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

[Anonymous]

I really like the way Prof. Jung-Kim started off the presentation by asking everyone the question "What is your most memorable meal?" I can easily use this type of question or a variation of this question to start a conversation about East Asian culture. The question might be "Describe your most memorable Asian meal." After students have had a chance to write about this memorable meal, the class can have a discussion about what kind of Asian food it was that they are describing and from what country it comes from. This can lead to a geography lesson on where these certain countries are located and what other aspects of the culture they know about these countries.

[Anonymous]

nblair, your insights about the Mexican restaurant with a Sushi bar in Palm Springs reminded me of the vast number of restaurants in Los Angeles that feature two cuisines. For example, I've seen many signs with such combinations as Greek-Peruvian, Salvadoran-Kimchi, Cuban-Persian--all speaking to the tremendous amount of fusion food produces in California, reflecting of course the interaction of cultures and changing family compositions.

[Anonymous]

This dynamic presentation clearly inspired some of our most creative thinking. I bet we all wish we had Chen's combination of culinary skill and creativity. I actually seized on one of Professor Kim's earliest points, about the original department stores. Since part of my curriculum involves the shift from feudalism to modernity in both China and Japan, I'm formulating a simulation in which students acting as customers and shopkeepers act out the process of request-sample demonstration-price haggling. It needs some ironing out but I think my students might get into the contrast between past and present commerce.

[Anonymous]

I was utterly amazed about the conversation we had about mcDonald's around the world! I would have never thought to eat at a McDonald's when traveling. I agree with the comment that was made about how well traveled people are in our class! I feel like I need to travel more and visit McDonald's while I'm traveling... lol! It's amazing how McDonald's corporation is using aspects of the culture of these different countries to sell their food... very smart marketing strategy.

[Anonymous]

I was very interested in the idea of soft power as it was related to food globalization. I have begun to focus more and more of my discussions of foreign policy on soft power and the ways in which countries can cultivate it internationally. The concept itself is difficult but the more concrete examples I can tie it to the better and I thought that the Korean government paying for food trucks to go around Washington D.C. to give away food was absolutely brilliant. I will be sure to look for those trucks next time I am there!

[Anonymous]

It is funny that we would be discussing soft power and we would think about it in terms of teaching. The day before yesterday someone asked me why I accepted the senior classes' invitation to sit with them on stage at their graduation ceremony since it really just meant sitting silently through a long graduation in a less than optimal place. I immediately said I thought it enhanced my "soft power" in my relationship with the administration and perhaps my district.

The idea of soft power is really ascendant in political science as the opportunities to utilize "hard power" (guns, bombs, economic sanctions from a strong coalition of international players) seems to be diminishing for a number of reasons. I am really fascinated by soft power and am looking forward to bringing this concrete example of foodways into the soft power discussion in my classroom.
edited by jamaddox on 7/31/2014

[Anonymous]

Here's a link to an educational and entertaining explanation of the development of Chinese food in America and other countries outside of China. https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_8_lee_looks_for_general_tso It gives a good overview of Chinese American food. It also has a hilarious segment on the reactions of Chinese people in China who are exposed to fortune cookies for the first time.
edited by ghom on 7/31/2014

[Anonymous]

From my observation, the majority of Chinese and Koreans have embraced and love Japanese food. Sushi, sashimi, udon, tempura, etc. are popular in both countries but might have been changed and adapted to suit local tastes. Likewise, Japanese embraced Chinese and Korean cuisines as well. I believe the anger and resentment is mainly on historical interpretations of the past and government relationships among the three countries. Just sharing my thoughts.

[Anonymous]

What a great lecture by Prof. Jung-Kim. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it gave me a great idea for my lesson plan for incorporating East Asia into my curriculum. In first grade, the children learn about how food comes from the farm to their table. I always ask them about their favorite meal. We determine the basic ingredients in those foods and their sources: eggs-chicken, milk-cow, etc. After this, we study how milk, eggs, etc. are processed and then transported from the farm to the supermarket. We take a field trip to the local supermarket and they talk to us about how to identify fresh and healthy foods to buy and eat. We buy a few things or the market gives us some fresh produce and we enjoy it in class knowing now how it got there in the first place. This unit of study takes about 2 weeks as we study seeds, fruits, poultry, sources of dairy, etc. Most of my students are Hispanic so many of the foods they list as their favorite tend to represent their culture. In order to incorporate East Asia into this unit, we need to explore East Asian cuisine. Every year in early May, my school has an annual Heritage Fair that includes a multicultural feast. I can ask my parents to contribute foods not just from their culture but from East Asian cultures and we can begin our unit of study from the foods we all enjoy together at the Heritage Fair. We could use maps to identify the origin of the cuisine, find recipes online for these East Asian foods and continue with the lessons. It was suggested in class by Linda that I use the book How My Parents Learned to Eat. This is a great idea! This leads us to discuss the idea of adapting and appreciating things we like from other cultures. When it comes to food, we are not so different after all.
edited by sshiva on 7/31/2014

[Anonymous]

There are so many different ways that we can go with using food as a way to introduce East Asian culture. I like KShaw's idea of introducing sushi to the students and even the use of chopsticks. I would even like to introduce and challenge students to compare and contrast Japanese, Chinese, and Korean food. We could even look at how it has changed over time, with the influence of the US and the "need" for some of the countries to be seen as "modern". I would be interested in seeing how the food differs between the city/urban areas and the countrysides.

[Anonymous]

As the magnet coordinator of my school, I think it would cool to present this to the English and history department and have them work out a collaborative study about the changes of food through the years, including articles about food, food processing, and quite possibly even a book read. So often, my teachers feel like they are married to what's either in the book or on the Periodic Assessment, that they feel like they don't have time. Things like this allow the teachers, I think, to be more creative...especially now that we have resources that we can take back and share.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Ms. Gao for sharing your Chinese New Year lessons. I can see how your students will enjoy with multicultural experience. With the Chinese New Year lesson, I usually also mentioned some other typical dishes. For instance, Rice cake, nian gao, which correlates to the phrase "nian nian gao sheng 年年高升 (increasing prosperity year after year.) Another example is a chicken served whole with the head and the feet still attached. This connotes unity and a good marriage between families. These dishes with special meanings may prompt students to discuss Chinese traditions, values and superstitious beliefs.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to research societal factors that influence the types of foods reflected in different regions. For example, cultures that emphasize starch rather than protein is usually rooted in the lack of protein resources. Additionally, I'd like to look into how food is immersed in cultural practice ie. in Egypt during the revolution the price of tomatoes sky rocketed and that was enough to take numerous people to the streets in protest.

[Anonymous]

Also, loved the idea of soft power! In history we definitely talk about hard power and the invasions and battles, etc. We do not, however, discuss the "lead by example" or "make them wish they could be like us" strategy that is almost much more dangerous to not be aware of. By encouraging students to identify these things will help increase our students' critical thinking!

[Anonymous]

One question Prof. Kim used to start off her presentation was by asking, "Why do we eat?" We all agree that food is vital to survival. Yet, criticism on Chinese "bold" food choice is uncommon. Chinese are known for eating dogs, nasty animals and insects, internal organs of animals, etc. I would like to justify this action as one mostly stemmed from famine and food scarcity during and after war. My mom told me how she ate snakes, frogs, possums, yams, wild plants when she was growing up. Also, they will try to eat almost every part of a poultry or an animal. Killing a pig is a big deal so people will eat all parts except probably the eyes or bones. These practices started from the necessity during that historic period and continues nowadays. I see a potential lesson connecting food and Chinese history.

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