The food of Adventists in the Amazon: reima in the daily life of the population of the state of pará and its similarities with the adventist diet

Abstract

The present relate is an exposition on the eating habits of Seventh-day Adventists, who call themselves that because they await the second coming of Jesus to Earth to restore it and are committed to preserving the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship. In addition, Adventists seek to maintain strict body care through a “natural” and vegetarian diet or, at least, in accordance with the restrictions contained in the biblical texts of the Hebrew Thorah, known as the Pentateuch by Christians. In this text, the reader will know, more specifically, the relationship of this religious group with food of animal origin, recorded in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. It is specifically about the analysis of the habits of Seventh-day Adventists residing in the city of Belém, in Pará (Brazil - Amazon). Such practices are compared with food taboos found in the region, popularly known as reima. The word is used in the region to refer to foods that can harm certain people, in certain specific circumstances. For example: pregnant or menstruating women and people with injuries, among other possibilities. Many people from Pará use the expression “comida remosa” to identify what is not suitable for their diet; This concept can be found in the North, Northeast and Midwest regions of Brazil. The narrative is the result of fieldwork in two Adventist churches, whose ethnography is accompanied by interpretations by Mary Douglas and anthropologists from the northern region of the country: Maria Angelica Motta-Maués and Raymundo Heraldo Maués.