Hello! I'm Cynthia Pang, a fourth-year International Business major with a minor in Chinese Studies. Growing up with mainly Chinese cultural foods, my family has always cooked foods using a lot of different types of sauces, including soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce. When I first moved away to college, I tend to cook simple recipes, such as fried rice or chow mien. As I have almost reached the end of my college experience, I’ve learned to cook foods from different cultures. For example, Vietnamese beef stew, which requires a lot of spices. A spice that I found that Asian dishes tend to utilize the most are Star anises.   

My Interests

Since I am specifically East Asian, I have gained a lot of curiosity about Asian cultures. A goal of mine is to travel all around Asia and experience different cultures. Languages intrigue me the most. I enjoy watching many dramas in different languages, especially Chinese and Korean dramas. Additionally, I have a fair knowledge of Korean Pop Culture, as it acts like a distraction from any negative barrier that occurs in my life. 

Globalizing Chinese Cuisine: Cultural Diversity and Traditions

Cultural diversity is a concept that encourages the acknowledgment of socio-cultural differences between diverse groups. Within modern society, cultural diversity helps with the recognition of respect and understanding among cultures. According to Cultural Diversity in a Globalizing Age written by Melanie Pooch, culture is a construct that describes the “...ways of life, customs, and traditions as well as further similarities of individuals or groups” (38). The traditions and values of culture become diversified through multidirectional cultural flows and mixing, further enhancing globalization (Pooch 38-51). Globalization enabled cultures to exchange and share their traditions and values with one another. In other words, globalization facilitates the cultural merger and integration of “...values, attitude, behaviors, language, music, art, stories, and other conventions that govern or characterize a society or identifiable group within a society (Brooks 18). One of the largest cultural globalization products is food. Food and culture are interconnected. Food is a factor that distinguishes one culture from other cultures in the world. Food is a symbol of shared practices and values, and thus; food is culture. Culture and food interchangeably influence one another. Food habits are strongly influenced by one’s culture, as what one chooses to eat and how one eats reflects on the traditions of a culture. Similarly, culture is influenced by food through globalization. With the sharing and trading of local cultural food products such as spices, the ways in which one prepares and consumes contribute to the influence that food has on other cultures. Through globalization, communities are able to combine different food knowledge into their own, enabling the creation of new or changing traditional food practices. This furthers the understanding of food as an expression of one’s cultural identity, which increases global cultural diversity.

 In modern-day society, Chinese food is one of the most appealing cuisines in the world. The Chinese food culture and traditions have been globalized throughout the world for decades, and have become very influential in the increase of cultural diversity. Although the globalization of Chinese cuisine significantly changed modern food consumption, how did it assist with the preservation of Chinese culture? How did Chinese cultural food influence other cultures’ diets or traditions? Since food became a large embodiment of cultural practices and traditions, the preservation of Chinese food and culture was maintained through the globalization of Chinese cuisine and the recognition of traditions, further embracing cultural diversity around the world. The significance of understanding the globalization of Chinese cuisine reflects on the modern-day appreciation for Chinese food. When trying a new food item, one’s initial judgment of the food is based on taste and presentation. Thus, Chinese food is commonly appreciated because of the consumer’s initial reaction; however, the story or knowledge of the food remains unknown. Increasing the understanding of Chinese food and traditions deepens the connection that others not only have with Chinese culture, but also with society as a unified whole. 

Growing up with a Chinese background, there have been multiple times when I have been curious about the traditional stories about Chinese cultural celebrations or foods that are eaten. Why do we celebrate Lunar New Year? Why do we eat fish during the Lunar New Year? Why is my mother always cooking rice? As these questions ran through my head, I realized that I was slightly disconnected from my own culture. The slight disconnect that I felt evolved into a stronger curiosity, which motivated me to study multiple traditional stories, read multiple traditional Chinese books and attempted to cook many cultural dishes. Ultimately, I viewed my curiosity to be a growing appreciation for Chinese culture. I wanted to know how the traditional food that I eat came to be, and how it is made, and most importantly, I wanted to know how Chinese food and culture integrated into a multicultural society. Thus, the research on the globalization of Chinese cuisine and traditions offers an opportunity for curiosity to develop into learning, further building and encouraging appreciation towards food diversity.

What is Chinese cuisine? Chinese cuisine can not be categorized to be one national cuisine. Due to the geographical differentiation,“...food styles were often determined by geography more than ethnicity” (Colas 149). Food is traditionally divided between Northern and Southern China. In the North, the Chinese dishes are known to be more wheat-based while Southern China is known for its rice dishes. The map on the right indicates both the Northern and Southern regional divisions. Thus, Chinese cuisine consists of multiple regions in China. For example, foods that originated from the Sichuan Province, located in Southwest China, generally are known for their spicy taste such as Mapo Tofu (má pó dòufu, 麻婆豆腐), a silken tofu dish made with Sichuan peppers. Although many regional Chinese dishes have been globalized around the world, the Chinese cuisines that are most widely known are predominantly from two regions, Guangdong and Fujian, both located in Southeast China. Guangdong is the home of Cantonese cuisine, consisting of food that focuses mainly on the natural flavoring of meat or vegetables. Due to the geography of Fujian, the ingredients that are utilized in Fujian cuisine are considered to be delicacies from land and ocean, such as bamboo shoots and clams. Although these two regional cuisines originated from Southeast China, both cuisines highlighted a different aspect and taste of Chinese food. Chinese cuisines were mainly globalized through foods being introduced by immigrants. The globalization of Fujian cuisine began before Cantonese cuisine, as the “...early emigrants…[who]...introduced overseas their common dishes or snacks which eventually became adopted in the Philippines and Indonesia” (Wu et al. 6). Similar to the globalization of Fujian cuisine, Cantonese cuisine was introduced in North America and Australia during the nineteenth century through the local Chinese restaurants (Wu et al. 6). Central and North China regional cuisines were not globalized until the 1970s to 1980s. 

One of the main influences that globalizing Chinese cuisine brought was an impact on the global diet. Traditional Chinese food diet consists of rice, which is internationally popularized and is culturally valued in modern society. Asian rice, also known as Oryza sativa, is one of the most consumed food crops globally (Spengler 1). Rice is a dominant grain that originated in Southern China; the domestication of rice was founded near the Yangtze River. Through the migration and the trade of grains, the globalization of rice increased significantly. Due to the high demand for rice consumption, the production of rice grown across countries led to the evolution of different rice grains. The figure to the right highlights the 11 common types of rice in today's society. According to An Overview of Global Rice Production, Supply, Trade, and Consumption, “the green revolution between the 1940s and the late 1960s resulted in an increase in agriculture production among the developing countries…” (Muthayya et al.). Currently, rice is grown in over a hundred countries, including China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the United States, Japan, and Africa (Muthayya et al.). The figure on the top left indicates the global production of milled rice in 2011. Along with the globalization of the rice grain itself, China’s method of cooking and consuming rice culturally influenced other countries. In Chinese culture, rice is typically served steamed with numerous meat and vegetable dishes. In addition, “…rice [can be] consumed in the form of noodles, puffed rice, breakfast cereals, rice cakes, fermented sweet rice, and snack foods made by extrusion cooking. Rice is also used in making beer, wine, and vinegar” (Li et al. 149).  An example of a globalized Chinese traditional rice-based dish is porridge, also known as congee. Traditionally, the preparation of porridge includes boiling rice in water. Throughout Chinese history, porridge was eaten as a ceremonial food; “...served not only as food but as a tonic as well” (Wu et al. 161). The consumption of porridge benefits digestion and holds an abundant amount of nutrition (Wu et al. 161). Because of the enriching nutritional impact that eating this dish has, the knowledge of porridge was shared with other cultures. Thus, porridge was globalized due to its health benefits. For example, in the Philippines, the Chinese porridge is known as Arroz Caldo. In the Philippines, it is typically eaten with chicken, and is “...filipinized by flavoring with patis (fish sauce), calamansi (native lime), chopped green onions and crisp-fried chopped garlic” (Wu et al. 161). Furthermore, due to the globalization of rice, the methods of cooking rice have changed. In modern society, technology has made it simpler to cook rice by utilizing a rice cooker to automatically steam the rice grains. Different cultures have invented new methods of cooking rice. For example, to make Spanish rice, raw rice grains are first fried to prevent the rice from sticking together. Ultimately, the traditional Chinese diet of rice developed and influenced other cultural dishes. 

