No dish for the meal! : a case study of hunger and food in a Semaq Beri village

Abstract

This paper analyses the cultural definition of hunger among the Semaq Beri from Pahang state. The hunger can be explained in two dimensions: first of all, in terms of concept of proper meal, it is implied to the lack of wild game meat, the main ingredient for the dish, obtained by their traditional subsistence, that is hunting and fishing. Second, in terms of sexual division of labor, ipso facto, it is not the question of sloth but of insufficient time in food production. While men, the only meat providers, have been drawn away from traditional subsistence to labor in estate, there will be lack of time in foraging. Therefore, the failure of hunting and fishing will directly lead to 'no dish for the meal'. Furthermore, the fact can be observed more apparently in their seasonally routine. As a conclusion, this research emphasizes the study of emic approach and qualitative survey to the hunger and food which are culturally rather than biologically defined.