Ninth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine foodways such as folk taxonomy of dishes, eating behavior and notions of Mongolia that might represent practices and ideology on food as well as bodily norms of the society. I have made analysis of Mongolian pastoralists’ everyday food, eating behavior and notion since 1997. Firstly, Mongolian daily dishes are divided into ten sorts of meat main dishes. The most popular one, “meat with soup and noodle” is repeated almost everyday, getting foodstuffs more diverse. Secondly, on eating behavior, Mongolians mainly have “tea” from morning to afternoon, and “meal” only for dinner. “Meal” means meat itself and can be added with grain stuffs and vegetables. Thirdly, the female head of a household takes charge of cooking and distributing the meal, and she treats her husband and a favorite child with prior portion. However, others cannot protest against it, as they have a tendency not to express hunger and comments on food. In contrast, they are quite interested in others’ stomaches, and their hospitality is primarily shown with offering foods. In conclusion, women’s daily food management and distribution might be recognized as a way of biopolitics tied with national food and population policies.