Eating Habits in Australia, Australian Cinema - Assignment Example

Question one Eating habits in Australia have changed dramatically both inside and outside the home environments since the 1960s. It is imperative to note that from 1960s many Australians were able to visit other parts of the world such as Asia and Europe (Farrer, 1980). A majority of the Australians travelled to these regions for educational and research purposes. The experience of the Australians who travelled to these regions contributed largely to the change in the eating habits of the Australian people. One of the most noticeable changes in the eating habits in Australia since the 1960s is the shift from convenience foods and individual specialists which comprised of raw ingredients such as home-made soups, kangaroo meat, pumpkin scones, coconut and other types of raw ingredients that were generally made inside the home to new types of foods sold in the supermarkets such as the sauces, frozen ice creams and pastries, instant puddings and cakes which are all bought in the supermarket and either consumed away from home or brought at home and eaten with other types of foods (Farrer,1980). In this regard, the eating habits in Australia since the 1960s have changed from eating home-made foodstuffs to eating foodstuffs prepared in the restaurants or stocked in the supermarkets. The second noticeable change in the eating habits of Australians since the 1960s is that the patterns of eating have also dramatically changed. Traditionally, Australians were used to three daily meals which were eaten in the morning, afternoon and in the evening. However, since the introduction of already prepared foods in supermarkets and restaurants many Australians and particularly the young people changed the pattern of eating from three meals a day to substituting meals with snacks and other stocked foods in the supermarket (Farrer, 1980). The flair of imagination with which the women demonstrated their creativity in entertaining guests with afternoon tea was replaced with stocked foods such as yogurt which is bought and stocked at home. The third change was the shift from consuming low calorie foods prepared at home to the consumption of high calories foods such as junk foods prepared in restaurants and stocked in the supermarkets (Symons, 1982). Such junk foods include friend pork and chicken. This led to the rise of cholesterol-diseases of the heart in the 1970s resulting into numerous deaths from heart related illnesses. Consumption of home-made wine was also abandoned since the 1960s with more Australians consuming wine in the restaurants as well as buying wine and stocking at home for consumption during leisure time (Symons, 1982). Some of the contributing factors to the change in the eating habits in Australia since the 1960s is the exposure of travelling Australians to a wide variety of foodstuffs and drinks, the influx of immigrants from other parts of Europe and Asia who brought new cuisines and eating habits and the convergence of a wide variety of trends for food preparations which saw the Australians abandon their home-made foods and shifted to the newly already prepared stocked foods in restaurants and supermarkets (Symons, 1982). As a matter of fact, majority of Australians eat less at home and more outside home. References Farrer, K. 1980. A Settlement Amply Supplied: Food Technology in Nineteenth Century Australia. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1980. Symons, M. (1982).One Continuous Picnic: A History of Eating in Australia. Adelaide: Duck Press, 1982. Question 9 It is indeed true that sport is the defining characteristic of the Australian nation. It is also true that Australian sport is classless and egalitarian. This is because the Australians believe that sport can help the nation to attain its competitive position among other countries in the world as well as defining and illustrating to the rest of the world that Australians stands to be counted as exemplary performers among the top sport performers worldwide (Stella, 1991). Sport in Australia has been described in terms of “winning” which means that the sports demonstrate the winning position of the Australian nation. While the nation may be performing well in other aspects such as in mining and manufacturing industries, such sectors or industries are regarded as “passive” in that they do not bring out the real image of the nation to the world. However, sports are regarded as the mirror through which the rest of the world can be able to see the real “Australia” and thus it reflects the image of the country. The passion with which the Australians demonstrate their posting talents by engaging in different sporting events both indoor and outdoor events is also perceived as another way through which sport defines the characteristics of the nation. This is reflected by the wide participation of Australians in all sporting activities such as swimming, football, rugby, athletics, high jump, long jump (to mention a few) (Stella, 1991). This demonstrates the spirit of a committed people whose objective to raise the nation’s image to greater heights among other countries of the world. Additionally, the nation’s commitment to Sydney Games has always been seen as a reflection of the depth to which sport is regarded in Australia. Sport is generally regarded as the only avenue through which the nation finds its sense of identity and community in a diverse population characterised by different cultural