Asian Culinary Travels

2019/11/08

With the goal of writing "A Global History of Chinese Cuisine," I have been traveling to various cities across Asia. Since the beginning of this year, I have visited Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Bangkok, Beijing, Jakarta, and Manila—each for a few days—and I plan to visit Hanoi and Seoul next. It is a joy to reflect on history while gathering materials, conducting interviews, walking the streets, and eating local dishes, all from the perspective of how the rise and fall of empires and the construction of nation-states in world history have influenced the formation of cuisines in various Asian countries and changed the positioning of Chinese cuisine.

In these Asian culinary travels, the greatest pleasure is, of course, when I come across documentary evidence that could serve as the basis for new insights, though this does not happen frequently. Beyond that, the things I only notice by visiting a country or city are invaluable, and I feel happy whenever I encounter delicious, unknown foods. While tastes vary from person to person, "national dishes" widely loved by the people and local cuisine made with fresh local ingredients are often delicious. For example, I have rediscovered the surprising deliciousness of dishes well-known in Japan, such as Vietnamese pho, Thai pad thai, and Singaporean Hainanese chicken rice and bak kut teh. Among the dishes I first learned about after arriving on-site, the Philippine "national dish" sinigang (a soup characterized by the sourness of tamarind) was particularly tasty, and in Jakarta, I was surprised by how frequently I saw "Padang cuisine," where large plates of meat, fish, and vegetable dishes are stacked high in shop windows.

At the same time, when I go abroad, I cannot help but notice the reputation of the three East Asian countries (China, Japan, and South Korea) in those locations. Regarding cuisine, as a global trend, the influence of Chinese cuisine with its long history is significant and deeply rooted, especially in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, the recent rise in the popularity and status of Japanese cuisine, driven by sushi and ramen, has been remarkable. On the other hand, Korean cuisine still has a relatively low profile compared to the popularity of its dramas and music. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see significant differences between countries; for example, in Muslim-majority Indonesia, the spread of Chinese cuisine was slow due to fears that it might contain pork, whereas in the Christian-majority Philippines, Chinese cuisine has become established as everyday food, Japanese cuisine is rising as high-end dining, and there are quite a few Korean restaurants.