Readings - Food and Culture in East Asia (Wed, 1-4pm)

[Anonymous]

Try The Omninvore's Dilemma for middle school students.

[Anonymous]

I was mainly interested in the marketing of food and culture in a global economy and how it is affecting people's lives in different regions. You can definitely see how the world is becoming much more interconnected and there are both positive and negative effects. For example, some cultures are fearful of losing their uniqueness as more dominant cultures affect and influence their's.
edited by akwon on 7/31/2014

[Anonymous]

The globalization and hybridity of Asian food has led to an interesting phenomenon As Americans of all nationalities continue to develop and evolve, we are also witnessing the evolution of Asian cuisine as it blends traditional and contemporary aspects into unique Asian American creations. One example is Kogi Korean BBQ-to-go according to TEDtalk yesterday (7/29): “The formula was so simple, it was a wonder that it hadn't been done before: put the yummy Korean meats in Mexican tortillas, and you are ready to roll.” Other examples include Jogasaki in LA and Wrapmi in Boston, which both serve sushi burritos. A wide following for these hybrid food establishments was born from Twitter and word-of-mouth. There is an audience for this cuisine and the more Americans are able to expand their worldviews even in these small ways, perhaps the more likely it will be that they expand their views of Asia in other ways, as well.

[Anonymous]

Just wondering about whether or not the anger and resentment that some Chinese and Koreans feel towards Japan extends to Japanese food. And how do the Japanese view foods from their neighbors? Does sushi sell in China? Does Bibimbop (sp) sell in Japan? We seem to be willing to try the cuisines of all these places with some modifications... but are they willing to embrace each other's cuisines? And what cuisines are present in all three? It seems like I can get some standard things in every Asian restaurant I go to, but are those standard all around Asia. I live in the suburbs where almost everything is dumbed down to the least tastiest, least offensive flavor you can find... so I do not know if Orange Chicken would be served in Korea or China... but I do know that it is served in the Indian restaurant down the street and the Thai one around the corner. I know we are antagonistic towards Russia... I just don't know if the reason that we do not eat Russian food is because we dislike their leadership of their food is just horrible.

[Anonymous]

I thinks it's funny how sushi rose in popularity in the US. The idea of eating raw fish had been deplorable, but then all of a sudden there's recipes appearing in Women's Journal triggered by a new eating trend from sophisticated consumers. The globalization of sushi had begun (or at least it was publicly acceptable in the US now).
edited by mmartin on 7/30/2014
edited by mmartin on 7/30/2014

[Anonymous]

I thought the whole "Hollywoodization" of TV shows such as Iron Chef, was very intelligent and creative. The idea to transnationalize culture through food and film is so powerful. I have a student that can't stop talking about food! I can totally see him being interested in learning about other cultures through his fascination of food.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Kim's lecture made me realize this collective connection everyone has with food, and if it inspires such positive emotions for adults, can you imagine the discussions in a classroom?

I always face this issue of breaking away from traditional literature in my classroom, but Belasco and Scranton's comment that the "changes those force make posible, our understanding of the consumption of food in modern society confronts conundrums, contradictions, contrasts, and polarities of a kind. It never seems to be quite as simple as we might think." Although the reflection and research into students' culture and food may be simple to describe for some, I have many students who are exposed to many different foods growing up, and their food lives may not be simple to describe or even understand. Like many of my students, my parents are Chinese born in Vietnam, and our food histories are entrenched in a mix of both cultures that we didn't even realize until we were older.

This is like Dr. Kim's idea of hybridization, and really, aren't most of the young people raised in diverse areas such as Los Angeles and New York exposed to a wide range of foods? For my students, food becomes a collective experience of "Asian," and I plan to use the idea of food paired with literature to show that the "minority experience" isn't necessarily minority. I want to pair The Namesake with Siu's "Twenty-First-Century Food Trucks" to show this idea of double consciousness and even the transformation of food in their cultures - especially Siu's discussion of "Asian Latino" fusion food since that describes our student population. My students will love it. Just the dissection of a popular food of Spam Musubi at our school (made and sold illegally by many of our Asian and Latino students) will blow their minds in showing this idea of food globalization. All the kids think it's Asian/Chinese since the Asian kids first sold it to the Latino kids, and no one realizes it's Hawaiian (after WWII) inspired by the Japanese. This has inspired me to look at Hawaiian literature and WWII primary document to show this globalization and glocalization of food. Isn't that what all of the food in America really is?

[Anonymous]

for those that are interested http://www.economist.com/content/big-mac-index

[Anonymous]

I was fascinated by the round room discussion of everyone's visits to McDonalds in all the different countries. It certainly was a well-traveled crowd. Also was intrigued by the fact that currency is valued by the price of a Big Mac. (Can't remember if that was the Big Mac Index or the McDonald's Index). That's kind of a scary notion. Also, being from Kentucky, I'm happy to learn that KFC is reverting back to it's original name, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Lastly, I will never look at Panda Express in the same way again, but won't tell my daughter that. She lives at Panda. Many thanks for all the discussion of food and culture.

