Social influence and construction of postpartum food intake among Malay women - Theory and Practice in Hospitality and Tourism Research - page 454

this paper will look into the social circle influenc-
ing Malay Women in food intake during the post-
partum period. By understanding this, it will show
the fluidity of culture to be molded along with the
advancement of technology and social.

state of women after delivering a baby and fall
under the state of unhealthy (Ali & Howden-
Chapman, 2007; Cheung, 1997; Huang & Math-
ers, 2001; 1996; Matthey, et al., 2002; Stefanello,
et al., 2008; Wong, 1994), Balwi and Koharuddin
(2003) expounded food is the most significant fac-
tors to affect the balance of the human elements.
Moreover, foodways (preparation up to consump-
tion) is believed to affect the human's health (Ali &
Howden-Chapman, 2007).
In Malay food context, medicinal food is derived
from both flora and fauna. The derivation of food
from flora is obtained from roots, flowers and
leaves either cooked or raw which are called jamu .
Food component derived from animal includes
exotic ingredients such as hempedu gajah, hemp-
edu sawa, lemak landak, and tulang sotong (Balwi
& Koharuddin, 2003) to treat inner and outer dis-
ease. From both derivations of foods, those can be
categorized as cooling, windy, hot, sharp, poison
or itchy in food confinement period (Shahar, Ear-
land & Rahman, 2000). Traditionally, this is con-
ducted with the shamanistic methods. In addition,
the effectiveness of food in treating the unhealthy
condition (in this case, postpartum mother) must
be followed with certain pantang larang.
Rashiqah (July 23, 2009) explained that Malay
community still believe and follow pantang lar-
ang even though it comes to the third millennium.
Rahimi et al. ( 2003) reported that there is no sig-
nificant difference in the belief of pantang larang
between women in the urban and rural area. Recent
study articulated food belief is still held firmly by
both urban and rural women nevertheless the only
difference is the amount of food practices being
applied during confinement period (Yusof, Zulki-
fli, Shaidan & Kamaruddin, 2013).

2 LITERATURE REVIEWS

2.1 Malay food and foodways during
postpartum period
Freimer and Echenberg (1983) articulated food
practices are subject to pressure for change by
environmental and acculturative. Manderson and
Matthew (1981) in Freimer and Echenberg's (1983)
study showed postpartum period in hospital disal-
lowed to follow certain traditional food practices
thus cause minor ailments. Hafez and Yakout
(2010) revealed that women do not practice post-
partum food guidelines because of incomplete
knowledge of it. Looking at the consumption of
the food, Chmielowska and Shih (2007) highlighted
it is important to feed the postpartum women with
small amount of food. Because in this confinement
period when women are considered physically and
symbolically ill (Stefanello, et al., 2008), they adopt
an array of food practices. Malay was strongly
influenced by Hinduism, thus their set of rules is
accepted as local culture until Islam arrived (Ali
& Howden-Chapman, 2007). It is then accepted
by the Malay as local culture until the Islam belief
arrived (Ali & Howden-Chapman, 2007). They
reported 46 types of pantang that are practiced
which one of the most five common pantang is hit-
ting or killing animal. This pantang not only exclu-
sive to women but also to men-husband—though
he slaughtering and fishing for food preparation.
Failing to follow the food practices would nega-
tively influence the health of newborn (Barennes
et al., 2009). Chmielowska and Shih (2007) listed
it is considered taboo for women to do household
duties in the kitchen.
This dietary is believed to be associated with
medical methods that was within Malay medi-
cal books known as kitab-kitab which the most
popular is called kitab Mujarrabat Melayu (Balwi
& Koharuddin, 2003). He further explained these
medical books explained any physical and spirit-
ual-or supernatural-disease that includes incanta-
tion and magic. In understanding the how food
affects the health of human, these books explained
four elements of human which is soil, water, fire
and wind. The balance of these four elements will
have an effect on human health which, if one of
the elements dominates any of the three, human
will become unhealthy (Balwi & Koharuddin,
2003). When many scholars stated a vulnerable

3 METHODOLOGY

The qualitative approach is well suited in this
context of study as suggested by Esterberg (2002)
whereby belief and practice are subjective to an
individual who therefore, this approach is appro-
priate to understand and scrutinize the social proc-
ess in context. This also helps to increase the depth
of understanding on how Malay women belief and
practice their food and foodways during the forty
crucial days of confinement period. As this study
is looking on the belief and practice of food and
foodways during postpartum period, using quali-
tative approach in this study was justified. Mother
with at least one child is chosen in this study.
These samples are believed to experience the food
and food practices during postpartum period and
would provide relevant and valuable information
for this study. Semi structured interviewing method