also explains that Arab food isn’t one standard cuisine as is often the case in the Western world especially America. The Arab world stretches across a great area of Europe and Africa, as does America, and yet the Arab cuisine has a much greater variety and there is an obvious distinction between each Arab country’s cuisine. By listing each recipe by location, this source demonstrates the variety in the cuisine and also shows us that Arabs, like Americans, come from a variety of regions, whilst maintaining the variety in the food of those regions more than the globalised Western world. This site, although basic, is a good start for those who understand little about Arab culture and food.
4. http://www. albawabaforums. com/read. php3? f= 10&i= 74&t= 32
Again this is not a factual site. It is public opinion from an Arab himself about cooking methods aimed at other Arabs. However, it is interesting because it emphasises that food is very much part of the Arabic culture. Everything is bound up in religion, including food and this provides them with their way of life. As a result they have developed a community even with groups of Arabs they don’t know personally. This aspect of the Arabic culture and the way in which something as every day as food plays a part, may not be academic but it does offer an alternative insight into Arabic culture and though our own experience of Western culture we can see how each differs from the other.
5. http://www. naaponline. org/ny/arabbiz. asp? page= 8&order= Description
This source was chosen in support of an earlier source. The first source studied shows a survey taken that reached several conclusions. One of those conclusions was that immigrating Arabs have integrated into American Western society and culture producing either positive or negative results for them. This site may simply be a directory of Arabic food suppliers and restaurants based in the US but as their details show some of the places listed have taken advantage of the opportunity to use modern methods of advertising, most notably the internet. Therefore, although this source does not offer any in depth information about the differences in the food cultures of Americans and Arabs it does demonstrate the move that Arab food and culture has made in order to flourish in the 21st century.