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Eating Asian America: A Food Studies Reader
Chop suey. Sushi. Curry. Adobo. Kimchi. The deep associations Asians in the United States have with food have become ingrained in the American popular imagination. So much so that contentious notions of ethnic authenticity and authority are marked by and argued around images and ideas of food.
Eating Asian America: A Food Studies Reader collects burgeoning new scholarship in Asian American Studies that centers the study of foodways and culinary practices in our understanding of the racialized underpinnings of Asian Americanness. It does so by bringing together twenty scholars from across the disciplinary spectrum to inaugurate a new turn in food studies: the refusal to yield to a superficial multiculturalism that naively celebrates difference and reconciliation through the pleasures of food and eating. By focusing on multi-sited struggles across various spaces and times, the contributors to this anthology bring into focus the potent forces of class, racial, ethnic, sexual and gender inequalities that pervade and persist in the production of Asian American culinary and alimentary practices, ideas, and images. This is the first collection to consider the fraught itineraries of Asian American immigrant histories and how they are inscribed in the production and dissemination of ideas about Asian American foodways.
Eating Asian America: A Food Studies Reader collects burgeoning new scholarship in Asian American Studies that centers the study of foodways and culinary practices in our understanding of the racialized underpinnings of Asian Americanness. It does so by bringing together twenty scholars from across the disciplinary spectrum to inaugurate a new turn in food studies: the refusal to yield to a superficial multiculturalism that naively celebrates difference and reconciliation through the pleasures of food and eating. By focusing on multi-sited struggles across various spaces and times, the contributors to this anthology bring into focus the potent forces of class, racial, ethnic, sexual and gender inequalities that pervade and persist in the production of Asian American culinary and alimentary practices, ideas, and images. This is the first collection to consider the fraught itineraries of Asian American immigrant histories and how they are inscribed in the production and dissemination of ideas about Asian American foodways.
453 pages, Hardcover
First published September 23, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 15 reviews
August 1, 2025
As with any essay collection, it’s a mixed bag, but I THOROUGHLY enjoyed many essays in this book. They spanned a large variety of topics at the intersection of Asian/AAPI food and foodways, identity, history, politics, imperialism, multiculturalism, and art/literature…
Favorite essays were:
2. “Tasting America: The Politics and Pleasures of School Lunch in Hawai’i”, Christine R. Yano: Introduced me to the idea of “culinary assimilation” and how schools (specifically school lunch) are sites of state-led / institutionalized citizenship, patriotism, and Americanization… inclusion into the fabric of American state-building and citizenship through institutionalizing, mandating, and ingraining American culinary norms. This essay looks at school lunch in Hawai’i in the years following its statehood in 1959, which provides an especially relevant and interesting case study in culinary assimilation / food as a source of Americanization.
7. “As American as Jackrabbit Adobo: Cooking, Eating, and Becoming Filipina/o American Before World War II”, Dawn Bohulano Mabalon: Essay on the factors that led to the development of Filipino-American cuisine and foodways in the U.S. Taught me a lot about the ways in which Filipino-American cuisine, tastes, palettes, and memories were shaped by American colonialism (i.e. American colonial schools teaching Filipino students the nutritional superiority of American refined sugars, red meats and highly processed foods over native Filipino foods, and teaching girls American cooking and other home economics skills) and capitalism (i.e. mass marketing from American corporations like Nestle/Heinz/etc. that generated a lasting Filipino craving for American canned products like corned beef and SPAM, white bread, macaroni salads, etc. which were also seen as status symbols simply because they were American).
9. “'Oriental Cookery': Devouring Asian and Pacific Cuisine During the Cold War”, Mark Padoongpatt: This essay made an extremely interesting connection that I would not have thought of otherwise, connecting the Cold War/post-WWII American interest in Asian/Pacific food practices, with white suburban housewives and U.S. empire. Specifically, following “postcolonial” WWII, white suburban housewives gained newfound access to Asian/Pacific cuisine and became OBSESSED, adapting and transforming them into commodities for U.S. consumers… in doing so, this not only raised their social / economic standings in their private spheres by making them appear more interesting and cultured, but it also shaped American attitudes and support for U.S. economic intervention in the region (again, the idea of “inclusion” as a means to perpetuate violence). Thus, these women play a central role in spurring U.S. tourism in Asia/the Pacific, which became the primary way for the U.S. empire to expand their “soft” imperialist power and maintain global economic hegemony: “The tourist industry itself also functioned as a colonial economy in which [economic] self-determination shifted from local populations to outside interests and entities: the U.S. corporation and the U.S. consumer… The U.S. travel industry facilitated U.S. Empire, acting literally as an arm of modernization and development that made Asian and Pacific countries and islands accessible for U.S. tourist gustatory consumption. The U.S. tourist industry created, maintained, and justified unequal encounters based on race, gender, and class.”
This leads to the idea of “culinary tourism”, a HUGE problem in especially SE Asia and Hawai’i, which has directly FORCED these places to become service-based economies catering only to the desires of U.S. tourists and local wealthy elites, at the expense of the local population. What was especially interesting to me was the idea that although these white women had fond memories of consuming Asian/Pacific cuisine, these memories are rooted in what the author calls “imperialist nostalgia”: more than the food, they loved feeling SERVED by, RESPECTED by, and CATERED TO by the formerly colonial subjects: “Thus, cuisine and service made Asia and the Pacific into a colonial paradise. Such was the romance of Asian/Pacific food: it offered more than sustenance; it offered a lifestyle.” A sobering reminder that U.S. citizen participation in global foodways is ALWAYS inherently unequal. I’m definitely not doing this chapter justice in my review; it was absolutely fascinating and definitely worth a read.
12. “Samsa on Sheepshead Bay: Tracing Uzbek Foodprints in Southern Brooklyn”, Zohra Saed: A really interesting piece on the history, development, and influences of Uzbek cuisine, and how it has shaped the foodscapes of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.
15. “Beyond Authenticity: Rerouting the Filipino Culinary Diaspora”, Martin F. Manalansan IV: I always appreciate nuanced discussions about “authenticity” and what it means: “There is nothing inherent in the food that makes it “authentic”; rather, authenticity emerges from the shifting standards, conventions, cultural, and class backgrounds of the person authenticating the phenomenon at hand. Therefore, an individual’s various positions—including class standing, cultural background, and other historical markers—shape, alter, and control the understanding of authenticity. In short, authenticity is not based on a timeless set of standards or criteria.”
Favorite essays were:
2. “Tasting America: The Politics and Pleasures of School Lunch in Hawai’i”, Christine R. Yano: Introduced me to the idea of “culinary assimilation” and how schools (specifically school lunch) are sites of state-led / institutionalized citizenship, patriotism, and Americanization… inclusion into the fabric of American state-building and citizenship through institutionalizing, mandating, and ingraining American culinary norms. This essay looks at school lunch in Hawai’i in the years following its statehood in 1959, which provides an especially relevant and interesting case study in culinary assimilation / food as a source of Americanization.
7. “As American as Jackrabbit Adobo: Cooking, Eating, and Becoming Filipina/o American Before World War II”, Dawn Bohulano Mabalon: Essay on the factors that led to the development of Filipino-American cuisine and foodways in the U.S. Taught me a lot about the ways in which Filipino-American cuisine, tastes, palettes, and memories were shaped by American colonialism (i.e. American colonial schools teaching Filipino students the nutritional superiority of American refined sugars, red meats and highly processed foods over native Filipino foods, and teaching girls American cooking and other home economics skills) and capitalism (i.e. mass marketing from American corporations like Nestle/Heinz/etc. that generated a lasting Filipino craving for American canned products like corned beef and SPAM, white bread, macaroni salads, etc. which were also seen as status symbols simply because they were American).
