Examining some similarities and differences in mexican and Turkish cuisines: A research on flying chefs

Food and cuisine is not just a place where flavors and foods come together; it is a reflection and stage of cultural identity, social bonds and creativity. The aim of the research is to understand some similarities and differences in Mexican and Turkish cuisines, which are two rich culinary cultures with deep-rooted histories and rich flavor profiles, by using cross-sectional survey model and mixed method to examine the two cuisines through the experiences and perspectives of flying chef. The population of the study consisted of 300 professional chefs working in a large airline company as 'flying chefs'. The first part of the sample consisted of 150 flying chefs with less than 10 years of seniority and a questionnaire was applied to these people. The second part of the sample consisted of 15 flying chefs with more than 10 years of seniority and a semi-structured interview form was applied to these people. In the study, two data collection tools were used to evaluate the similarities and differences between Turkish and Mexican cuisines. The first one is a questionnaire called "Similar or Different Scale". The scale is based on the questionnaire developed by Sproesser et al. titled 'Similar or Different? Comparing Food Cultures with Regard To Traditional and Modern Eating Across Ten Countries'. This study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding similarities and differences and traditional and modern eating behaviors. This scale is designed to examine the similarities and differences in Turkish and Mexican cuisine and includes a total of 40 questions in three subscales. The results of the data in the questionnaire were evaluated with statistical tools. The other data collection tool is the "Semi-structured Interview Form". This form has a structure that deals with the similarities, differences and cultural importance of Turkish and Mexican cuisines and consists of 12 questions in total. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used as mixed methods in data analysis. While the data from the questionnaire were analyzed by statistical methods (ANOVA IBM SPSS 25.0, t test), the qualitative data obtained from the interview form were evaluated by content analysis. In this way, while the similarities and differences between Turkish and Mexican cuisines were quantitatively evaluated, similarities and differences as well as the cultural significance dimension were qualitatively analyzed and thematic codes were created and some similarities and differences between Turkish cuisine and Mexican cuisine were qualitatively evaluated on flying chefs. The important themes and patterns of the results in terms of similarities and differences were identified as ingredient and flavor profiles, traditional methods and cooking techniques, geographical and cultural influences, and social role. In the quantitative data of the participants, increasing the level of education is among the information obtained that contributes to the gastronomic approach of individuals. There was a significant difference between the products sub-dimension (p= .035; p<.05).It was observed that there was a difference between the Staple Food Products sub-dimension and the gender variable (p= .006, p<.05). In the findings obtained, male participants scored higher than females in the 'basic food products' sub-dimension and it was seen that males think differently than females. In the research findings, it was concluded that there was a difference in two of the three sub-factors in the scores of the Scale of Similarities and Differences between Turkish and Mexican Cuisine according to the seniority of the participants. Employees with less than 2 years of seniority scored higher than the participants with more seniority. According to the results of the ANOVA test, there was a significant difference between the seniority of the participants and the 'Basic Food Products' (p=0.16, p>.05) and Industrial Food and Products (p=0.18, p>.05) sub-dimensions. No significant difference was found between the income level of the participants and the sub-factors of the scale. These results offer a multidimensional perspective in the study of the two cuisines and aim to shed light on some similarities and differences and to provide a basis for more comprehensive studies in these areas. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of some of the similarities and differences between Turkish and Mexican cuisines.