The Immigrants Who Introduced Japanese Foods to the Americas
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Immigrants Who Introduced Japanese Foods to the Americas ( Part 2 : South America ) Research Fellow, Institute for Migration and Ethnic Culture Studies, Waseda University Shigeru Kojima Paraná. Foods introduced by Japanese immigrants are most Brazil is Belbulíndia prominent in these two states. An article in a Brazilian weekly magazine once referred to Brazil as Belbulíndia (Isto é, 1996), a portmanteau that Nihonjin-gai in São Paulo combines Belgium, Bulgaria and India. Reporting on the Human Development Index (HDI) published by the United The current Nikkei (Japanese immigrants and their Nations Development Program, the article said that although descendants residing in a foreign country) population in the nation of Brazil ranks around the 60th from the top, the Brazil is estimated to be 1.5 to 1.6 million. A 1987-1988 HDI value analysis by state indicates that the country can be survey revealed that roughly 80% of them live in the states of divided into three types of states, each corresponding to either São Paulo and Paraná, with about 27% living within São Belgium, Bulgaria or India. A north-south divide exists within Paulo City (Brazil Nikkeijin Jittaichosa Hokokusho, 1980). the country, with some regions comparable to developed The Liberdade district in São Paulo City is called Nihonjin- countries, some to semi-developed countries and some others gai, and has been home to many Japanese immigrants since to developing countries. This article has often been referred to before WWII. Ms. Shizue Arai, an 82-year-old second- since it was first published. In essence, it describes a large gap generation Nikkei, was born and raised in Liberdade and still in the degree of development between the developed southern lives on Galvão Bueno Street, the main street of Liberdade. and southeastern regions and the underdeveloped northern Her parents operated a hotel before the war, and an eatery and northeastern regions. The gap still remains evident, (locally called a “bar”) that served meals to Nikkei customers although it has been steadily reduced. For comparison, Japan after the war. Shizue recalls, “Many of those who came from has been generally rated around 10th place, though it once the rural regions would watch several Japanese movies in a held first place. That article brought back memories for me of the 80s, when I was an undergraduate exchange student travelling through all of the Brazilian states over a period of two months. I felt the characteristics of each region and their differences with all of my senses, and experienced development disparities and cultural diversity that might not be found in other countries. When we arrived at a rustic bus terminal in the northern region after a 42-hour trip, I remember the bus driver shouting out, “Here we are at malaria paradise!” In a southern town, I was bewildered by toilets that were placed so high they were difficult to use. There is no end to my memories of that time. Differences are still found in the Galvão Bueno Street — Japantown food as well. Characteristics that define regional and social A research fellow at the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Culture Studies, Waseda University, Shigeru Kojima was born in Sanjo strata are prominent, and one cannot speak generally about City, Niigata Prefecture. As a student at Sophia University, he went to study in Brazil, and earned a master's degree in Social food across Brazil. The southern region where immigrants History at the Graduate School, Federal University of Paraná. After traveling throughout Brazil by bus, he became a fervent settled especially tends to stand out, reflecting strong foreign admirer of the country, and was inspired to engage in immigrant studies in Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná. He lived influences. Immigrants in Brazil are concentrated either in there for roughly 10 years before returning to Japan. He worked at a university and elsewhere, and helped establish the JICA or to the south of the state of São Paulo, with immigrants Yokohama Japanese Overseas Migration Museum, where he currently works in the Project Management Division. He is interested in the history of Japanese immigrants, the identity of from Italy and Japan in the state of São Paulo and those the Nikkei, and changes in Nikkei communities in multicultural societies such as Brazil, the US and Canada. His main research from Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Italy and many other Shigeru Kojima themes include festivals, ethnic enclaves, foods and translation. Europe countries in the southern neighboring state of FOOD CULTURE 3 row, and eat sushi and eclipsed by Chinese hand-kneaded udon and Koreans, literally noodles before returning making it an Oriental backcountry. In addition town. However, the to sushi and udon, the town today still bar also served nishime abounds with Japanese (Japanese stewed foods. Once you step Asahi Shokudo Stacks of Japanese rice at the store vegetables), inarizushi (eatery)1953 into a Nikkei grocery (pouches of fried tofu (Property of Shizue Arai) store, you will find filled with sushi rice), pizza and fried stacks of bagged shrimp. Brazilians also sometimes ordered Japanese rice in some inarizushi. Wednesday menus included a 10 varieties and almost Brazilian dish, feijoada (a stew of beans every kind of Japanese with beef and pork).” The Liberdade food. A wide variety of Commerce and Industry Association was takeout sushi and bento established in 1972 to serve as an (prepared meals) are Varieties of bento affiliation of 80 stores, mainly Nikkei. The also offered. The bento in Liberdade, Asahi Shokudo association’s 1982 statistics indicate that advertisement, however, is somewhat different from the town had 90 restaurants, 75 Japanese Paulista Nenkan, 1953 bento in Japan. Typical varieties contain or oriental sundry stores, 72 clothing stores, 65 eating and rolled sushi, with stewed vegetables, drinking establishments operating at night, 35 souvenir stores, tempura, grilled fish, fried chicken and 33 Japanese grocery stores, 25 book and record stores, and 2 pickled vegetables. In this town there Japanese movie theaters. Liberdade was also home to a are bento-ya (bento stores) and Bento shop menu Korean community, with some 20,000 Korean Brazilians and yakisoba-ya (fried noodle stores). If you closely look at the 10 Korean stores. Chinese restaurants were found across São other side of the counter, most of the cooks are Brazilians, Paulo City, including many in Liberdade, where Beijing, particularly Nordestinos (northeasterners). Cantonese and Taiwanese cuisines were available. We can see in the illustrated map that Liberdade was a busy place. It Japanese Food Tradition Carried on by Nordestinos certainly was Nihonjin-gai, no less. The cooks working in Japanese kitchens and sushi chefs (called sushimen) are predominantly Nordestinos, of whom the majority are Article on a sushiman, Where Curitiba, 2013 Pernambucanos (from the state of Pernambuco). Some of them have been introduced in magazines as individual success stories. Surprisingly, Nordestinos are becoming the main culinary stars behind even such traditional Japanese foods as handmade tofu and Japanese sweets, as Nikkei Illustrated map of Liberdade in the 1980s (From OPA magazine) children with higher educational backgrounds rarely take over their parents’ trades. At Kanazawa Seika, a time-honored Japanese Foods in Liberdade confectionery on Galvão Bueno Street, Modeled on Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, California, the confectioners are Nordestinos. I Liberdade was designated as a special tourist district by São wondered if this trend of Japanese food Paulo City, and decorative lily-of-the-valley shaped street preparation leaving the hands of the lamps and a large red torii (the Japanese gate commonly seen Nikkei would result in changes in the at Shinto temples) were installed. Since then, the district has foods, in terms of colors as well as maintained the townscape as Oriental Town. However, flavors. As far as the colors of Japanese because of the so-called dekassegui movement starting in the sweets are concerned, I have certainly Japanese sweets at late 1980s, the presence of the Nikkei in Liberdade was noticed some changes. Kanazawa Seika 4 FOOD CULTURE The successors of highly valued. Their Japanese food diversified input has manufacturing are not included the introduction limited to those of new crops, the Nordestinos who have development of improved worked and trained varieties, the establishment 100th anniversary commemorative coin marking Japanese immigration to Brazil under Nikkei of intensive agriculture craftsmen. Mr. Joaquim Joaquim’s tofu, in a shop (right) systems and the foundation of agricultural cooperatives. Ferreira de Souza, from Recognition of this can be seen on a coin released in 2008 to Santo Antônio da commemorate the 100th anniversary of Japanese Platina in Paraná, is a immigration to Brazil. It has an image of the Kasato Maru, well-known tofu which carried the first Japanese immigrants to Brazil, on the craftsman in Curitiba, front, and a Nikkei woman harvesting persimmon on the the capital of the state back. Japanese of Paraná. He sells tofu cultivars of sweet every day to Nikkei Inside Joaquim’s tofu factory persimmon introduced grocery stores and leading supermarkets. Joaquim is not a to Brazil have been so Nikkei—his father is from the state of Minas Gerais and his broadly accepted by mother is from the state of São Paulo. Nor has he ever Brazilians that the worked for a Nikkei employer. He became interested in tofu Japanese word for Cucumber and eggplant with japonês during a training course he received when he was working persimmon (kaki) has indicated on the sign for a dairy product company, and learned how to make it become the Portuguese then. Several years later, he decided to go independent, and term of caqui. This built a small factory to start making tofu. He was attracted typifies the by the high profit margin in tofu, as soybeans were readily contributions of the available at low prices.