SERVING RESISTANCE ON THE MENU: THE CULTURAL POLITICS OF FILIPINO CUISINE IN WINNIPEG AND OTTAWA By Gazel Manuel A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © Gazel Manuel, 2017 ABSTRACT This thesis explores the cultural politics of Filipino cuisine in Canada. Filipinos are the fourth largest visible minority group in Canada yet their cuisine remains underrepresented in the Canadian foodscape compared to other Asian groups. By comparing Winnipeg and Ottawa’s contexts, I explore how Filipino cuisine entrepreneurs “do” Filipino cuisine through their establishments. I also examine potential explanations as to why Filipino cuisine is not mainstream. The findings suggest that the underrepresentation of Filipino cuisine can be attributed to structural barriers (colonialism and institutional racism) and the low incidence of Filipino entrepreneurship. Through culinary entrepreneurial practices, Filipino cuisine entrepreneurs engage in a politics of resistance and identity work. For some, the production of Filipino cuisine is implicated in the struggle against cultural assimilation. For others, it is an act of cultural pride and a politics of representation that seeks to disrupt the “hypervisibility” and “invisibility” of Filipino-Canadians and Filipino cuisine. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing this thesis was a transformative and cathartic experience. It has changed the way I think about my Filipino-Canadian identity; although accomplishing this was not easy. Through this research I learned that like so many other 1.5 generation and second generation Filipinos, I exhibited “colonial mentality” – a form of internalised racism among subaltern groups (David 2013; David, Petalio and Sharma 2017). Growing up, I rejected my Filipino heritage and felt no pride in my culture due to negative encounters with members of my extended family and others in Winnipeg’s Filipino community. I thought that “all Filipinos are the same” (of course, while excluding myself from that evaluation), leading me to distance myself from the Filipino community. While conducting my field work, I later discovered from my conversations with other Filipinos that I was not alone in my struggles and negative encounters. This would later lead me to reconsider my negative assessment of Filipino people and Filipino culture. I encountered nothing but kindness and generosity from other Filipinos, which was a stark contrast from what I grew up with. Perhaps, I thought, I was wrong to generalize. Later on, when I became engaged in postcolonial Filipino literature I realised that my negative experiences, along with many others, could be attributed to a larger system of colonialism in the Philippines—it was then I connected my experiences to “colonial mentality.” Arriving to this realisation was difficult to accept at first, however, it is necessary to accept painful truths about oneself in order to “decolonize” the mind (Decena 2014). Decolonizing the mind was the first step to re-discovering a part of my identity that I had locked away and buried in the sand for so long. This thesis has contributed to my growth as an academic and as a person. None of this would have been possible without the help of countless people who were at my side over the past two years and beyond. I would like to thank my participants, mentors, classmates, friends, and loved ones for their continued support during this journey to finishing this thesis. To my research participants in Winnipeg and Ottawa, thank you all so much working with me on this project. I am forever grateful for your insights, stories, and words of encouragement. This thesis would have not been possible without your participation. Your kindness has truly opened my eyes and has radically changed the way I think about Filipino people and Filipino culture. I will never forget the generosity of those who had graciously ii provided me with hospitality in the form of gifted meals and food - even though it was not at all necessary. Working with you has sparked my resolve and has further motivated me to continue writing about Filipinos in Canada. Salamat sa inyong lahat! I would also like to extend my gratitude to Allan Pineda, who I met through this research project, for catering a beautiful and delicious five-course meal for our wedding in August 2017. You have proved to me that the fruits of research can go beyond the academy and can leave lasting relationships. I am indebted to my supervisor Dr. Xiaobei Chen for providing her never-ending support and encouragement over the past two years. Even though she has such a busy schedule, she always found the time to provide advice and constructive feedback. Xiaobei is one of the most patient people I know – due to my learning disability (ADHD), I can be challenging to work with. My working style is somewhat disorganized and at times prone to sudden changes and stops. I have the tendency to write long and elaborate e-mails, especially during hours when everybody should be sleeping. Yet, despite my quirks, Xiaobei has graciously worked with me and has kept me grounded and focused through it all, without any judgment. To Xiaobei, you have inspired me to be a better scholar and teacher. I am the luckiest student ever to have a supervisor like you and I look forward to working with you in the next step of my academic journey in the PhD program. It is not an exaggeration to say that my second reader, Dr. Mike Mopas, has inspired me in a number of ways. To see a successful Filipino-Canadian academic in sociology such as Mike has motivated me to work towards my dreams of becoming a scholar. The inspiration for writing about this topic is also thanks to him. I would have never in a million years thought to write about the Filipino community, much less Filipino cuisine. To Mike, thank you for your feedback, support, patience, and encouragement over the past two years. I know that I can be a bit much with my working style. Thank you for sticking by me and lending me your advice throughout the writing process. Your knowledge on cultural studies and the sociology of food is indispensable! Even though Dr. Curtis Pankratz is no longer my professor, he still mentors me from afar, even as I continue with my studies in Ottawa. From time to time, he still assists me with brainstorming ideas for projects and providing feedback on my papers. I met Curt during my undergrad at University of Winnipeg and he is the reason why I became a sociologist. While working as a transcriber for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, I was assigned to Curt’s class by iii chance. Through his approachable teaching style, I fell in love with sociology, so much so that I decided to take his class as a student the following year. As a teacher, he goes above and beyond for his students and if it were not for his help, I would have not mustered the courage and self- confidence to apply to graduate school. To Curt, as always, I thank you for being such a beacon of support even until now. I also thank you for being such a great role model. I can only hope one day I can inspire my students like you have for me and for countless others. I would like to thank my peers and classmates for their lending ears and for helping me brainstorm ideas on my thesis. Your feedback, critiques, and second opinions were all very helpful and kept me in check. I would especially like to thank Marie Coligado for being so patient with me and providing critical insights and feedback during the thesis writing process. Marie was especially helpful with our discussions regarding the differences and similarities between the Filipino communities in Winnipeg and Ottawa. A very large thanks to my friends in Winnipeg and in other parts of the world. Since undergrad, you all encouraged me to pursue sociological studies on critical race and ethnicity studies and food. Throughout the years, my friends would send me articles relating to my research interests through e-mail or social media. I like to extend my gratitude to Joey Felizardo who accompanied me during my participant observations to Filipino restaurants and introduced me to other Filipino restaurants in the city. I would also like to thank Palak Dhiman for her support and attending my thesis defence. Your presence definitely served as a calming effect. Thank you to all my friends who listened to me as I rambled on about my dissertation. Thanks for believing in me and snapping me out of my moments of self-doubt and impostor syndrome. To my mom, dad, and my brother – thank you for being such a great family unit and for always supporting my studies. I am grateful to my mom and dad for their sacrifices so they could provide for me and Matthew. My mom and dad parented me in a way that fostered my independence and critical thinking, even if it was not easy, and even if their parenting styles were criticized by family members and others. I thank my mom and dad for never giving up on me and for letting me pursue my dreams freely. Mom and dad, your influence has shaped me as a sociologist today. Mom, thank you for lending me your car while I did my field work in Winnipeg and thank you for the delicious Filipino food. As I wrote this thesis, I thought about the meals you made for our family growing up, which were useful frames of reference and iv served as a source of inspiration.