I was interested by issues of authenticity in Chinese cuisine around the world. While most of the restauranteurs had come from China, many of them had not undergone formal training in the cooking of Chinese cuisine. Moreover, even those who had often deviated from traditional dishes, experimenting with the fusing of local and Chinese cuisines. As such, could their dishes still be said to be authentically Chinese? What does that even mean? Yet they are certainly different from the native cuisines of the countries these restaurant owners have immigrated to. It seems then that the dishes have become something akin to the restaurant owner we met in Argentina: neither Chinese nor Argentinian, but something else...something international.
This question of what happens when Asian culture leaves Asia is an interesting one, and one that also came up when we viewed The Wedding Banquet. What does it mean to "assimilate"? Is this a bad thing? A good thing? When cultures come in contact I think it is unavoidable that they will rub off on each other in unforeseen ways, and while I think it is useful to examine how this occurs, I'm not sure that casting judgments on this process is. Who are we to say if someone is too assimilated or not assimilated enough? In the end people need to live their lives and do what makes them happy. I understand that not everybody may agree with this, however, and I would be interested to hear what others have to say.
On a side note, I was interested that both the documentary and one of the readings took a travelogue approach to talking about Chinese restaurants in disparate locations. While I find this approach very engaging, I found myself grappling with the problem of crafting a larger narrative from a small sample of individual interviews. Can these interviews be read as being representative? If not, then what can we take away from them? I'd be curious to see what other people think.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Chinese Restaurants
In watching all of the episodes of Chinese restaurants, I'm reminded of my own parents, who've worked in a Chinese restaurant since they game to America 17 years ago. One could hardly say that my parents have assimilated to U.S. culture: they don't consumer any U.S. media, they don't eat American food, and they don't really have American friends. I often question if the Chinese restaurant is an offshoot of this resistance to assimilation. By working in a Chinese restaurant, Asians can inhabit a space filled with their people (there are exceptions, such as the restaurant in Madagasgar), their own language, and their own food (ostensibly).
This question of assimilation is played out in the various restaurants in these documentaries. What we see is a very diverse set of restaurants and restaurant owners, some of whom have assimilated better than others. The restaurants have customer bases that range from all Chinese to very diverse. Their owners have learned their new languages to varying degrees. They also serve food of varying degrees of authenticity.
But regardless of what owners do, it seems that the fact of opening a Chinese restaurant can make a person more foreign in the eyes of the local population. The exoticness of Chinese food translates to beliefs that owners are exotic. Locals may view owners as lacking a will to assimilate. This creates a problematic tension between trying to assert one's culture and trying to blend in and drop the label of foreignness.
Another interesting aspect of these restaurants is that often, their workers are illegal immigrants. The sociologist Georg Simmel notes that in cities, immigrants often being working in the black market until they assimilate to the city and learn the customs and culture. This seems to be what's happening in the Chinese restaurants, as the cultural identify of the owners almost predisposes them to helping other (illegal) immigrants.
All in all, the various episodes in the series were very interesting and showed many different dimensions of being and eating Chinese across the world.
This question of assimilation is played out in the various restaurants in these documentaries. What we see is a very diverse set of restaurants and restaurant owners, some of whom have assimilated better than others. The restaurants have customer bases that range from all Chinese to very diverse. Their owners have learned their new languages to varying degrees. They also serve food of varying degrees of authenticity.
But regardless of what owners do, it seems that the fact of opening a Chinese restaurant can make a person more foreign in the eyes of the local population. The exoticness of Chinese food translates to beliefs that owners are exotic. Locals may view owners as lacking a will to assimilate. This creates a problematic tension between trying to assert one's culture and trying to blend in and drop the label of foreignness.
Another interesting aspect of these restaurants is that often, their workers are illegal immigrants. The sociologist Georg Simmel notes that in cities, immigrants often being working in the black market until they assimilate to the city and learn the customs and culture. This seems to be what's happening in the Chinese restaurants, as the cultural identify of the owners almost predisposes them to helping other (illegal) immigrants.
All in all, the various episodes in the series were very interesting and showed many different dimensions of being and eating Chinese across the world.