Cultural diversity increased drastically through the incorporation of Chinese food into society through restaurants. Today, Chinese restaurants are found worldwide. With Chinese immigration to other countries, Chinese restaurant establishments are formed as a way to preserve their cultural values and traditions. Commonly, restaurants distinguish their regional Chinese food simply by including their region in the restaurant name. For example, Szechuan House is a restaurant in Mira Mesa, San Diego, California (figure to the right). This restaurant serves traditional food based in the Sichuan Province in China. The purpose of distinctly including the regional cuisine in the restaurant name is to clearly indicate the “Chineseness” for non-native consumers. However, it does not reflect the authenticity of the food. According to Shun Lu and Gary Alan Fine’s The Presentation of Ethnic Authenticity: Chinese Food as a Social Accomplishment, “authentic food implies that products are prepared using the same ingredients and processes as found in the homeland of the ethnic, national, or regional group” (538). The authenticity of these Chinese cuisines is not based on the specific criterion, as “immigrants who are self-taught cooks improvise both cooking materials and how they present dishes, to satisfy the imagination of a Chinese eating culture comprising both Chinese migrants and host (non-Chinese) populations” (Wu et al. 56). Thus, authenticity in Chinese restaurants is dependent on the social culture that the environment is surrounded by. For example, Chop Suey, also known as miscellaneous leftovers, is an Americanized Chinese cuisine. Chop Suey dominated “the food style served in Chinese Restaurants in North America until about the 1970s”' (Wu et al. 6). The origin of this dish involves the Chinese immigration to San Francisco during the Gold Rush; the owner of a newly-opened Chinese restaurant quickly mixed together random food crops to serve a group of drunk miners. Thus, inventing Chop Suey. Ultimately, globalizing Chinese cuisine through restaurants expanded cultural diversity, combining local and global cultures. This is also known as glocalization. Glocalization presents the idea that blending local and international standards is necessary to “...prosper in various traditions” (Simi et al. 573-574). In other words, glocalization of Chinese cuisine is ultimately necessary to increase cultural diversity as “...changing tastes, diets, eating habits, cooking methods…are closely associated with socio-economic development,” which relates to the “...globalization of the international culture of consumerism that affects food and cuisine” (Wu et al. 86). Thus, cultural diversity increases from the non-native consumers’ interpretation and understanding of the Chinese dishes that are served from restaurants. 

Cultural diversity can be established through cultural celebratory traditions. In Chinese culture, there are many holidays and celebrations that consist of specific foods. Each food that is cooked and consumed during these celebrations is eaten with a purpose. The sociality of food can be identified through the celebration, as “...food is a means for people to establish and express relationships with one another” (Ma 195).  Thus, the globalization of the food eaten during traditional celebrations highlights the sharing of cultural practices and values. A celebration that has been globalized is the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar (Lemei 263). The origin of this festival is based on a traditional Chinese myth of Chang’e, an immortal woman known as the moon goddess. During this festival, families get together and enjoy eating mooncakes. Mooncakes are a Chinese celebratory food that has been eaten since the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE). Mooncakes are commonly round, representing a full moon, with a filing, such as “...traditional items such as “five nut kernels,” candied fruits, “shredded coconut lining,” lotus seed paste, salted meat, and melon seed paste; modern mooncake fillings designed to cater to younger tastes include roast chicken….” (Lemei 267). Mooncakes symbolize family unity and harmony. The Mid-Autumn festival has been globalized throughout the world. Similar to the Mid-Autumn festival, Japan celebrates Tsukimi by consuming Tsukimi-dango, a round white plain rice dumping; South Korea celebrates Chuseok with Songpyeon, a steamed rice cake shaped like a half moon with a sweet filling; Vietnam celebrates Tết Trung Thu with banh nuong (oven-baked) and banh deo (soft-crusted) mooncakes. With other cultures celebrating a similar holiday as the Chinese culture, cultural diversity builds through the commonality of how the holiday is celebrated. 

Ultimately, the globalization of Chinese cuisine not only preserved the cultural traditions but became a symbolization of shared practices. It culturally diversified more than just the food people eat today. Modern society learned to appreciate the differences and embrace each set of cultural backgrounds. Traditional Chinese foods enabled others to understand much more than just the taste of the ingredients. Taste attracts curiosity and interest to the cuisine itself; however, each food that is eaten holds a story and brings a deeper meaning to the traditions. The knowledge of the foods and their origins takes part in increasing cultural diversity because the knowledge of the foods does not only hold significance in the food itself, it highlights the values and cultural traditions. In other words, cultural diversity is not built through what a person eats, but rather how they eat and the reason why they choose to eat it. Thus, the globalization of Chinese cuisines exposes people from other cultures to a sense of curiosity. To deepen cultural curiosity, one should enable themselves to experience and recognize that the foods one consumes include ingredients that were once part of another culture. Therefore, Food stabilizes the perseverance of culture. 

Works Cited 

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