Hot tea and juk: the institutional meaning of food for Chinese elders in an American nursing home

This qualitative study describes how Chinese elders in an American nursing home perceived their food and mealtime experiences. Data collection included 20 meal observations and interviews with 7 residents, 9 family members, and 17 staff members. Field notes and interviews were coded and analyzed usi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of gerontological nursing Vol. 34; no. 11; pp. 46 - 54
Main Authors Wu, Shirley, Barker, Judith C
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States SLACK INCORPORATED 01.11.2008
Subjects
Aged - psychology
Aged, 80 and over
Asian Americans - ethnology
Attitude to Health - ethnology
California
China - ethnology
Cultural Competency
Feeding Behavior - ethnology
Female
Food Preferences - ethnology
Food Services - organization & administration
Health Services Needs and Demand
Humans
Male
Nursing
Nursing Homes - organization & administration
Nursing Methodology Research
Oryza
Qualitative Research
Social Values
Surveys and Questionnaires
Symbolism
Tea
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Summary:This qualitative study describes how Chinese elders in an American nursing home perceived their food and mealtime experiences. Data collection included 20 meal observations and interviews with 7 residents, 9 family members, and 17 staff members. Field notes and interviews were coded and analyzed using an iterative approach similar to grounded theory. All participant groups described institutional food and meals as individualized, nutritious therapy for medical illnesses. Mealtimes lacked sociability and sharing, and although family members provided Chinese food, they did not eat with residents. Residents generally did not consider the institution's effort to provide an "Asian diet" of hot tea and juk (rice porridge) to be Chinese food. These findings suggest that, for these Chinese elders, the biomedicalized, individualized food service and mealtime caregiving practices stripped food of its meaning as a social, shared mealtime experience with family. Nursing professionals and researchers should understand that provision of culturally competent mealtime care for ethnic (Chinese) long-term care residents involves important food service practices in addition to kinds of food.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:0098-9134
1938-243X
DOI:10.3928/00989134-20081101-11