ABSTRACT
When we discuss the process of globalization, we pay more attention to the large-scale world-wide flow of people, commodities and information from a transnational perspective, and less attention to the local adaptation and resistance related to socio-political backgrounds. Taking food and cuisine as an example of the practice of globalization reinforces the idea that one should never neglect different countries’ social contexts regarding the way particular kinds of food are introduced, maintained, localized and even reinvented. As we can observe in some countries nowadays, Chinese food is preferred and popular merely because of its cheapness, convenience and familiarity, rather than because of any social status that can be achieved through its consumption. But there are also some exceptions. For example, Japanese people have had various reasons for choosing Chinese food in different periods over the last few decades, beyond those mentioned above. In this chapter, I will focus on the emergence of ‘real’ and authentic Cantonese food in Yokohama Chinatown, in order to shed light on the changing foodways as well as understanding relevant individual choice and ‘taste’ among Japanese during the last few decades. Here, what I mean by ‘taste’ does not refer to the bio-chemical reaction induced by consuming food, but the way people choose food as a reflection of their social and cultural identities, that is, the relevant social values that affect one’s choices.
