To Eat or Not to Eat?
This mini case study is designed to help undergraduate students critically reflect on the complex, real-world challenges they may encounter during community engaged experiences of various kinds. After reviewing the focus themes and objectives, students should carefully read the scenario and then engage with the discussion questions. Prompts to guide discussion, along with facilitator notes, are included.
Summary
Grappling with differences in ethics and perspective when encountering different cultural traditions or norms.
Learning Objectives
- Explore tensions between personal ethics and cultural norms.
- Promote the use of moral imagination to generate respectful, inclusive responses.
- Considering how power dynamics (e.g., guest/host, cultural insider/outsider) shape ethical choices.
- Analyze the competing claims of respect versus integrity in uncertain situations.
Scenario
Jayden is a rising junior studying environmental engineering. As part of his passion for sustainability, Jayden has been a strict vegetarian for almost ten years. He’s interested in researching and working in the area of sustainable agriculture in the future. During his summer break, Jayden is traveling to Tanzania to live with members of a religious order who operate a school in a small village.
One of Jayden’s professors is a member of the order. This professor asked Jayden to visit the school to carry out field research in conjunction with his established research activities. Jayden absolutely loves the experience, and gets to know many of the locals while attending church each weekend. While it’s been more challenging being vegetarian in this setting, the religious order has been very accommodating and Jayden hasn’t had to think much about his dietary needs for weeks. One of the local families invites him for a big farewell dinner a few days before his flight home.
After sitting down for the meal and talking with the family for a while, one of the family members walks out of the kitchen with a huge bowl of freshly cooked beef and vegetable stew. Jayden realizes with horror that this is the main course, and was prepared especially for him. He doesn’t want to disrespect his hosts or come across as ungrateful, but eating meat goes against his personal values and dietary choices. As the meal is passed around, he is not sure what to do.
Discussion Questions
- How would you feel in this scenario? How might the community members be feeling?
- What are the pros and cons of accepting the food? Of refusing it?
- How can you honor your own values while also being respectful and understanding of local customs?
- Could Jayden have done anything before the experience to prepare for this? What role does proactive communication play in immersive experiences?
- What creative or compassionate responses might you consider that respect both your values and your hosts’ culture?
- When is it acceptable to decline something based on ethical or personal values, even when offense or confusion might be created?
- How might Jayden recover with humility if offense is caused?
- How does a personal understanding of belonging—both one’s own and that of other cultures—impact this decision?
- Is there a way Jayden could convey gratitude and respect even when declining something?
- How do power dynamics and other elements of positionality impact this situation?
Facilitator Consideration
- AFFIRM COMPLEXITY. Acknowledge there may be no perfect solution and that discomfort is part of ethical growth.
- RECOGNIZE PERSPECTIVES. Help students think through how they could seek information or input from people who have navigated similar cross-cultural ethical dilemmas.
- SEEK CONTEXTUAL AWARENESS. Investigate how vegetarianism or other common values-based practices are perceived in different cultures around the world.
- ENTER INTO COMPLEXITY. Encourage discussion about the complexities of ethical boundaries. These will be different based on the seriousness of the circumstance, the individual belief, and other factors.
- CONSIDER HOSPITALITY NORMS. Make sure students understand how food and other key human norms function as a symbol of care and welcome in many cultures.
- EXPLORE THOUGHTFUL RESPONSES. Think through how body language, tone, and gratitude can convey respect even when declining something.
- WEIGH RESPECT VERSUS INTEGRITY. Affirm for students that they have the right to uphold their values and beliefs, even if it might cause tension, in the same way they affirm that right for those they engage with in immersive experiences.
Closing Questions
- What’s one thing you learned or thought about differently during this discussion?
- Is it possible that what feels “right” at home might shift in a different cultural setting?
- What are boundaries or beliefs you have that you expect might encounter challenges in a current or upcoming immersive experience?