According to an essay in The Bratwurst Pages website, as food bratwurst is intrinsically casual. Thus, eating bratwurst becomes a social event in which members of a family or other community renew their bonds with each other and confirm their group identity. This is typically accomplished by surrounding yourself with a group of people you like. This is followed by drinking beer and grilling some bratwurst. Part of the process involves milling around conversing with friends as you eat.รก Confirmation of your membership in this group is confirmed by observing several traditions, including these:
Never use a knife and fork to eat bratwurst
It is preferable to each bratwurst out of doors
One final thought: Ketchup is considered an abomination; and placing ketchup on bratwurst is considered a form of blasphemy that can cause one to be ostracized from ones friends in bratwurst eating communities across America (How To Cook Bratwurst).
According to Terrence Haverluk in an article in Journal for the Study of Food and Society, food has ceased to be solely a means of sustenance and is now part of our social construction. Haverluk explains that what, where, and how people eat can say a lot about who they are. Haverluk writes:
"The actual and symbolic use of chile has gone through a dramatic transformation in the past few decades. Chile pepper consumption, chile advertising, chile purchasing, chile roasting, chile festivals, chile cuisine, and reading and writing about chiles were once primarily the purview of Mexican-Americans in the Southwest. Chile consumption now crosses regional and ethnic boundaries and its use in regional cuisine help define Western sub regions regardless of ethnicity."
Haverluk writes that in the 1900s, chiles were grown primarily for personal consumption primarily among Hispanics. The chili pepper was an important symbol of the links between Mexico
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