Food and Plants as Social Objects in Contemporary Asian Foodscape: Place and Power

Panel Convenor(s)

• YO

  Yoshimi Osawa

  Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan
• PK

  Putthida Kijdumnern

  Chiang Mai University, Thailand

Panel Chair(s)

• YO

  Yoshimi Osawa

  Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan

Presenter(s)

• YO

  Yoshimi Osawa

  Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan
• PK

  Putthida Kijdumnern

  Chiang Mai University, Thailand
• Gd

  Greg de St. Maurice

  Keio University, Japan
• YL

  Yi-tze Lee

  National Donghwa University, Taiwan
• SK

  Sakura Kudo

  National Museum of Ethnology, Japan

Through five studies of plants and food as social objects, the panel collectively addresses questions and issues in contemporary Asian foodscapes including “place,” locality, identity, and power, going beyond a one-way discussion of human use of plants, such as plants as biological resources and their conservation and protection. The plants at the center of this panel are from local communities in Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Taiwan, and Thailand, and include both cultivated and wild plants that are used as essential ingredients in local dishes and drinks, and traded and consumed as commodities in contemporary markets, sometimes via new social categories like “local” vegetables or “superfoods.” Our research examines plant foods and how they are understood and incorporated into foodways, from production to consumption including  the collection and cultivation of plants, the cooking and fermentation techniques used, and the marketing and branding strategies employed. Through in-depth studies of seri (Japanese parsley) from Miyagi, Japan; sisnu (Nepalese nettle) in Gorkha, Nepal; khaoyam (herbal rice salad)  of Siamese in Kelantan, Malaysia; koji (rice leaven) and koji plants for the Amis people in Taiwan and the Karen people in Thailand, we attend to issues related to food and place. In today's world, where things, people, and information move at a speed rarely seen in history, the boundaries between places are becoming blurred and the usefulness of binaries such as the local-global and rural-urban oppositions is increasingly called into question. We attempt to answer questions about why and how place matters and what local means by examining plant foods in relation to identity, taste, food heritage, tourism, and branding. Another key theme is power. The panel seeks to address and reveal power dynamics and how hierarchy is embedded in the food systems. The introduction of food practices and livelihood of local, indigenous, and ethnic communities in Asia and how they are connected to national policies and the marketplace will give us an opportunity to consider and discuss issues around food sovereignty and activism. By examining plant foods as  social objects, we aspire to explore the ways in which local knowledge, practices, identity, indigeneity, and ecology are interconnected in a globalizing world in which the national continues to be meaningful and powerful.

Presentations:

• 14:00 – 15:45 (GMT+7)

  Change & Tradition: Karen Fermentation Starters in the Context of Contemporary Foodways in Thailand
  

  Presenter: Yoshimi Osawa – Aoyama Gakuin University
• 14:00 – 15:45 (GMT+7)

  The Study Khaoyam (Herbal Rice) in Constructing Place and Identity among Siamese in Kelantan, Malaysia
  

  Presenter: Putthida Kijdumnern – Chiang Mai University
• 14:00 – 15:45 (GMT+7)

  Seri's 21st century Re-emergence in Local Foodways, Culinary Tourism, and Place Branding
  

  Presenter: Greg de St. Maurice – Keio University
• 14:00 – 15:45 (GMT+7)

  How to Regain Food Sovereignty via Koji and Fermentation of the Amis Culture
  

  Presenter: Yi-tze Lee – National Donghwa University
• 14:00 – 15:45 (GMT+7)

  Edible Nettle Foodscape: A Case Study of Nepal
  

  Presenter: Sakura Kudo – National Museum of Ethnology