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Chinese Espresso: Contested Race and Convivial Space in Contemporary Italy
Why and how local coffee bars in Italy—those distinctively Italian social and cultural spaces—have been increasingly managed by Chinese baristas since the Great Recession of 2008
Italians regard espresso as a quintessentially Italian cultural product—so much so that Italy has applied to add Italian espresso to UNESCO’s official list of intangible heritages of humanity. The coffee bar is a cornerstone of Italian urban life, with city residents sipping espresso at more than 100,000 of these local businesses throughout the country. And yet, despite its nationalist bona fides, espresso in Italy is increasingly prepared by Chinese baristas in Chinese-managed coffee bars. In this book, Grazia Ting Deng explores the paradox of “Chinese espresso”—the fact that this most distinctive Italian social and cultural tradition is being preserved by Chinese immigrants and their racially diverse clientele.
Deng investigates the conditions, mechanisms, and implications of the rapid spread of Chinese-owned coffee bars in Italy since the Great Recession of 2008. Drawing on her extensive ethnographic research in Bologna, Deng describes an immigrant group that relies on reciprocal and flexible family labor to make coffee, deploying local knowledge gleaned from longtime residents who have come, sometimes resentfully, to regard this arrangement as a new normal. The existence of Chinese espresso represents new features of postmodern and postcolonial urban life in a pluralistic society where immigrants assume traditional roles even as they are regarded as racial others. The story of Chinese baristas and their patrons, Deng argues, transcends the dominant Eurocentric narrative of immigrant-host relations, complicating our understanding of cultural dynamics and racial formation within the shifting demographic realities of the Global North.
Italians regard espresso as a quintessentially Italian cultural product—so much so that Italy has applied to add Italian espresso to UNESCO’s official list of intangible heritages of humanity. The coffee bar is a cornerstone of Italian urban life, with city residents sipping espresso at more than 100,000 of these local businesses throughout the country. And yet, despite its nationalist bona fides, espresso in Italy is increasingly prepared by Chinese baristas in Chinese-managed coffee bars. In this book, Grazia Ting Deng explores the paradox of “Chinese espresso”—the fact that this most distinctive Italian social and cultural tradition is being preserved by Chinese immigrants and their racially diverse clientele.
Deng investigates the conditions, mechanisms, and implications of the rapid spread of Chinese-owned coffee bars in Italy since the Great Recession of 2008. Drawing on her extensive ethnographic research in Bologna, Deng describes an immigrant group that relies on reciprocal and flexible family labor to make coffee, deploying local knowledge gleaned from longtime residents who have come, sometimes resentfully, to regard this arrangement as a new normal. The existence of Chinese espresso represents new features of postmodern and postcolonial urban life in a pluralistic society where immigrants assume traditional roles even as they are regarded as racial others. The story of Chinese baristas and their patrons, Deng argues, transcends the dominant Eurocentric narrative of immigrant-host relations, complicating our understanding of cultural dynamics and racial formation within the shifting demographic realities of the Global North.
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 14, 2024
126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 5, 2024
Fascinating academic work of ethnography by an anthropologist who did field work for several years in Chinese-owned coffee bars in Italy, around the Bologna area. The author is herself of Chinese background, and fluent in Italian. She spent many hours observing, speaking with owners and their families as well as patrons, and also learning to make espresso-based drinks and serve in the bar herself.
The author explores the factors that have led many Chinese families to buy coffee bars: rather than setting up entirely new businesses, they search for just the right existing business to buy, do careful research, and learn how to seamlessly take over clientele and space. The work is seen as less hard and more desirable than working in restaurant kitchens or workshops, at a time when Italians are often reluctant to take over or continue a family coffee bar, because from an Italian perspective the long days behind the bar are ‘faticoso.’ There are different types of coffee bars, as she explains, and often Chinese owners take on small neighbourhood establishments in the periphery, patronized by elderly men and immigrants.
It’s interesting to read about the conviviality that emerges in these spaces between Chinese owners and the patrons - the jokes, the mutual support, the focus on making products just how the particular customer likes it, in some cases the flirtation - and also the limits of such conviviality, which almost never extends outside the bar. Her discussion of the gender dimensions of the work, the ways her subjects think of race, and hood the children think of their own identities as Chinese people in Italy…all really thought-provoking.
The author explores the factors that have led many Chinese families to buy coffee bars: rather than setting up entirely new businesses, they search for just the right existing business to buy, do careful research, and learn how to seamlessly take over clientele and space. The work is seen as less hard and more desirable than working in restaurant kitchens or workshops, at a time when Italians are often reluctant to take over or continue a family coffee bar, because from an Italian perspective the long days behind the bar are ‘faticoso.’ There are different types of coffee bars, as she explains, and often Chinese owners take on small neighbourhood establishments in the periphery, patronized by elderly men and immigrants.
It’s interesting to read about the conviviality that emerges in these spaces between Chinese owners and the patrons - the jokes, the mutual support, the focus on making products just how the particular customer likes it, in some cases the flirtation - and also the limits of such conviviality, which almost never extends outside the bar. Her discussion of the gender dimensions of the work, the ways her subjects think of race, and hood the children think of their own identities as Chinese people in Italy…all really thought-provoking.
