Food is an important cultural marker of identity in contemporary Asian societies, and can provide a medium for the understanding of social relations, family and kinship, class and consumption, gender ideology, and cultural symbolism. However, a truly comprehensive view of food cannot neglect the politics of food production, in particular, how, when, from where and even why different kinds of food are produced, prepared and supplied. Food and Foodways in Asia is an anthropological inquiry providing rich ethnographic description and analysis of food production as it interacts with social and political complexities in Asia’s diverse cultures. Prominent anthropologists examine how food is related to ethnic identity and boundary formation, consumerism and global food distribution, and the invention of local cuisine in the context of increasing cultural contact. With chapters ranging from the invention of 'local food' for tourism development, to Asia's contribution to ‘world cuisine,’ Food and Foodways in Asia will be a fascinating read for anyone interested in the anthropology of food and/or Asian studies.
Author(s): Sidney C. H. Cheung, Tan Chee-Beng
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 240
Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 6
Copyright......Page 7
Contents......Page 8
Illustrations......Page 10
Contributors......Page 11
Introduction: Food and foodways in Asia......Page 14
Part I: Ecology, resources and food production......Page 24
1 Fermented marine food products in Vietnam: Ecological basis and production......Page 26
2 Namako and iriko: Historical overview on holothuria (sea cucumber) exploitation, utilization, and trade in Japan......Page 36
3 Fish in the marsh: A case study of freshwater fish farming in Hong Kong......Page 50
Part II: Tradition and food production......Page 64
4 Poonchoi: The production and popularity of a rural festive cuisine in urban and modern Hong Kong......Page 66
5 Convenient-involvement foods and production of the family meal in South China......Page 80
6 Edible mercy: Charity food production and fundraising activities in Hong Kong......Page 96
7 Estimating rice, agriculture, global trade and national food culture in South Korea......Page 109
Part III: Restaurants and food production......Page 126
8 A taste of the past: Historically themed restaurants and social memory in Singapore......Page 128
9 Indigenous food and foodways: Mapping the production of Ainu food in Tokyo......Page 142
10 Authenticity and professionalism in restaurant kitchens......Page 156
Part IV: Asian cooking and world cuisine......Page 170
11 In search of a Macanese cookbook......Page 172
12 Nyonya cuisine: Chinese, non-Chinese and the making of a famous cuisine in Southeast Asia......Page 184
13 From Malacca to Adelaide…: Fragments towards a biography of cooking, yearning and laksa......Page 196
14 Asia’s contributions to world cuisine: A beginning inquiry......Page 214
Index......Page 224