Bentonville, Kim Son, and Chinese Restaraunts
I found Chinese Restaurants to be very enlightening especially when it came to telling the individual stories. Honestly, I had no idea the extent of both Chinese immigration and Chinese restaurants (
However, there were some aspects of the documentary that I didn’t find so appealing. The first is how the Hakka people were described in the
Chinese Restaurants and Identity
I found myself reminiscing a lot about my experiences traveling when I watched this documentary about Chinese restaurants by Cheuk Kwan. Once, I traveled to Uzbekistan and found a pretty large population of Koreans over there. None of them knew how to speak Korean or knew anything about Korean culture. Only the grandparents knew some broken Korean. There was one Korean restaurant that was such a fusion of Korean and Uzbekistan food, that I didn’t recognize any of the dishes and the dishes did not taste at all Korean. It was sad for me to meet these people who had started losing their culture and identities through the generations, and I found I felt the same way while watching this documentary.
Most of the people that emigrate from their countries, emigrate because of their economic situations. This was a common trend in the documentary where most of the Chinese immigrants had emigrated to make a better living and send money back home. It was sad to see that many had to give up their family lives, either not having enough time to spend with their families, or leaving them behind in China. Money seemed to be the driving force for all the restaurant owners, who mentioned many times that they would not want their children running a restaurant. I was especially struck by the attitude of the restaurant owner in Norway, who seemed always really stressed and unhappy. His dishwasher, Kim, also did not like his conditions in Norway. It’s sad that they would continue to live this hard, stressed existence because their circumstances made them think it was necessary to go through the hardships.
The Chinese immigrants had come to make a better living for themselves, and most in the documentary had, but did they realize the effect this would have in their future generations? The odd thing is, that most of the immigrants did not seem to miss China at all and probably did not mind if their children lost their Chinese identity. One thing I kept wondering throughout the documentary was how all the children of the restaurant owners would turn out. Many of the children that were interviewed in the film seemed successful, probably because of the success of their parents, but also seemed very assimilated into the culture they grew up in. It seemed like they had lost their Chinese identity and acquired the one that they had grown up in. I wondered if they realized what their parents’ histories and hardships consisted of, and if they knew much about their Chinese heritage. As I watched the film, I found myself wanting to know more about my own history and the circumstances that made my grandparents immigrate to the U.S.
On a side note, I find that the whole Chinese Laundry controversy is not putting the Asian-American community in a positive light. I understand why many are enraged by the ad, but isn’t that ad just one man’s bad judgment and ignorance? By being so angry at this one ad/man, I feel that people are judging Asian Americans as an angry, violent bunch. It’s frustrating that one man’s horrible ad, and a few people’s irrational threatening comments, make each side stereotype each other in a way that will probably lead to both sides just getting more judgmental about each other and no where near the peaceful enlightenment that they all need.
Most of the people that emigrate from their countries, emigrate because of their economic situations. This was a common trend in the documentary where most of the Chinese immigrants had emigrated to make a better living and send money back home. It was sad to see that many had to give up their family lives, either not having enough time to spend with their families, or leaving them behind in China. Money seemed to be the driving force for all the restaurant owners, who mentioned many times that they would not want their children running a restaurant. I was especially struck by the attitude of the restaurant owner in Norway, who seemed always really stressed and unhappy. His dishwasher, Kim, also did not like his conditions in Norway. It’s sad that they would continue to live this hard, stressed existence because their circumstances made them think it was necessary to go through the hardships.
The Chinese immigrants had come to make a better living for themselves, and most in the documentary had, but did they realize the effect this would have in their future generations? The odd thing is, that most of the immigrants did not seem to miss China at all and probably did not mind if their children lost their Chinese identity. One thing I kept wondering throughout the documentary was how all the children of the restaurant owners would turn out. Many of the children that were interviewed in the film seemed successful, probably because of the success of their parents, but also seemed very assimilated into the culture they grew up in. It seemed like they had lost their Chinese identity and acquired the one that they had grown up in. I wondered if they realized what their parents’ histories and hardships consisted of, and if they knew much about their Chinese heritage. As I watched the film, I found myself wanting to know more about my own history and the circumstances that made my grandparents immigrate to the U.S.
