Food culture in Oonya Kempadoo’s All Decent Animals and Buxton Spice1

Abstract

The role of food culture in the construction of collective identity remains indispensable, considering that it results from consistent and prolonged practice by the given population. In the particular case of postcolonial literature, cultural markers such as food, clothing, rituals etc., act as powerful tools of sociocultural representation. In All Decent Animals (2013) and Buxton Spice (1998), Oonya Kempadoo posits the characters as the embodiments of various levels of association with the traditional culinary practices thereby showing their differential sense of cultural rootedness against the multicultural milieu of the novels’ settings. The study aims to extract such instances from the novels that show the impact of food culture in the creation of a common memory, hearkening back to the shared history of the characters. The authors concluded, that something as mundane as food occupies a pivotal role in co-navigating the characters’ journey from self-doubt to self-acceptance. The effect of food culture in eliciting an inclination towards one’s ethnic roots is considered, while also touching upon the matter of developing a sense of cultural, familial and individual identity by means of foodways.