9. “'Oriental Cookery': Devouring Asian and Pacific Cuisine During the Cold War”, Mark Padoongpatt: This essay made an extremely interesting connection that I would not have thought of otherwise, connecting the Cold War/post-WWII American interest in Asian/Pacific food practices, with white suburban housewives and U.S. empire. Specifically, following “postcolonial” WWII, white suburban housewives gained newfound access to Asian/Pacific cuisine and became OBSESSED, adapting and transforming them into commodities for U.S. consumers… in doing so, this not only raised their social / economic standings in their private spheres by making them appear more interesting and cultured, but it also shaped American attitudes and support for U.S. economic intervention in the region (again, the idea of “inclusion” as a means to perpetuate violence). Thus, these women play a central role in spurring U.S. tourism in Asia/the Pacific, which became the primary way for the U.S. empire to expand their “soft” imperialist power and maintain global economic hegemony: “The tourist industry itself also functioned as a colonial economy in which [economic] self-determination shifted from local populations to outside interests and entities: the U.S. corporation and the U.S. consumer… The U.S. travel industry facilitated U.S. Empire, acting literally as an arm of modernization and development that made Asian and Pacific countries and islands accessible for U.S. tourist gustatory consumption. The U.S. tourist industry created, maintained, and justified unequal encounters based on race, gender, and class.”
This leads to the idea of “culinary tourism”, a HUGE problem in especially SE Asia and Hawai’i, which has directly FORCED these places to become service-based economies catering only to the desires of U.S. tourists and local wealthy elites, at the expense of the local population. What was especially interesting to me was the idea that although these white women had fond memories of consuming Asian/Pacific cuisine, these memories are rooted in what the author calls “imperialist nostalgia”: more than the food, they loved feeling SERVED by, RESPECTED by, and CATERED TO by the formerly colonial subjects: “Thus, cuisine and service made Asia and the Pacific into a colonial paradise. Such was the romance of Asian/Pacific food: it offered more than sustenance; it offered a lifestyle.” A sobering reminder that U.S. citizen participation in global foodways is ALWAYS inherently unequal. I’m definitely not doing this chapter justice in my review; it was absolutely fascinating and definitely worth a read.
12. “Samsa on Sheepshead Bay: Tracing Uzbek Foodprints in Southern Brooklyn”, Zohra Saed: A really interesting piece on the history, development, and influences of Uzbek cuisine, and how it has shaped the foodscapes of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.
15. “Beyond Authenticity: Rerouting the Filipino Culinary Diaspora”, Martin F. Manalansan IV: I always appreciate nuanced discussions about “authenticity” and what it means: “There is nothing inherent in the food that makes it “authentic”; rather, authenticity emerges from the shifting standards, conventions, cultural, and class backgrounds of the person authenticating the phenomenon at hand. Therefore, an individual’s various positions—including class standing, cultural background, and other historical markers—shape, alter, and control the understanding of authenticity. In short, authenticity is not based on a timeless set of standards or criteria.”
July 15, 2013
This book was received from NYU Press, via NetGalley, for the purposes of reading and providing a review. The book is scheduled for publication on September 3, 2013, so note this review is on an advance copy of the book, not the final product.
Before I begin the review proper, let me run through a checklist identifying why I was looking forward to this read:
I love Asian food: Check
I love history: Check
The book was provided at no cost: Check
With that in mind, I certainly dug into, pun intended, this offering. Many facets of cuisine in America and how it has been influenced by different Asian cultures were covered in this book. Everything from food trucks in Los Angeles and Austin to Cambodian Donut Shops In Los Angeles to Mess Halls in World War II Japanese Internment Camps to the Transnational Queer Kitchen as well as many other topics
My favorite likely was the mess halls of World War II Japanese Internment camps and how they affected core family life of the Japanese families, who were accustomed to eating meals around a single table as a single family. Mess halls certainly changed that, and the article certainly addresses how this change in dining habits affected the families, and youths in particular, not only during but after the war.
Another favorite was how the Kogi BBQ Truck altered the landscape and perception of food trucks in Los Angeles. The article not only discusses how the cuisine offered by the trucks are a mirror image of the mixed cultures of the Los Angeles area, it also addresses the history of where the truck has appeared and, possibly as telling, where it hasn’t.
