Intention

The most important topics of the article “Every race, colour, nation and religion on earth” by Leo Benedictus are the experience of immigrants in the city of London and the attitude of the English towards foreign cultures.

The intention of the author is to inform the readers about the multicultural environment of London. His intention is stated in the introduction of the article: “Leo Benedictus has spent months travelling across the capital, locating and visiting the immigrant communities that give the city its vibrancy and, more importantly, its food. Here he profiles some of the more unexpected of them” (ll. 1-4). Therefore, his intention is to present the diversity and culinary variety of London.

To achieve this, Leo Benedictus shows the experience of multiple immigrants, talking about some of the reasons people from all over the world choose to settle in London. He relates how the food industry creates job opportunities for immigrants and how food can serve as a shared cultural experience between immigrants and Londoners. New immigrants use the restaurants serving food from their countries as a way of creating a sense of community (ll. 48-51), while English people enthusiastically adopt foreign foods due to England’s poor culinary tradition (ll. 51-53). Also, by exploring the complexity of immigrants’ cultural experiences and allegiances, the article is intended to show that “you cannot erase a person's attachment to their country of birth, but nor should you try” (ll. 98-99). This statement shows the importance of multiculturalism and tole...