Journal Articles

Fat, Spices, Culture and More: Chinese Food in Postwar Japanese Gastronomic Writings

---

Chinese cooking is popular in contemporary Japan. It is also a favourite subject of gastronomic writings that discuss not only the cooking techniques and ingredients but also the cultural meaning of the cuisine. This paper analyses the central concerns of this literature and points out its broader cultural-political implications. It contends that Japanese writings on Chinese food share a set of common concerns with the fat and spices in the food as well as its authenticity and cultural meaning. It demonstrates that this gastro-cultural discourse continually seeks to affirm, deny and transcend the putative characteristics of Chinese food. It further argues that such writings that seek to distinguish Chinese from Japanese foodways constitute a gastronomic version of nihonjinron or Japanese discourse on themselves. Finally, it points out that gastronomic nihonjinron lends support to Japan's current effort to reassert its identity/independence vis-agrave-vis a “rising China”.

---

Availability

No copy data

Detail Information

Series Title

Asian Studies Review

Call Number

-

Publisher

Hoboken, United States : Routledge Taylor & Francis Group., 2010

Collation

-

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

10357823

Classification

-

Content Type

-

Media Type

-

Carrier Type

-

Edition

Volume 34, Issue 1 March 2010 , pages 63 - 81

Subject(s)

Culture
Japan
National Identity
Foodways
Chinese cuisine

Specific Detail Info

-

Statement of Responsibility

-

Other version/related

File Attachment

Comments

---

You must be logged in to post a comment