On a side note, I find that the whole Chinese Laundry controversy is not putting the Asian-American community in a positive light. I understand why many are enraged by the ad, but isn’t that ad just one man’s bad judgment and ignorance? By being so angry at this one ad/man, I feel that people are judging Asian Americans as an angry, violent bunch. It’s frustrating that one man’s horrible ad, and a few people’s irrational threatening comments, make each side stereotype each other in a way that will probably lead to both sides just getting more judgmental about each other and no where near the peaceful enlightenment that they all need.
thoughts on eating Asian and global food culture
Ming Tsai and his fusion ways
I remember watching Ming Tsai in high school on Food Network. My mom loved Ming Tsai and was thrilled to see an Asian American chef on TV next to figures like Emeril Lagasse and Bobby Flay...plus my mom found him really attractive.
On that note, it was interesting in the Manalalasan's reading in Alien Encounters about how Ming Tsai's body and image was read as a central piece of his show East Meets West. Participants commented on his tall, athletic body, speech and body movements. One participant even characterized Tsai as a "white jock". Several participants noted the “whitening” of his voice. To me this was implying that the audience saw a level of assimilation (along with his fusion cooking) to white-dominate American culture and a "disconnect" along class lines--many, if not, all the audience participants were immigrant working/lower middle-class--as Ming gives off an educated, wealthy class sensibility, which appeals to his audience base.
Gender in the audience participation is something that can be explored just on its own. Most of the female participants were not surprised the guests on the show were male. Cooking in public for pay and in public both in "back home" in China and in America, one participant claimed, is still the domain of men.
I feel like there are several shows now on Food Network (and other cooking shows) that exotify and objectify the female chef/hosts. Giada on Everyday Italiananyone? How would East Meets West be framed differently if the chef/host was a woman?
Chinese Restaurants
After watching this documentary series by Cheuk Kwan, I saw a lot of common threads within all of the countries . I'll just list them cause there's kinda a lot:
>Food service as a mode of survival: "When Chinese open restaurants abroad it's basically for survival" (restaurant owner in Brazil)
>Generational issues: many of the parents wouldn't want to pass on the business to younger generations. The work being tiring came up a lot and most parents wanted their children to pursue an education
>Government repression: In almost every country from Bombay, India to Cuba to Mauritius to Canada. How did the government exclude Chinese immigrants, force them out of the country, etc.
>Race and nationality: How do people identify and how does that change/shift based on generation? immigration? This was extremely profound for me and really made me question my own understanding of race in the U.S. versus abroad and the similarities (experiencing racism as an Asian American and many others) and the differences. How is racial identity constructed here in the U.S. versus in India? Trinidad and Tobago? Norway?
>Racial mixing in almost every country (this really stood out to me in Cuba and India).
>Feelings of connectedness to the "homeland" - immigrant versus later generation.
I apologize for not putting this into paragraph form! This documentary series especially raised a lot of questions for me that I hope we will explore on the blog and in class.
I remember watching Ming Tsai in high school on Food Network. My mom loved Ming Tsai and was thrilled to see an Asian American chef on TV next to figures like Emeril Lagasse and Bobby Flay...plus my mom found him really attractive.
On that note, it was interesting in the Manalalasan's reading in Alien Encounters about how Ming Tsai's body and image was read as a central piece of his show East Meets West. Participants commented on his tall, athletic body, speech and body movements. One participant even characterized Tsai as a "white jock". Several participants noted the “whitening” of his voice. To me this was implying that the audience saw a level of assimilation (along with his fusion cooking) to white-dominate American culture and a "disconnect" along class lines--many, if not, all the audience participants were immigrant working/lower middle-class--as Ming gives off an educated, wealthy class sensibility, which appeals to his audience base.
Gender in the audience participation is something that can be explored just on its own. Most of the female participants were not surprised the guests on the show were male. Cooking in public for pay and in public both in "back home" in China and in America, one participant claimed, is still the domain of men.
I feel like there are several shows now on Food Network (and other cooking shows) that exotify and objectify the female chef/hosts. Giada on Everyday Italiananyone? How would East Meets West be framed differently if the chef/host was a woman?
Chinese Restaurants
After watching this documentary series by Cheuk Kwan, I saw a lot of common threads within all of the countries . I'll just list them cause there's kinda a lot:
>Food service as a mode of survival: "When Chinese open restaurants abroad it's basically for survival" (restaurant owner in Brazil)
>Generational issues: many of the parents wouldn't want to pass on the business to younger generations. The work being tiring came up a lot and most parents wanted their children to pursue an education
>Government repression: In almost every country from Bombay, India to Cuba to Mauritius to Canada. How did the government exclude Chinese immigrants, force them out of the country, etc.
>Race and nationality: How do people identify and how does that change/shift based on generation? immigration? This was extremely profound for me and really made me question my own understanding of race in the U.S. versus abroad and the similarities (experiencing racism as an Asian American and many others) and the differences. How is racial identity constructed here in the U.S. versus in India? Trinidad and Tobago? Norway?
>Racial mixing in almost every country (this really stood out to me in Cuba and India).
>Feelings of connectedness to the "homeland" - immigrant versus later generation.
I apologize for not putting this into paragraph form! This documentary series especially raised a lot of questions for me that I hope we will explore on the blog and in class.
Chez Manuel and Chinese Laundry
I’ve always been one of those few Asian people who doesn’t really like Asian food. It’s slowly grown on me as I’ve gotten older, but after watching the videos this week on “Chinese Restaurants,” I started to realize exactly how interesting Asian food really is. Watching Part II of the series introduced me to Colette and Manuel living in Mauritius who own and run Chez Manuel. Colette is responsible for all of the cooking as she combines Creole, Indian, and Hakka Chinese styles to create new dishes while Manuel doesn’t really seem to do much. I thought it was intriguing how we as viewers are transported into their mom-and-pop family business that is full of history and cultural pride. The relationship between Colette and Manuel was fascinating to me because although Colette did all the work, the restaurant was still called Chez Manuel and not Chez Colette. I think that this illustrates the gender hierarchy often seen between men and women in Asian culture because the female is expected to be humble and hardworking while the male has a lot more flexibility and freedom. This is similar to discussions we had while watching “Flower Drum Song” because again, the Asian male (the father) determines the future of his daughter Mei Li and she is expected to simply comply with whatever her male superior tells her to do.
Looking at the reappropriate.com blog about the Chinese Laundry is a significant departure from the video on Colette and Manuel. I am shocked by the advertisement for the restaurant and think that the writer of the blog makes a noteworthy point that “the advertisement implies that diners of this restaurant will be able to conquer the East, not only gastronomically, but sexually. The female form then becomes an object for sexual consumption.” I was surprised that the owner of the restaurant seemed so defensive about his advertisement and commented fervently that he did not mean any harm. Although I do believe that he has the right to create his advertisement as he wishes under his First Amendment rights, I am amazed that he believed that it would not spark any sort of controversy and that he thought it would be appealing to community members. Independently of the fact that I am part Chinese, I would be slightly insulted by the advertisement. At first glance, it seems like an advertisement for a strip club so I was pretty surprised that it was for a new restaurant. If I were in charge of the marketing and advertising for the restaurant, I would have gone about it in a much different way.
Kudos to whomever in the class wrote to Mr. Elkhay!
Looking at the reappropriate.com blog about the Chinese Laundry is a significant departure from the video on Colette and Manuel. I am shocked by the advertisement for the restaurant and think that the writer of the blog makes a noteworthy point that “the advertisement implies that diners of this restaurant will be able to conquer the East, not only gastronomically, but sexually. The female form then becomes an object for sexual consumption.” I was surprised that the owner of the restaurant seemed so defensive about his advertisement and commented fervently that he did not mean any harm. Although I do believe that he has the right to create his advertisement as he wishes under his First Amendment rights, I am amazed that he believed that it would not spark any sort of controversy and that he thought it would be appealing to community members. Independently of the fact that I am part Chinese, I would be slightly insulted by the advertisement. At first glance, it seems like an advertisement for a strip club so I was pretty surprised that it was for a new restaurant. If I were in charge of the marketing and advertising for the restaurant, I would have gone about it in a much different way.
Kudos to whomever in the class wrote to Mr. Elkhay!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Global Chop Suey: Chinese Restaurants in the Diaspora
After watching Cheuk Kwan's documentary, Chinese Restaurants, I've gained a newfound appreciation for Chinese restauranteurs and their families. Kwan's subjects are, overall, portrayed as very hard-working and aspiring, often sacrificing a great deal in order to keep their dreams afloat.
I like the fact that each segment of Kwan's documentary focuses on a specific area of the globe. Of the three parts I watched, my favorite profiles were the ones Kwan did in Cuba and in Norway -- I hadn't even known that Chinese restaurants would be popular in these places. The cultural perspective Kwan provides focuses on the cross-cultural exchange that occurs between the Chinese immigrants and their surrounding locales. I especially found the interviews of the Chinese restauranteurs' children intriguing, because many of them faced the conflict of being a "hyphenated Chinese", caught between their parents' Chinese customs, and those of the country in which they were raised. In Trinidad, for example, Maurice's son says that he thinks of himself as "Trinidadian first, and Chinese second". In Cuba, one interviewee says that "a true Cuban is one part Spanish, one part black, and one part Chinese" -- I hadn't even been aware that there was a sizable Chinese community in Cuba! The Chinese parents of the diaspora often wanted their children to marry Chinese, and to continue the Chinese traditions in their adopted countries. many of the older Chinese people interviewed also expressed a wish to be buried in China, underscoring their strong attachment and longing for their homeland. Noisy Jim's story, in this regard, was especially poignant.
Also interesting was the fact that many of the Chinese restauranteurs had modified traditional Chinese cuisine into a fusion of Chinese and local foods, especially if Chinese ingredients were difficult to come by where they lived. In Norway, I was especially impressed by the dedication the Wongs had -- long, long hours, virtually no vacation time, and little opportunity to spend quality time with their children. Their life seemed very hard, and I wasn't sure if they were really happy or not; they emphasized that this was not a business they would want to pass on to their children.
The Chinese restauranteurs create a rich culture in their adopted countries, mixing Chinese and local cuisine, as well as interacting with the local people. The next time I visit a Chinese restaurant in a foreign country, perhaps I will ask about their story, and I wish, that as Kwan says, it will be one of perseverance and hope.
I like the fact that each segment of Kwan's documentary focuses on a specific area of the globe. Of the three parts I watched, my favorite profiles were the ones Kwan did in Cuba and in Norway -- I hadn't even known that Chinese restaurants would be popular in these places. The cultural perspective Kwan provides focuses on the cross-cultural exchange that occurs between the Chinese immigrants and their surrounding locales. I especially found the interviews of the Chinese restauranteurs' children intriguing, because many of them faced the conflict of being a "hyphenated Chinese", caught between their parents' Chinese customs, and those of the country in which they were raised. In Trinidad, for example, Maurice's son says that he thinks of himself as "Trinidadian first, and Chinese second". In Cuba, one interviewee says that "a true Cuban is one part Spanish, one part black, and one part Chinese" -- I hadn't even been aware that there was a sizable Chinese community in Cuba! The Chinese parents of the diaspora often wanted their children to marry Chinese, and to continue the Chinese traditions in their adopted countries. many of the older Chinese people interviewed also expressed a wish to be buried in China, underscoring their strong attachment and longing for their homeland. Noisy Jim's story, in this regard, was especially poignant.
Also interesting was the fact that many of the Chinese restauranteurs had modified traditional Chinese cuisine into a fusion of Chinese and local foods, especially if Chinese ingredients were difficult to come by where they lived. In Norway, I was especially impressed by the dedication the Wongs had -- long, long hours, virtually no vacation time, and little opportunity to spend quality time with their children. Their life seemed very hard, and I wasn't sure if they were really happy or not; they emphasized that this was not a business they would want to pass on to their children.
The Chinese restauranteurs create a rich culture in their adopted countries, mixing Chinese and local cuisine, as well as interacting with the local people. The next time I visit a Chinese restaurant in a foreign country, perhaps I will ask about their story, and I wish, that as Kwan says, it will be one of perseverance and hope.
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