Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power and National Identity PDF
Preview Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power and National Identity
Modern Japanese Cuisine Food, Power and National Identity KatarzynaJ.Cwiertka Modern Japanese Cuisine Modern Japanese Cuisine Food, Power and National Identity KatarzynaJ.Cwiertka ToPiotrandNiek PublishedbyReaktionBooksLtd GreatSuttonStreet London, www.reaktionbooks.co.uk Firstpublished Copyright©KatarzynaJ.Cwiertka, Allrightsreserved Nopartof thispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem, ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying, recordingorotherwise,withoutthepriorpermissionof thepublishers. PrintedandboundinGreatBritainby CromwellPress,Trowbridge,Wiltshire BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData Cwiertka,KatarzynaJoanna,– ModernJapanesecuisine:food,powerandnationalidentity .Foodhabits–Japan .Cookery,Japanese .Japan–Civilization I.Title .’ -: -: Contents Introduction 1 WesternFood,PoliticsandFashion 2 TheRoadtoMulticulturalGastronomy 3 StrengtheningtheMilitary 4 ReformingHomeMeals 5 WartimeMobilizationandFoodRationing 6 TheCulinaryConsequencesof JapaneseImperialism 7 MultipleCircuitsofAffluence Conclusion:TheMakingofaNationalCuisine Postscript:JapaneseCuisineGoesGlobal References Glossary Acknowledgements PhotoAcknowledgements Index Introduction Multiculturalismisthedefiningfeatureof theculinarysceneincontempor- aryJapan.Itisreflectedinthedailyfoodchoicesof everyJapanese.An averagedaymaybeginwithaWestern-stylebreakfastof toast,coffeeand friedeggs,oraJapanese-stylebreakfast of rice, misosoup, pickles and grilledfish.LunchmaybeeitheraJapanese-styleobento¯(aboxedmealof rice and several small side dishes), prepared at home or purchased at specializedobento¯kiosks,oraquickbiteatoneof theubiquitousfast-food restaurants,noodleshopsoranarrayof otherlunchestablishments.Many factoriesandschoolsoperatetheirowncanteensinwhichindigenousfare prevails,butwithstronglypronouncedChineseandWesterninfluences. Adinnermaybetakenathomeorenjoyedinoneof manyrestaurants. In practically every town, a selection of Japanese, Chinese and Korean eatingplaces,alongwithAmericanrestaurantchainssuchasSkylarkand Denny’s – commonly labelled ‘family restaurants’ (famirii resutoran or famiresu for short) – cater to diners of every age, sex and degree of affluence. Moreover, larger urban centres also offer a choice of fancy FrenchandItalianbistrosandavarietyof ‘ethnic’(esunikku)eateriesthat claimtoservefoodfromsuchexoticplacesasIndia,Vietnam,Malaysia, AfghanistanandEthiopia. At home, a Japanese-style dinner centred on white boiled rice accompaniedbysoupandsidedishes,allservedatthesametime,stillpre- vails.Itis,however,bynomeansfreefromforeigninfluences.In,on theoccasionof thefortiethanniversaryof itslaunch,theleadingtelevision cookingshowKyo¯noryo¯ri(‘DishesforToday’)conductedasurveyamong , of its regular viewers asking them to list their most favourite side dishes appropriate to be served at a Japanese-style dinner. The top ten included (in ascending order) hamburger, fried gyo¯za dumplings, miso soupwithto¯fuandseaweed(wakame),soy-stewedchickenwithvegetables Acontemporaryhomemeal. (Chikuzenni),ricecurry,to¯fuandmincedmeatinspicysauce(mabo¯do¯fu), Japanese apricot pickle (umeboshi), sugar-simmered black beans (kuro- mame),home-stylesushi(chirashizushi)and,asnumberone,soy-simmered beef,potatoesandonions(nikujaga).Half of thedishesinthisselection areof foreignoriginandbegantoenterJapanesecuisineaftertheturnof thetwentiethcentury.Otherforeign-inspiredmainstaysinJapanesehome dinners include breaded deep-fried fish (furai), breaded deep-fried pork cutlets(tonkatsu)andstir-friedvegetables. Despitetheforeignoriginsof thesesidedishes,theJapanesecharac- terof theentiremealissecuredbyits‘rice,soupandsidedishes’structure. Moreover, the side dishes are often ‘Japanized’ by the addition of soy sauce (sho¯yu), the most important flavouring in contemporary Japanese cooking.Soysauceisconsideredsuchavitalcondimentthatmanufactur- ers have produced conveniently packaged travel-size bottles and sachets, sothatJapanesetravellerscanventureforthintotheworld‘armedwith slippersandsoysauce’. Some scholars seek the explanation for the strongly multicultural character of modern Japanese diet in the Japanese tendency to borrow
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