Wheat Eaters Vs Rice Eaters - Cultural differences

[RRK]

There is this interesting study on cultural differences that arise for rice eaters and wheat eaters.

ref:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Wheat-people-vs-rice-people/articleshow/45400344.cms

[QUOTE]Americans and Europeans stand out from the rest of the world for their sense of themselves as individuals. They like to think of themselves as unique, autonomous, self-motivated, self-made. As the anthropologist Clifford Geertz observed, this is a peculiar idea.

People in the rest of the world are more likely to understand themselves as interwoven with other people -as interdependent, not independent. In such social worlds, your goal is to fit in and adjust yourself to others, not to stand out. People imagine themselves as part of a larger whole -threads in a web, not lone horsemen on the frontier. In America, they say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. In Japan, people say that the nail that stands up gets hammered down.



[QUOTE]
In May, the journal Science published a study, led by a young University of Virginia psychologist, Thomas Talhelm, that ascribed these different orientations to the social worlds created by wheat farming and rice farming. Rice is a finicky crop. Because rice paddies need standing water, they require complex irrigation systems that have to be built and drained each year. One farmer's water use affects his neighbour's yield. A community of rice farmers needs to work together in tightly integrated ways.

Not wheat farmers. Wheat needs only rainfall, not irrigation. To plant and harvest it takes half as much work as rice does, and substantially less coordination and cooperation. And historically, Europeans have been wheat farmers and Asians have grown rice.

[techynt]

As per my knowledge, most of North India its predominantly wheat, is their attitude/worldview/outlook much different than south indians, who mostly rely on rice?

[realgoogler]

As per my knowledge, most of North India its predominantly wheat, is their attitude/worldview/outlook much different than south indians, who mostly rely on rice?

Is Rice based culture expected to be coordinated and helpful to each other compared to Wheat based. Looking at punjab I don't see that is the case.

[Veekay]

Linking the article to this forum - This probably has something to do with why certain people flourish in the American/European culture while others feel like "fish out of water". This may also point to why certain folks don't fit in their homeland and want to go back to the west, as they have adopted to the west and they feel that "squeaky wheel" is better - while being in the independent in their homeland does not jive well when compared to being interdependent.

In my opinion, this is a well researched article - one needs to look beyond the wheat and rice.

As I was growing up I was told that the people who eat wHEAT liked heat (want to rise up/stand up) and people who eat rICE liked ice (want to be interdependent like the molecules in the ice to form a stronger bond)

[boca]

Study is on cultivators and not necessarily consumers. I may prefer rice, but may not care if the rice farmers need to be collectivists. Don't know how that is addressed in that study.

[DesBhakt]

Correlation does not necessarily imply causation.

[mn_op]

There is this interesting study on cultural differences that arise for rice eaters and wheat eaters.

This entire 'research' is based on the premise that 'westerners' are individualistic by nature and Orientals aren't. Probably by gauging bending capacity of Japanese and Americans.

I disagree.

I don't see any particular difference in the behavior of those two. Yes, cultural differences exist and mannerisms are different but attributing them to food habits is stretching matters a little too far.

I find rice-eating Indians to be far more individualistic than Americans who harp on 'team work' all the time.

America is the pioneer of 'collectivist' activities such as assembly lines for cars. Corporationization of selling groceries and vegetables. I would like to know if there is anything at all that Amricans can do as individuals? Not even start a tea-stall!

'Fitting in' is a major activity for western countries. They even have stringently decided dress codes for weddings, funerals and corporate meetings.

Rice eaters, on the other hand, are extremely individualistic. Talk to any mid-career IT guy in Chennai and you will realize that he/she wants to be on his own and start some crazy business. But talk to any American IT guy in Chicago (in same age/experience group) and he/she will talk about pension plan and social security and 401K plan and HMO. Where is the freaking individualism???

[Maganda]

Second mn_op. There is no individuality in the west, it is all hogwash. It is all about fitting and looking up to a role model. I believe this has to do with religion/culture (Semitic religions). Rice and Wheat: What rubbish!

[srik7]

It's not exactly West vs East. Its historically-wheat-growers vs historically-rice-growers.

So, North Indian's (wheat growers) should be more individualistic than South Indian (rice growers). It doesn't matter who eats what now - but what farming the ancestors did is what seems to matter as per the research.

Here's similar research on rice-growing southern China VS awheat-growing north China:
"Researchers have found that people from rice-growing southern China are more interdependent and holistic thinkers, while those from the wheat-growing north are more independent and analytical."
Ref:
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2014/05/chinese-wheat-eaters-vs-rice-eaters-speculative.html

[Old-Spice2]

It's not exactly West vs East. Its historically-wheat-growers vs historically-rice-growers.

So, North Indian's (wheat growers) should be more individualistic than South Indian (rice growers). It doesn't matter who eats what now - but what farming the ancestors did is what seems to matter as per the research.

Here's similar research on rice-growing southern China VS awheat-growing north China:
"Researchers have found that people from rice-growing southern China are more interdependent and holistic thinkers, while those from the wheat-growing north are more independent and analytical."
Ref:
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2014/05/chinese-wheat-eaters-vs-rice-eaters-speculative.html

Actually N India also grows rice. Most of the basmati comes from Punjab and Western UP. They grow rice in summer and wheat in winter. The South grows rice all over the year.

That explains why SI are brainy and into computers and NI, well you know what they do :)