Belgium National Identity
Can a Nation base their national identity off of a single food? When you type the word “Belgium” into the Google search bar in the United States, the first suggested search is “Belgium Flag,” but the second most searched result is “Belgium [sic] Waffles.” When Americans hear of the word Belgium, they seem to associate it with waffles. Obviously, the real national identity of Belgium is not just “a good place for waffles”, but this an example of how the outside world can perceive other countries based on what they see and hear about. National identity is defined by this country has, and by what this country does not have in comparison to others. Anna Triandafyllidou (1998) says that national identity has no meaning at face value or by itself without contrast to others. National Identity is defined by what the country has, but also by what the country does not have in contrast with others ( Triandafyllidou 593-612). Aspects of national identity typically i...