practices (Stella, 1991). Hence, sport is perceived as a unifying factor that brings the Australians together for a common purpose, which is, enhancing a positive image the image of the nation in the face of the world. Sport is regarded by some authors and commentators as a “super religion” because most communities in Australia widely accept sport as the nation’s unifying factor (Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism; Australian Sport Commission, 1985). It is true that Australian sport is classless and democratic or egalitarian where every sportsman or woman is recognised and plays a major role in uplifting the image of the nation regardless of his/her background. Sportsmen and women in Australia are drawn from different social classes ranging from the lower class to the upper class depending on the talents inherent in different individuals. Furthermore, the identification of talents is often done in institutions of learning where students from all walks of life participate in different games and bring out their sporting potentials in different sporting activities. This makes it possible for sportsmen from different cultural backgrounds to rise through their sporting talents to even international levels. This is a great indication that Australian sport comprises of men and women drawn from different classes and this depends on the talent held by an individual and not the class in which an individual person belongs to (Stella, 1991). References Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism; Australian Sport Commission (1985). Australian Sport, a profile. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Publish Service. p. 184. Stell, K. (1991). Half the Race, A history of Australian women in sport. North Ryde, Australia: Harper Collins, p. 100. Question 11 Australia Cinema is also referred to as the Australian film industry. Australia cinema begun in early 1900s and it has evolved from one level to the other in terms of production, distribution and film exhibition in the country. The Kelly Gang story was the earliest cinema to be produced and distributed in Australia in 1906 (David, 1990). Since, early 1900s the country has witnessed an influx of numerous films which have earned international recognition. The number of film actors has also increased dramatically with many film actors earning significant reputations in the international arena. Australian cinema since the 1970s The Australian cinema became popular in the early 1970s which marked the entrance of Australian films into international markets such as the United States. This came to be known as the Australian New Wave (David, 1990). During this period new features such as the “Ozploitation style” were introduced into the Australia films. Additionally, the government took keen interests in the Australian film industry with the establishment of the Australian Council for Arts, whose responsibility was to explore avenues for supporting the arts and film industries in the country (David, 1990). Subsequent developments included the establishment of South Australian Film Corporation in 1972 to produce and promote Australian films and the creation of Film Commission of Australian in 1975 produce and fund the competitive films in the international markets. During the period 1970s to 1980s numerous competitive films were produced such as the Mad Max (1979) and the Crocodile Dundee (1986) (David, 1990). A part from the science fiction and romantic films, the Australian cinema begun to horror and thrilling films such as Walkabout and Wake in Fright to mention a few. A part from the introduction of new films in the Australian cinema since the 1970s, the industry was also been characterised by the emergence of film directors such as Philip Noyce, Gillian Armstrong and Beresford Bruce. From the period 1990 to 2010, the Australian cinema has witnessed the introduction of low cost/budget films such as The Castle, Muriel’s Wedding, Strictly Ballroom (to mention a few). This period has also witnessed the rise of new film stars with a global influence such as Eric Bana, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman (to mention a few) (David, 1990). In 1995, new digital effects were also introduced into the Australian cinema where the film Babe marked the first film with new digital effects (Albert & Errol, 2005). The evolvement of the Australian cinema has seen the introduction of indigenous language films into the industry with Ten Canoes film being the first every film to be featured in indigenous language (Albert & Errol, 2005). From the above aspects, it is evident that the Australian film industry can better be understood as an international industry because the industry has earned numerous international reputations for producing and distributing internationally recognized films. A film such as the Mad Max (1979) was the first film to reach an international audience with a record high in terms of profits generated from the film. The film also introduced actors such as Mel Gibson to the international arena (Albert & Errol, 2005). Furthermore, more Australian actors have also been recognised and contracted in major film industries such as Hollywood making them international figures. References Albert, M. & Errol, V. 2005. Historical Dictionary of Australian and New Zealand Cinema, Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press David S. 1990. The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Sydney: Pan Macmillan. Read More