Introduction
People are constantly moving in today’s globalized world. Migration breaks traditional boundaries between cultures, ethnic groups, and languages and develops diversity and cultural and economic richness. Migration is also perceived by many as a challenge or even a threat. Historically, migrations often led to an increase in the multi-ethnicity of the population of certain regions, states, and certain parts of states. The movement of different ethnic groups leads to changes in peoples’ location, changes the social and ethnic composition of cities and villages, expands interethnic contacts, and increases the number of mixed marriages.
Migrants bring elements of their own cultures, languages, psychology, worldviews, peculiarities of life and management. Migrants always carry a piece of their culture with them to their new place of residence. Things remind them of their home, allowing them to maintain their identity in a unique and alien environment. Often a mixture of introduced and local cultures leads to new and interesting customs. Food and music reflect how Jewish and Italian migrants bridged their places of origin and their adopted homes in Melbourne.
The Meaning of Food for Jewish Migrants
Food has always been essential for Jewish migrants for religious reasons. Judaism is relatively rigid in its definition of what food is kosher and, therefore, fit for consumption. The inability to consume part of the local diet created additional difficulties for Jewish migrants in a new place. Since the nineteenth century, Jewish communities have existed in Australia and have had several significant differences compared to diasporas elsewhere in the world (Rutland, 34).
Like other Australian migrant communities, it developed as a frontier community. Because of this, many traditions have been frozen here since classical English times. In Melbourne, Jews have maintained a strong identity, hence traditional holidays and dishes (Rutland, 34). Their cuisine was directly connected with traditional distinctive holidays such as Passover. This could also cause further misunderstanding on the part of the local population and result in anti-Semitic sentiments.
Some Jews, however, found an excuse to change their gastronomic habits. For example, they could buy meat from a non-Jew but salt it according to their traditions. Despite all the difficulties, Jewish migrants even founded restaurants in Melbourne, which have become local attractions, particularly a cafe with kosher food at 365 Beaconsfield Parade, St Kilda (Wasserman, 470). That street has been a relatively popular walkable space since the nineteenth century. Here, Jewish families and families of other Australians could meet and communicate, which contributed to establishing good relations (Wasserman, 470).
Some of the mansions along this street were rented out to refugees who survived the Holocaust after the war, and some opened their businesses here. For example, the Sallick family opened a kosher restaurant that has become one of the leading Jewish attractions in Melbourne (Wasserman, 472). Signature dishes such as offal, chopped eggs with onions, chicken soup, and meat with vegetables are remembered by the city’s guests for a long time.
Food for the kitchen was supplied by local farmers, which led to the building of strong friendships between the restaurant owners, Jews, and local residents. The Sallick family restaurant became more than just a place for Melbourne’s Jews to eat kosher food and celebrate their religious holidays. It became a place of communication between Jews and citizens of other faiths (Wasserman, 472).
The Meaning of Food for Italian Migrants
Italian cuisine is widely known and famous all over the world. Dishes such as pasta or pizza have long become familiar, first for Americans and then for world mass culture. The number of Italians in Australia has tripled in the ten years since 1921. After the Second World War, more Italian migrants arrived in Australia, which was no exception (Ricatti, 24). Some of the post-war Italian migrants were prisoners of war, and the Japanese attacks were still fresh in Australian memory. Italians were treated with prejudice, and they were ridiculed; there were many unpleasant stereotypes.
However, in modern Australia, people, on the contrary, are in awe of Italian culture and architecture (Ricatti, 27). The question arises of how the Italian migrants managed to integrate into the local society. Sharing food is very effective in bringing strangers together. Neighbors and work colleagues cooked and ate together, which led to good neighborly relations. Not surprisingly, Italian restaurants have been springing up in Australia since the early 1920s (Boccabella, 34).
Italians were able to both maintain their identity and earn the inclination of Anglo-Saxon Australians through the preparation and consumption of their traditional food. The cuisine greatly simplified the integration of Italians with a predominantly Anglo-Australian population. Italian food significantly diversified the local diet and served as an impetus for forming a new, diverse national cuisine (Boccabella, 36).
It is claimed that Italian delicacies, fruit shops, and restaurants were able to change the culinary habits of Australians in their time. The cultural barrier was overcome, and Italian cuisine became part of Australian culture. Because of the traditional food, the Italian culture was recognizable, demonstrating that Australia’s population is not only composed of a majority of Anglo-Saxon origin (Boccabella, 34). It would not be wrong to say that multiculturalism has emerged in Australia due to Italian cuisine.
The Meaning of Music for Jewish and Italian Migrants
Another critical cultural aspect that influences the integration of migrants is music. It positively affects cognitive abilities, including the ability to learn languages (Kornhauser, 98). In traditional culture, music is inextricably linked with songs and dances that represent this culture. One factor determining the survival of a language is the availability of songs in that language. Through songs, children often learn the language and expand their vocabulary. In particular, the children of Jewish migrants from Europe to Australia could hear songs in Yiddish at home, which allowed them to learn the language better and perceive it as their own.
The Australian Jewish Music Archive still holds albums and records of Yiddish songs (Kornhauser, 105). Some of these records were created in Melbourne, and some were brought from Europe and America. Some of these samples have been donated by older Holocaust survivors for safekeeping or by their descendants who do not have record players in modern homes. Some of these songs were recorded by students of the Yiddish school Peretz, with piano accompaniment by Miriam Rochlin (Kornhauser, 105). It also features an instrumental by Leo Rosner from the 1956 Jewish Potpourri compilation (Kornhauser, 105). It is possible that due to these traditions, the Australian migrants of Jewish origin managed to keep their language (Kornhauser, 98).
Dancing, in turn, is an event where young people meet, make friends, and get romantically involved. Many Australian cities, including Melbourne, had Italian music and dance clubs in the sixties. Middle-aged couples have been coming to the Sanremo Ballroom in Carlton to dance since the fifties. Local groups of Italian origin performed there, as did cabaret dancers. In Sydney in the sixties, there were famous clubs such as the Marconi Club and the A.P.I.A and the Italo-Australiano Club. Later, similar institutions opened in Melbourne and other cities of the country. Both “folk” and “modern” music are gaining considerable popularity.
A dance move like ‘balli italiani’ is moving beyond clubs and into radio and TV (Whiteoak et al., 300). Balls, in general, are quite a characteristic feature of Italian culture. The mass character of such a phenomenon in Australia and its popularity among the local population speaks of the importance of dancing for integrating Italian culture into Australian society.
In the fifties, many Italian bands, vocalists, and M.C.s began to emerge in Melbourne (Whiteoak et al., 304). During this period, many performers of Italian origin appeared on the Australian scene. Bands such as Okambo, Estrellita, Granada, Mirabella, and Conchiglia D’Oro have become popular. Other artists, such as Egidio Bortoli, also have contributed significantly to Australian musical culture’s development (Whiteoak et al., 309).
Conclusion
Having a place that can be called “home” is very important for every person. Since people are social beings, attributing oneself to any community is necessary for self-identification. The concept of “home” includes, among other things, social and cultural interactions with other people. Sensations are also significant, including sound and taste. Food and music are the essential parts of the culture that make a person feel at home. Bringing this part to the new home simplifies adapting to a new place for migrants and their descendants.