Overall, I found the book very fascinating. I did find it a bit heavy on Japanese and Chinese cuisine, but seeing as how they are certainly the two most common Asian cuisines in America, that’s not surprising. However, it also had several articles on Filipino cuisine, which is not as common as those that were not covered as heavily, such as Thai and Vietnamese. That said, it was a great collection of scholarly articles, well-documented with footnotes and a bibliography. I will probably spend more time hunting down referenced books and articles than what I actually spent on this book itself.
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
Before I begin the review proper, let me run through a checklist identifying why I was looking forward to this read:
I love Asian food: Check
I love history: Check
The book was provided at no cost: Check
With that in mind, I certainly dug into, pun intended, this offering. Many facets of cuisine in America and how it has been influenced by different Asian cultures were covered in this book. Everything from food trucks in Los Angeles and Austin to Cambodian Donut Shops In Los Angeles to Mess Halls in World War II Japanese Internment Camps to the Transnational Queer Kitchen as well as many other topics
My favorite likely was the mess halls of World War II Japanese Internment camps and how they affected core family life of the Japanese families, who were accustomed to eating meals around a single table as a single family. Mess halls certainly changed that, and the article certainly addresses how this change in dining habits affected the families, and youths in particular, not only during but after the war.
Another favorite was how the Kogi BBQ Truck altered the landscape and perception of food trucks in Los Angeles. The article not only discusses how the cuisine offered by the trucks are a mirror image of the mixed cultures of the Los Angeles area, it also addresses the history of where the truck has appeared and, possibly as telling, where it hasn’t.
Overall, I found the book very fascinating. I did find it a bit heavy on Japanese and Chinese cuisine, but seeing as how they are certainly the two most common Asian cuisines in America, that’s not surprising. However, it also had several articles on Filipino cuisine, which is not as common as those that were not covered as heavily, such as Thai and Vietnamese. That said, it was a great collection of scholarly articles, well-documented with footnotes and a bibliography. I will probably spend more time hunting down referenced books and articles than what I actually spent on this book itself.
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
July 11, 2014
I was so very ready to LOVE this book. I have to say that, unfortunately, I was quite disappointed from Page 1. I understood that it was going to be a collection of academic articles. That's OK; I've been to grad school. I get academia.
Overall, however, I found the scholarship quite lazy. I felt there was a lot of "everything is white peoples' fault" (disclosure, I am white so maybe I am being defensive) in pretty much every article where the history of the various foodways was explored. What I found most frustrating about this, was that most of the time the native culture being described didn't receive a lot of credit for their own agency. Yes, white people are terrible - but sometimes the native culture was complicit.
I was very disappointed in articles like the one about Kikkoman where it seemed like the main source material was marketing collateral from Kikkoman itself.
There were some articles that I did enjoy. The piece about Hawaiian lunch servers was very interesting (though I had my "agency" issue here). And I thought the exploration of family dynamics of eating and how those became problematic in Japanese internment camps was very interesting. Oh, and the loan structure used by donut shop owners in California was fascinating.
I think the editors should have taken more responsibility for the quality of some of these pieces. And, I have to admit, I was pretty pissed off when they dissed Jennifer 8 Lee's "Fortune Cookie Chronicles" (dismissing her "journalistic take" on Chinese food history in the US).
If you can check this book out of a library, it is worth a browse - some of the historical info is quite interesting. And I found the bibliography particularly rich - I'm looking forward to perusing some of those books.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook review copy.
Overall, however, I found the scholarship quite lazy. I felt there was a lot of "everything is white peoples' fault" (disclosure, I am white so maybe I am being defensive) in pretty much every article where the history of the various foodways was explored. What I found most frustrating about this, was that most of the time the native culture being described didn't receive a lot of credit for their own agency. Yes, white people are terrible - but sometimes the native culture was complicit.
I was very disappointed in articles like the one about Kikkoman where it seemed like the main source material was marketing collateral from Kikkoman itself.
There were some articles that I did enjoy. The piece about Hawaiian lunch servers was very interesting (though I had my "agency" issue here). And I thought the exploration of family dynamics of eating and how those became problematic in Japanese internment camps was very interesting. Oh, and the loan structure used by donut shop owners in California was fascinating.
I think the editors should have taken more responsibility for the quality of some of these pieces. And, I have to admit, I was pretty pissed off when they dissed Jennifer 8 Lee's "Fortune Cookie Chronicles" (dismissing her "journalistic take" on Chinese food history in the US).
If you can check this book out of a library, it is worth a browse - some of the historical info is quite interesting. And I found the bibliography particularly rich - I'm looking forward to perusing some of those books.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook review copy.
September 4, 2013
The interest in Asian foods has been growing steadily for years. It seems to be on a surge of growth right now. Is it because of the health benefits of their diets ? Or perhaps it is just a fad ? The world is getting smaller and we are hungrier for new tastes and food adventures. Who are these people behind the food ?This book takes a look at the history behind the food. The food trucks, doughnut shops, World War 2 Japanese internment camps, and many more. There are studies on how these points in history changed our views and opened up the cuisines to the rest of America. The history was fascinating but all the foot notes, and research materials made it a somewhat dry read. I was expecting more of a humorous look at food in America not an educational text. I did read it thoroughly, and I did enjoy it and I gained a new level of understanding behind the food. I would recommend it to Asian studies students and food history buffs.
May 20, 2020
As Asian Pacific American Heritage Month continues, I finally had the opportunity to pick up this book. I like food and food histories/studies, but never really into essay collections. I have the time, and well, it seemed like a good read right now.
It's a series of essays that are not interconnected in themselves (you can find the themes though) that talk about history, culture, societal contexts, social contexts, etc. of their topics. Of the "Americanization" of food, of the rise using "Western" ingredients, adapting foods for an "American" palate, etc. Some pieces are far more interesting than others, some are definitely better written but they all add something to the collection.
Overall I was satisfied with it. Normally I'm not an essay collection reader and I would say some of the essays really aren't that great. But it fit what I was looking for (nothing too heavy, reasonably short essays, thematic for APAHM) so I was fine with it.
Interesting to read and I was glad I was able to buy it to read on my own time but if I could I would have borrowed it instead.
It's a series of essays that are not interconnected in themselves (you can find the themes though) that talk about history, culture, societal contexts, social contexts, etc. of their topics. Of the "Americanization" of food, of the rise using "Western" ingredients, adapting foods for an "American" palate, etc. Some pieces are far more interesting than others, some are definitely better written but they all add something to the collection.
Overall I was satisfied with it. Normally I'm not an essay collection reader and I would say some of the essays really aren't that great. But it fit what I was looking for (nothing too heavy, reasonably short essays, thematic for APAHM) so I was fine with it.
Interesting to read and I was glad I was able to buy it to read on my own time but if I could I would have borrowed it instead.
March 19, 2018
This book was really unique as a study of Asian influence on American culture. It was incredibly well researched and was written in a format that was inviting even though it is clearly meant for research versus a read for "entertainment" purposes.
I must say the chapter that stood out to me the most, as a person who studies the US internment camps, was the author's deep study into the US attempt to "influence" diet of detainees. As a business person, it was interesting to see the impact of Asian business on the American market.
Overall, I wish I would have picked up this book earlier. I will say when I tried to read it via Kindle, it didn't have the same impact that reading a print copy had.
I must say the chapter that stood out to me the most, as a person who studies the US internment camps, was the author's deep study into the US attempt to "influence" diet of detainees. As a business person, it was interesting to see the impact of Asian business on the American market.
Overall, I wish I would have picked up this book earlier. I will say when I tried to read it via Kindle, it didn't have the same impact that reading a print copy had.
September 9, 2013
Many dishes that are popular in Asian restaurants in the USA (and other countries) might not be immediately recognised as authentic in their originating countries. But how did they get there? Through immigration or were they borrowed from distant lands and interpreted by the host country's own nationals?
This book looks at the crossover between Asian-American "Asian Food", ethnic authenticity and integration into the mainstream through an academic lens. Twenty scholars from a variety of different disciplines present mini essays looking at various topics with titles such as "Cambodian Doughnut Shops and the Negotiation of Identity in Los Angeles", "Gannenshoyu or First-Year Soy Sauce? Kikkoman Soy Sauce and the Corporate Forgetting of the Early Japanese American Consumer", "Apple Pie and Makizushi: Japanese American Women Sustaining Family and Community" and "The Globe at the Table: How Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian Reconfigures the World".
This is one of those books that isn't for everybody yet it does give a lot to those who are receptive. A foodie with an eye past their table, an academic on a specific course of study and research or even just someone who really likes reading uncommon, thought-provoking stuff will have many hours of engaging, focussed reading ahead of them and, if required, a mass of further reading suggestions to expand their knowledge further if desired from this book. But if you are expecting a book that will in a few hundred words tell you why a specific dish you might eat in a Chinese restaurant in New York is nothing like a similarly-named dish served up in Beijing, this book is not for you.
It is often said that cultural integration of immigrants is often formed through food, with many immigrants setting up small businesses to cater for other immigrants and ambitious, open locals who will try something "exotic and foreign". Society's influences then change, are shaped and are built on this cultural cuisine-based melting pot. This is a great book that will certainly have you look at foreign food in a different, even more positive light.
Eating Asian America, written by Robert Ji-Song Ku, Martin F. Manalansan IV and Anita Mannur and published by NYU Press. ISBN 9781479869251, XX pages. Typical price: USD25. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
This book looks at the crossover between Asian-American "Asian Food", ethnic authenticity and integration into the mainstream through an academic lens. Twenty scholars from a variety of different disciplines present mini essays looking at various topics with titles such as "Cambodian Doughnut Shops and the Negotiation of Identity in Los Angeles", "Gannenshoyu or First-Year Soy Sauce? Kikkoman Soy Sauce and the Corporate Forgetting of the Early Japanese American Consumer", "Apple Pie and Makizushi: Japanese American Women Sustaining Family and Community" and "The Globe at the Table: How Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian Reconfigures the World".
This is one of those books that isn't for everybody yet it does give a lot to those who are receptive. A foodie with an eye past their table, an academic on a specific course of study and research or even just someone who really likes reading uncommon, thought-provoking stuff will have many hours of engaging, focussed reading ahead of them and, if required, a mass of further reading suggestions to expand their knowledge further if desired from this book. But if you are expecting a book that will in a few hundred words tell you why a specific dish you might eat in a Chinese restaurant in New York is nothing like a similarly-named dish served up in Beijing, this book is not for you.
It is often said that cultural integration of immigrants is often formed through food, with many immigrants setting up small businesses to cater for other immigrants and ambitious, open locals who will try something "exotic and foreign". Society's influences then change, are shaped and are built on this cultural cuisine-based melting pot. This is a great book that will certainly have you look at foreign food in a different, even more positive light.
Eating Asian America, written by Robert Ji-Song Ku, Martin F. Manalansan IV and Anita Mannur and published by NYU Press. ISBN 9781479869251, XX pages. Typical price: USD25. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
September 17, 2013
Title: Eating Asian America: A Food Studies Reader
Author: Robert Ji-Song Ku, Martin F. Manalansan IV, and Anita Mannur
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 9-23-2013
Pages 480
ISBN-10: 1479869252
ISBN-13: 978-1479869251
E-Book ASIN: B00ENGFQWE
Genre: Social Sciences, Politics, Customs and Traditions
Eating Asian America: A Food Studies Reader is a book compiled about the influence on the American food culture by a variety of people of Asian heritage that came to America for various reasons. Some for freedom from oppression and others their families came looking for a better life. Their stories tell how their business and career choices affected changes in the food industries and the public's concept of Asian Americans leading food preparation and service.
I personally found parts of the reading rather dry and slow-gowing but over all the book fascinated me. The stories of the hardships and adversities faced by those profiles were inspirational. Even after they arrived in America many still face prejudice. People that held high level jobs back in their birth countries often had to take low paying menial jobs just to put food on the table and a roof over their families head. Yet they still managed to save and make opportunities to learn how they could improve their lives.
One in particular entry faced and triumphed over adversity because of her sexual orientation. Which coming from an Asian culture could have meant death back in her former homeland. Not only did she stand up for herself she also surprised many in the film industry with her choices and the direction of her films. So many small things come together to make this an outstanding study of the influence of these particular individuals have had. If you are interested in cultural studies and are looking for a fact based book filled more with memoirs that just a factual textbook then you need to get this book. It will hold your interest as you learn more about the Asian Americans who made their mark on the American Food culture.
Author: Robert Ji-Song Ku, Martin F. Manalansan IV, and Anita Mannur
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 9-23-2013
Pages 480
ISBN-10: 1479869252
ISBN-13: 978-1479869251
E-Book ASIN: B00ENGFQWE
Genre: Social Sciences, Politics, Customs and Traditions
Eating Asian America: A Food Studies Reader is a book compiled about the influence on the American food culture by a variety of people of Asian heritage that came to America for various reasons. Some for freedom from oppression and others their families came looking for a better life. Their stories tell how their business and career choices affected changes in the food industries and the public's concept of Asian Americans leading food preparation and service.
I personally found parts of the reading rather dry and slow-gowing but over all the book fascinated me. The stories of the hardships and adversities faced by those profiles were inspirational. Even after they arrived in America many still face prejudice. People that held high level jobs back in their birth countries often had to take low paying menial jobs just to put food on the table and a roof over their families head. Yet they still managed to save and make opportunities to learn how they could improve their lives.
One in particular entry faced and triumphed over adversity because of her sexual orientation. Which coming from an Asian culture could have meant death back in her former homeland. Not only did she stand up for herself she also surprised many in the film industry with her choices and the direction of her films. So many small things come together to make this an outstanding study of the influence of these particular individuals have had. If you are interested in cultural studies and are looking for a fact based book filled more with memoirs that just a factual textbook then you need to get this book. It will hold your interest as you learn more about the Asian Americans who made their mark on the American Food culture.
August 24, 2013
"The twenty scholars represented here have inaugurated a new facet of food studies: the refusal to yield to a superficial multiculturalism that naively celebrates difference and reconciliation through the pleasures of food and eating"
Eating Asian America is a book that collects 20 articles and short essays about the food and lives of people who are Asian American. These stories range from talking about a Cambodian Doughnut Shop, Japanese immigrants during WW2, Filipinos, various people from Hawaii, and other cultures as well. Some of these were very intriguing to me, especially the one that talked about "plate-lunch" in Hawaii. I grew up on Oahu and went to elementary school there so I know where the author was coming from. It is interesting to learn about the backgrounds of various foods, but the article about Kikkoman soy sauce was a bit wth. A whole essay arguing about the date it came to America?! ok then... I give this overall a 3 stars because while some stories were very interesting, about 1/3 of them didn't want me reading anymore. This caused for some skimming and sometimes skipping to the next article. It makes for a good short read before bed and sometimes to waste time when waiting for an appointment of friend. You get to learn and crave all of these delicious dishes. Just wish there was more pictures and recipes to accompany them.
Thank you NYU Press and NetGalley for giving me a copy to review.
Eating Asian America is a book that collects 20 articles and short essays about the food and lives of people who are Asian American. These stories range from talking about a Cambodian Doughnut Shop, Japanese immigrants during WW2, Filipinos, various people from Hawaii, and other cultures as well. Some of these were very intriguing to me, especially the one that talked about "plate-lunch" in Hawaii. I grew up on Oahu and went to elementary school there so I know where the author was coming from. It is interesting to learn about the backgrounds of various foods, but the article about Kikkoman soy sauce was a bit wth. A whole essay arguing about the date it came to America?! ok then... I give this overall a 3 stars because while some stories were very interesting, about 1/3 of them didn't want me reading anymore. This caused for some skimming and sometimes skipping to the next article. It makes for a good short read before bed and sometimes to waste time when waiting for an appointment of friend. You get to learn and crave all of these delicious dishes. Just wish there was more pictures and recipes to accompany them.
