Mohsin Hamid's Reluctant Fundamentalist explores Changez's life as a young Pakistani man in the United States. Over the course of the novel, the author alternates between two distinct cultural environments: the United States and a tea shop in Lahore, Pakistan. Furthermore, the author also explores the value of food and drink in certain cultural contexts. Hamid uses food imagery to convey cultural values ​​throughout the novel. Throughout the novel, Hamid shows the different opinions that cultures have on alcohol and on what occasions it is used. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay While Changez may seem like a character with strong religious morals, he is not. While talking to Erica, he said that "buying alcohol was illegal for Muslims and so [he] had a Christian bootlegger" (27) who delivered alcohol to his house. Changez's relationship with alcohol doesn't stop there, as he "[drank] a third of a bottle of whiskey before [he] could fall asleep" (100) after watching television and feeling down. Furthermore, this was not a usual nor regular occurrence for Changez as he received news that the Americans were invading Afghanistan, which infuriated him. The use of alcohol in Pakistani culture is used secretly, but in Changez's case it is used as a method to relieve stress or fall asleep. The author highlights the fact that Changez's morals and loyalties are not as upright as a Muslim man, which could also affect how his character is perceived. Contrary to the Pakistani population, Americans use alcohol as a form of celebration or in a special event. When Changez went to dinner with Erica and her parents, the father's first suggestion was to ask if Changez drank because he "held up a bottle of red wine" (53). Erica's mother, however, replied: "He's twenty-two years old (...) in a suggestive tone, so obviously he drinks" (53). Since Erica's father thought that none of the Pakistanis drank, both parents' responses were stereotypical assumptions about Changez and his culture. One who thinks that at twenty-two, of course he will drink since he is over the legal age in the United States. The other parent says that since he once had a Pakistani man working for him who didn't drink, then all Pakistani men were non-drinkers. Although something Erica's parents may not have known is that “many Pakistanis drink; the illegality of alcohol in [Pakistan] has much the same effect as marijuana in [America]” (53). Hamid suggests that not knowing the cultural background could lead to assumptions and misunderstandings, as happened in this case with Changez and Erica's father. This leads to the way the author uses alcohol to represent different cultural values ​​throughout the story: Changez, a representation of Pakistani men, does not have a direct moral with alcohol like Americans do, who drink as a form of fun. The author, during many occasions in the novel, makes use of food images to connote the different ways in which food is valued and shared in both environments. It is proven that Pakistani culture has authentic food and people are proud of it too. Changez explained to the American the significant role that food has played in his hometown, and in Pakistan in general. Changez mentioned how “[the American] need not undergo such an authentic introduction to Lahori cuisine” as it was a “purely carnivorous feast” (101). The author illustrates that “Pakistanis tend to be excessively proud of [their] food” (101), which demonstrates the value of food in that culture. The dishes.