Chee Beng Tan

Changing Chinese Foodways in Asia

This book examines Chinese food and the culture of food consumption in East and Southeast Asia. Through the lens of food, the authors address recent theories in social science concerning cultural identity, ethnicity, boundary formation, consumerism and globalization, and the invention of local cuisine in the context of rapid culture change. Written by distinguished anthropologist who have years of research experience in their respective countries and regions, this book shows how human preparation and consumption of food carry important social, economic, political, and spiritual meanings.The book describes many interesting Chinese foodways in contemporary Asia, including rice porridge culture and changing diet in rural Pearl River delta, South China; tea cafes, Hakka restaurants, and dim sum eating in Hong Kong; ethnic relations and Chinese food in Southeast Asia; localization of Chinese food in South Korea; adaptation of Chinese noodles in Japanese daily meals; distribution of pork eating in Asia; and globalization and breakfast in Taiwan. This volume concludes with a commentary by a renowned anthropologist, Professor Sidney Mintz.

Indonesian Chinese in Hong Kong: re-migration, re-establishment of livelihood and belonging

This paper describes the re-migration and adjustment of Indonesian Chinese to living in Hong Kong and their cultural belonging to Hong Kong, China, and Indonesia. Known in China as guiqiao or ‘Returned Overseas Chinese’, these were Chinese who re-migrated from Indonesia to mainland China in the 1950s and 1960s. By the early 1970s, many were allowed to migrate to Hong Kong. Although arriving with very little money, many have succeeded in establishing a fairly good life in Hong Kong, although there are also many who survive on low incomes. This paper discusses the experiences of the Indonesian Chinese in relation to local and transnational belonging, the perception of homelands, and the re-establishment of a Southeast Asian lifestyle in Hong Kong.

Chinatowns around the World

The authors of Chinatowns around the World: Gilded Ghetto, Ethnopolis, and Cultural Diaspora seek to expose the social reality of Chinatowns with empirical data while examining the changing nature and functions of Chinatowns in different countries around the world.