Thank you NYU Press and NetGalley for giving me a copy to review.
July 16, 2013
I should have been alerted by the huge book description and word "scholars," so it's my own fault that I found myself not liking this as much as I thought I would. It does what it set out to do, in a very academic, roundabout sort of manner.
I had anticipated a (perhaps snarky) narrative work that got into the discussion about our tremendous enthusiasm for ethnic foods while at the same time dismissing/ignoring the history, experience & culture behind them.
This book *does* point out what we don't know - lots of it - but in a much more academic manner than I'd expected. It is a series of 15 laboriously researched topics complete with footnotes galore. I found it educational and certainly unexpected, but understandably a bit dry in the telling. I don't think its aim was to be exciting, however. The aim is clearly towards a scholarly work, and there it is.
I'd recommend it as a resource for Asian studies and those looking for more information on the Asian experience relative to food in American culture. While it is a book that explores a cultural hypocrisy of enjoying ethnic food while at the same time remaining oblivious of the role of the people behind it, it is in a less direct way than might be expected.
I had anticipated a (perhaps snarky) narrative work that got into the discussion about our tremendous enthusiasm for ethnic foods while at the same time dismissing/ignoring the history, experience & culture behind them.
This book *does* point out what we don't know - lots of it - but in a much more academic manner than I'd expected. It is a series of 15 laboriously researched topics complete with footnotes galore. I found it educational and certainly unexpected, but understandably a bit dry in the telling. I don't think its aim was to be exciting, however. The aim is clearly towards a scholarly work, and there it is.
I'd recommend it as a resource for Asian studies and those looking for more information on the Asian experience relative to food in American culture. While it is a book that explores a cultural hypocrisy of enjoying ethnic food while at the same time remaining oblivious of the role of the people behind it, it is in a less direct way than might be expected.
August 2, 2013
An academic work focusing on the influence of Asian-American cuisine. I admit, the book couldn't keep my attention for long periods of time, but there are some points of interest regarding Asian-immigration as traced through the evolution of food.
I enjoyed the essay on School Lunch in Hawaii, mostly because recipes are included. I wish more recipes were scattered throughout the text; it would have helped me be more involved with the text.
The history featured throughout the book is fascinating and well-researched. The problem is that it makes for dry reading - I found this read best in several short reading sessions focusing on one chapter at a time.
I received a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.
I enjoyed the essay on School Lunch in Hawaii, mostly because recipes are included. I wish more recipes were scattered throughout the text; it would have helped me be more involved with the text.
The history featured throughout the book is fascinating and well-researched. The problem is that it makes for dry reading - I found this read best in several short reading sessions focusing on one chapter at a time.
I received a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.
June 17, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, which examined a broad range of topics relating to food, culture, and immigration. As an Asian American, I have long thought that food plays a vital role in our culture, both from how outsiders perceive of us as well as how we define ourselves. It is an academic work, though, so I might not necessarily recommend it for the casual reader, but I loved it nonetheless!
***Advanced copy provided by NetGalley.com***
***Advanced copy provided by NetGalley.com***
January 9, 2014
2.5 stars rounded up to 3
This was mostly a collection of scholarly papers about food in the Asian American culture. Because many writers contributed to this, it's hard to judge as a whole. Most memorable in this was the piece about Cambodian immigrants and their donut empire. Other papers were a little dry and hard to keep an interest in.
This was mostly a collection of scholarly papers about food in the Asian American culture. Because many writers contributed to this, it's hard to judge as a whole. Most memorable in this was the piece about Cambodian immigrants and their donut empire. Other papers were a little dry and hard to keep an interest in.
June 13, 2013
Book provided by the publisher.
It was an interesting read. Mostly well written
It was an interesting read. Mostly well written
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