JAPN317: pacific food empires
Course Description:
This course examines the historical processes that have informed the food on our plates. In particular, we will look at food as a medium through which to understand the processes of migration, invention, colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism that have shaped much of the Asia-Pacific world, including Japan and the United States. Students will have a clear understanding of the processes of colonialism and globalization that informed the spread and invention of different food cultures and cuisines.
This course examines the historical processes that have informed the food on our plates. In particular, we will look at food as a medium through which to understand the processes of migration, invention, colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism that have shaped much of the Asia-Pacific world, including Japan and the United States. Students will have a clear understanding of the processes of colonialism and globalization that informed the spread and invention of different food cultures and cuisines.
Reflective narrative
Pacific Food Empires was an entirely unique course centered on Asian-Pacific foods and the history of where these foods originally came from. The class started out with readings and discussions including topics on the origins of ingredients we use today, colonial trade routes, and meanings behind popular food descriptions such as "traditional."
Each class was followed by an online discussion board, which I actually found myself having a lot of fun with. One such topic which I did a reading on and did a discussion leading on was MSG, Monosodium Glutamate, and the origins as well as stereotypes surrounding it. I began to observe the foods that were in my apartment and found out that a lot of what I consume actually contains MSG! It was really interesting to find out, and I learned a lot about my own diet in this class. I likewise enjoyed learning about the origins of cup ramen, something I grew up eating, and how it had developed in modern day diets. As a class, we viewed the zany film Tampopo, a 1985 Japanese movie about a woman trying to improve her own ramen shop, and I learned so much about what it really takes to become a ramen master. With all of the different Asian-Pacific foods we learned about in this course, there is no doubt that this fulfills the requirement of Ethnic Studies.
Leading up to our final project, which would be an interview of a local restaurant that serves Asian-Pacific food uploaded to the CSUMB Digital Commons, we had many opportunities to practice and develop our interview skills. For example, in one class session each student was paired with someone they were unfamiliar with and had to interview each other about what foods are special in their family and why that is so. It was a really interesting exercise, and due to the fact we were speaking with someone unfamiliar to us, we all were able to gain some sort of original interview experience. Asking local restaurants if they could participate in our interview was probably the toughest part for all students in the class, as many restaurants simply did not have the time, did not consent to being recorded, or felt there was too much of a language barrier. Over the last few months before this project, I had dined in at Saigon Noodles, a Vietnamese restaurant in Salinas so frequently that the owners started to recognize me. Eventually, I was able to ask Saigon Noodles if they could do the interview with me and they agreed! Luckily, their restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and they also lived in Marina, so we met on Tuesday May 2, 2022 at a Starbucks location in Marina to do our interview. Although this was a partner project, my partner had health complications the week before our interview and could not participate in the on-site interview with me. I therefore handled the interview and my partner was allowed to do the summary and transcription for our archive. The interview allowed me to learn a lot more about Vietnamese culture and cuisine, and I made some great connections with my interviewees. Please watch my interview with The Tran of Saigon Noodles on the CSUMB Digital Commons Archive.
With everything I took away from this class, I hope to learn more about different cultures and branch out my palette to different types of Asian-Pacific foods other than the ones I am used to. I believe that an interest in a culture's cuisine only opens the door to finding out more than just a dish, and I wish that everybody can indulge more in supporting local Asian-Pacific restaurants and grocers as well as learning to make these meals at home.
Each class was followed by an online discussion board, which I actually found myself having a lot of fun with. One such topic which I did a reading on and did a discussion leading on was MSG, Monosodium Glutamate, and the origins as well as stereotypes surrounding it. I began to observe the foods that were in my apartment and found out that a lot of what I consume actually contains MSG! It was really interesting to find out, and I learned a lot about my own diet in this class. I likewise enjoyed learning about the origins of cup ramen, something I grew up eating, and how it had developed in modern day diets. As a class, we viewed the zany film Tampopo, a 1985 Japanese movie about a woman trying to improve her own ramen shop, and I learned so much about what it really takes to become a ramen master. With all of the different Asian-Pacific foods we learned about in this course, there is no doubt that this fulfills the requirement of Ethnic Studies.
Leading up to our final project, which would be an interview of a local restaurant that serves Asian-Pacific food uploaded to the CSUMB Digital Commons, we had many opportunities to practice and develop our interview skills. For example, in one class session each student was paired with someone they were unfamiliar with and had to interview each other about what foods are special in their family and why that is so. It was a really interesting exercise, and due to the fact we were speaking with someone unfamiliar to us, we all were able to gain some sort of original interview experience. Asking local restaurants if they could participate in our interview was probably the toughest part for all students in the class, as many restaurants simply did not have the time, did not consent to being recorded, or felt there was too much of a language barrier. Over the last few months before this project, I had dined in at Saigon Noodles, a Vietnamese restaurant in Salinas so frequently that the owners started to recognize me. Eventually, I was able to ask Saigon Noodles if they could do the interview with me and they agreed! Luckily, their restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and they also lived in Marina, so we met on Tuesday May 2, 2022 at a Starbucks location in Marina to do our interview. Although this was a partner project, my partner had health complications the week before our interview and could not participate in the on-site interview with me. I therefore handled the interview and my partner was allowed to do the summary and transcription for our archive. The interview allowed me to learn a lot more about Vietnamese culture and cuisine, and I made some great connections with my interviewees. Please watch my interview with The Tran of Saigon Noodles on the CSUMB Digital Commons Archive.
With everything I took away from this class, I hope to learn more about different cultures and branch out my palette to different types of Asian-Pacific foods other than the ones I am used to. I believe that an interest in a culture's cuisine only opens the door to finding out more than just a dish, and I wish that everybody can indulge more in supporting local Asian-Pacific restaurants and grocers as well as learning to make these meals at home.