[Anonymous]

[font=Tahoma]Food is always like a "super glue" to connect people or things together. Inspired by the idea of "Coffee with Principal", I set up a informal gathering called "Lunch with Ms. Gao". Students bring in their own food and we eat lunch together. Sometimes I will tutor students who need extra help, sometimes they just come in to enjoy the AC. Occasionally, some kids (minimum 2-3)and I meet at a local restaurant. I pay half of the bill and they split the rest of the bill. It helps me and my kids to understand each other better. Believe or not, many classroom management dilemma was resolved during this interaction. [/font]

[Anonymous]

[font=Tahoma]I love the phrase "Soft Power" and am thinking what may count as "Soft Power" in teaching. Content knowledge, standards, rules, and teacher's expertise, I guess all these aspects should be considered as "Hard Power" because they always stand firmly as hard core. "Soft Power" should include the more subtle features, i.e. the trustworthy relationship between teacher and students, positive atmosphere of the classroom, the way teacher responses to certain behavior, etc. I believe a good teacher should know how to mix two powers and use them appropriately. [/font]

[Anonymous]

I found today's lecture on food to be very interesting. When I heard we were getting a lecture on food, I was thinking we were going to learn about the different types of East Asian foods. But what we got was so much better!! I really enjoyed hearing the history of the department stores in Japan & Korea as I didn't realize they had something like our Macys. It was interesting to learn about how upscale and high class their department stores were/are. It made me think of Macys because it too used to be thought of as a high-end department store (and the one in New York definietly still is) but nowadays, it has so many coupons & sales because they are trying to reach the everyday market instead of just high scale clients.

I also enjoyed talking about the different restaurants and how they hybridized themselves to fit the needs of their clients. I was surprised by how many people have gone out of the country before, and how many times, and all the places they have been. It was very cool hearing about their experiences at McDonalds around the world. And Panda Express - I love Panda! I know it isn't legit Chinese food by any means but I still find it very yummy. I guess I am an American through and through because I love the saucy Orange Chicken and Honey Walnut Shrimp I did eat tonight at a great restaurant in China Town and it wasn't goopy or gooey, but it was delicious! It is called Yang Chow and is almost on the corner of Broadway & Alpine. I had the pan fried dumplings which were amazing. I ate 4 of the 6 all by myself (and they are not small!) which was terrible because the main course was still coming. The Slippery Chicken was to die for! Seriously! It was very crispy but not crunchy. And it had an amazing blend of spices (it says it is a hot & spicy item but I didn't find it spicy at all) and just the right amount of sauce. I can't even describe the flavor but I couldn't stop eating it. The portions are huge too so if you take a friend, you can probably split everything and still have plenty to eat. I'm sure it still wasn't 100% authentic Chinese food, but it probably the closest I have ever been. I highly reccommend you go if you are in China Town! And it was perfect because my fortune cookie said "You will travel to many exotic places" - many that means my next summer will be in another country for the first time ever.
edited by kstiles on 7/30/2014

[Anonymous]

[font=Arial]During Chinese New Year holidays, one of the projects I usually assign is making dumplings. Students work in small groups. Each group is responsible to research one subtopic about dumplings. For example, how to read and write dumplings in Mandarin, what shapes are dumplings made and why, how to make dumplings, and why Chinese people eat dumplings to celebrate new year. Then they will have group presentation, each group needs to write summary about what they learn from other peers' presentation. Last step, the whole class will make dumplings. They write down one learning goal on a small piece of paper, and use it as stuffing of the dumpling. After they finish, students randomly pick one peer's dumpling, keep the resolution and supervise peer to achieve the goal. This will be part of their grade, and supervisers may earn excredit by carrying on his/her duty diligently and successfully. [/font]

[Anonymous]

I appreciate your comments, Ms. Gao, on the concept of the "hard power" versus "soft power" in the classroom. Something to consider. A soft power aspect in the classroom I use is frank conversations on race and class. It is very difficult terrain to traverse, particularly with the younger kids, but I think it pays dividends down the road, if not in the immediate context. I get the sense that the kids are emboldened at the thought of being brought into mature conversations. Because they're intelligence is respected in a mature discussion, then it has reciprocating effects regarding the trust in accomplishing the tasks at hand.

The soft power South Korea utilizes giving bibimbap handouts from their food trucks is very effective. South Korea, with the K-Pop phenomenon, is a leader in soft power. If I remember correctly, South Korea dominates the markets in East Asia concerning the dissemination of cultural capital, a la Hollywood. And the Koreans are becoming very wealthy because of it. It is paying off. Just look at their GDP: Doubled in growth in the last ten years. I am no economist, but does that not suggest significant capital accumulation.

I wonder if this progress can be attributed to the underdog phenomenon of being fearless and creative in its fight to outdo its ruthless neighbors. Not to suggest that South Korea hasn't had its own problems, but I don't recall instances of the "imperial gene."

My bet is that South Korea is going to be a soft power leader for years to come through its inventive cultural capital output.

[Anonymous]

I was really inspired by Richard's idea about incorporating different foods when talking about the various immigrant cultures in the United States. Instead of staying on the traditional route (ie. Ellis Island, tenements, etc.) we can incorporate a case study of the various cuisines we've acquired throughout our history and even examine why pockets of town form with the identities of those cultures (ie. Chinatown). I might try to explore this for my culminating unit for the seminar as I can't totally see myself integrating something like this in my United States History classes-- Fun!

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