May 10, 2024
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August 17, 2024
Really enjoyed this ethnographic deep dive into this interesting slice of globalization. I’m not an anthropologist, but the title and subject got me to pick it up and buy it at my bookstore. The writing is accessible for a general, but educated audience. It is a fundamentally academic work, but although there are parts that can’t be simplified without changing the meaning, the writing is as concise as possible and concepts are explained well.
I found the narratives woven into Chinese Espresso to be compelling, the recurring characters (subjects?) easy to follow, and the assertions well-cited. The author’s unique background, education, and critical eye make this book all the more impressive for hitting a trifecta of good communication, solid credentials, and that she might be the only person to have been able to do this work in the first place.
I don’t read non-audiobooks that often (let alone buy a fresh release at full sticker price), but I’m very glad I picked this up. Bravo, bravisimo!
I found the narratives woven into Chinese Espresso to be compelling, the recurring characters (subjects?) easy to follow, and the assertions well-cited. The author’s unique background, education, and critical eye make this book all the more impressive for hitting a trifecta of good communication, solid credentials, and that she might be the only person to have been able to do this work in the first place.
I don’t read non-audiobooks that often (let alone buy a fresh release at full sticker price), but I’m very glad I picked this up. Bravo, bravisimo!
January 9, 2025
I very much enjoyed this anthropological study though at times I found some concepts lacking substance or too elementary. As I'm ethnically Chinese, I appreciated the nuanced discussion of race and gender as it applies to North African immigrants in Italy and the explanations of "heiren" 黑人 and "banhei" 半黑; the existence of the latter word was very surprising to me! It's the first time I've seen a book use pinyin (as is without characters, in italics) the same way that one would use any other non-English word (i.e. Italian, in italics).
The book did a great job explaining the shift in Italy's modern economy and population stagnation which have caused changes in the traditional coffee bar business from Italian-ownership to Chinese immigrant ownership. Seems like a conundrum of, likewise to the United States, immigrants are here to fill the niche in business that local natives are not filling on their own, but are blamed for taking over 'traditionally Italian" jobs. I enjoyed the analysis of different "types" of coffee bars such as neighborhood, localized shops or cars that operate as transitory spaces. I wish the book provided further context as to the modern coffee economy in Italy and supply chain networks, as well as the history and introduction of coffee to Italy through Mediterranean trade routes and how that history ties in with the Italian colonization of Africa. The book does make it seem that the barista job is one of unskilled labor (i.e. pushing a button for espresso), I would have liked to also see more of the inner workings of the business such as a nuanced discussion of how Chinese business owners were able to take over a business with all of the pre-set relationships intact despite language barriers. The chapter on Sociability was a bit simple - immigrants and business owners have to play nice to retain customers... that's obvious.
Otherwise, this was great. It makes me want to visit Italy and seek a Chinese-owned coffee bar out. This ALSO makes me NOT want to visit Italy because of racism, but maybe my curiosity will overpower my anxiety. I've personally never visited a coffee bar with slot machines inside, and now I'm on the look out for caffè d'orzo and ginseng coffee!
The book did a great job explaining the shift in Italy's modern economy and population stagnation which have caused changes in the traditional coffee bar business from Italian-ownership to Chinese immigrant ownership. Seems like a conundrum of, likewise to the United States, immigrants are here to fill the niche in business that local natives are not filling on their own, but are blamed for taking over 'traditionally Italian" jobs. I enjoyed the analysis of different "types" of coffee bars such as neighborhood, localized shops or cars that operate as transitory spaces. I wish the book provided further context as to the modern coffee economy in Italy and supply chain networks, as well as the history and introduction of coffee to Italy through Mediterranean trade routes and how that history ties in with the Italian colonization of Africa. The book does make it seem that the barista job is one of unskilled labor (i.e. pushing a button for espresso), I would have liked to also see more of the inner workings of the business such as a nuanced discussion of how Chinese business owners were able to take over a business with all of the pre-set relationships intact despite language barriers. The chapter on Sociability was a bit simple - immigrants and business owners have to play nice to retain customers... that's obvious.
Otherwise, this was great. It makes me want to visit Italy and seek a Chinese-owned coffee bar out. This ALSO makes me NOT want to visit Italy because of racism, but maybe my curiosity will overpower my anxiety. I've personally never visited a coffee bar with slot machines inside, and now I'm on the look out for caffè d'orzo and ginseng coffee!
December 10, 2024
A very interesting peak into the lives of the Chinese coffee bar owner community in Italy that I was entirely unaware of. The book is well structured and puts forward its ethnological findings in a nice way. It also provides me, a Chinese living in a mainly white western society, insights into my fellow immigrants’ lived experiences. Highly recommend.
January 26, 2025
Interesting research and ethnography/economic history that was turned into a book. Had to do some back in the day. Wished she would include more of that like there was in the intro. The convos were the most enlightening. Interesting to see how times change and how people adapt. Liked how she included the Chinese and Italian phonetics in the writing. How would this type of research play out back in China?
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews