Humans have an appetite for food, and anthropology, as the study of human culture, can discover many things through food ideas and behaviors of various cultures. Around the world, many countries and cultures have different etiquettes and rules when it comes to dining. This is something we often take for granted. From my personal experience working on cruise ships, where many different cultures mix in a small environment, what stood out to me were the differences in dining etiquette. Unfortunately, to the point where some colleges preferred to eat in a separate dining hall with members of similar cultures, because what was taken for granted by those with European culinary etiquette was completely foreign to others, especially those of Indian descent , this happened. opportunity to the point of ridicule and contempt. The importance of diet in understanding human culture lies in its great variability, a variability that is not essential to the survival of species. For survival purposes, people around the world might eat the same food, but people from different cultural backgrounds eat differently. An anthropological approach to analyzing food in culture would be to isolate and identify food variables, organize these variables systematically, and explain why some of these variables go together or do not go together. Generally, people who have the same culture share the same eating habits, that is, they share the same set of dietary variables. Most major cities around the world are home to diverse societies, encompassing a wide range of individuals from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Ethnicity refers to a social group that shares particular distinctive characteristics, for example; language, culture, physical appearance, religion, value...... middle of paper ......ure. Extract from The electronic journal of CIPA: http://www.cipa.ulg.ac.be/entreprises2/rampaul.pdfSaarc. (2009). Food of India. Retrieved from Saarc Tourism India: http://india.saarctourism.org/food-of-india.htmlSiegel, B. (2010). Learning to eat in a capital. Food, Culture and Society, 71-90. Swarbrick, N. (July 8, 2013). Manners and Social Behavior – A Guide to Modern New Zealand Manners. Retrieved from Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/manners-and-social-behaviour/page-7Trollope-Kumar, K. and Last, JM (2002) . Cultural factors. Retrieved from Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health: http://www.answers.com/topic/cultural-factors Zhang, X. (2013). Talking about cultural influence on table manners from cross-cultural adaptation - A case study of my Canadian friend's story. International Journal of Arts and Commerce, 156-162.