Reinterpreting Japanese Culinary Culture in Toronto’S Japanese Restaurants
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Consuming the “Oriental Other,” Constructing the Cosmopolitan Canadian: Reinterpreting Japanese Culinary Culture in Toronto’s Japanese Restaurants by Shaun Naomi Tanaka A thesis submitted to the Department of Geography In conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada (March, 2008) Copyright ©Shaun Naomi Tanaka, 2008 Abstract During the last decade, Japanese cuisine has become firmly rooted in Canada. The once unusual sounding dishes such as sushi, tempura, and edamame are now familiar to most Canadians. Indeed, Japanese restaurants make up a substantial portion of Toronto’s diverse foodscape, yet little is known about how this culinary culture is understood, how the constructed image is created, and the identities that are produced through its production and consumption. This dissertation aims to unpack the constructed identities of the cosmopolitan and the “Oriental Other” contained within Japanese culinary circuits in Toronto, while also examining the connections, constructions, and negotiations concealed within the Japanese restaurants’ cultural landscape. It seeks to highlight the processes of racialization, Whiteness, and the articulation of difference that are interconnected and interdependent on the production and consumption of Japanese food in Toronto’s restaurants. Through this process, cultural differences are mapped out, allowing Japanese cuisine to become an accessible and readily available place to search for cosmopolitan identity making and the performance of Otherness. To this aim, in- depth interviews were conducted with residents of Toronto and chefs of Japanese ethnic origin. Both groups emphasize the relations between food providers and consumers, authenticity strategies, and their imaginative geographies of Japanese culinary culture but had remarkably different interpretations on how these constructions are practiced, articulated, and ultimately understood. ii Acknowledgements I would like to gratefully acknowledge the enthusiastic supervision of Dr. Audrey Kobayashi. I appreciate the freedom she provided in finding an area of research that fit my evolving interests and encouragement to follow my own academic path. Her commitment and mentorship were instrumental through every stage of my graduate career and the completion of my doctoral dissertation. Special thanks to my examining committee, Dr. Betsey Donald, Dr. Minelle Mahtani, Dr. Katherine McKittrick, Dr. Audrey Kobayashi, and Dr. Mark Rosenberg, for their guidance and helpful suggestions. I would also like to thank the entire department of geography for providing a supportive and inspiring learning environment. I am indebted to the Japanese Restaurant Association of Canada for generously offering their time, thoughts, and kindness over the past few years. I would like to specially acknowledge the tremendous support of Mr. Ted Iizuka who introduced me to his esteemed members and subsequently opened the doors to new and exciting research opportunities. I owe a special acknowledgment to my family who has offered unwavering love and support. Their confidence in my ability to successfully complete my PhD saw me through the long and sometimes difficult process. Finally, I would like to thank my husband Sean Robichaud. He unquestionably backed every decision I made and offered support through each stage of my academic career, but most importantly he brought the happiness and joy that every person needs at the end of a long day. I cannot possibly say enough. iii Statement of Originality I hereby certify that all of the work described within this thesis is the original work of the author. Any published (or unpublished) ideas and/or techniques from the work of others are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. (Shaun Naomi Tanaka) (March, 2008) iv Table of Contents Abstract............................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements.........................................................................................................................iii Statement of Originality..................................................................................................................iv Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................v Chapter 1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................1 1.1 Thesis Goals and Research Questions ...................................................................................2 1.2 Cultural Geography................................................................................................................5 1.3 Research Context ...................................................................................................................8 1.4 Chapter Outline....................................................................................................................19 Chapter 2 Japanese Food ...............................................................................................................22 2.1 Japanese Culinary History ...................................................................................................26 2.2 Sushi.....................................................................................................................................29 2.3 Restaurants...........................................................................................................................32 2.4 Contemporary Sushi Bars in Japan......................................................................................33 2.5 Kaiseki .................................................................................................................................35 Chapter 3 Authenticity...................................................................................................................39 3.1 Multiculturalism...................................................................................................................45 3.2 Authentic: an expression of social imagination ...................................................................48 3.3 Negotiating Authenticity in Ethnic Restaurants...................................................................50 3.4 Smoke and mirrors: authentication strategies in Japanese restaurants.................................53 3.4.1 The Menu......................................................................................................................54 3.4.2 The Ingredients .............................................................................................................57 3.4.3 The Décor......................................................................................................................58 3.5 Negotiating Authenticity......................................................................................................61 3.6 Customers and Employees...................................................................................................65 3.7 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................70 Chapter 4 Cosmopolitanism...........................................................................................................72 4.1 Crème de la Crème: Cultivating Cosmopolitanism .............................................................73 4.2 The Upper Crust: Class, Consumption, and Cosmopolitanism............................................79 4.3 A Matter of Taste.................................................................................................................81 4.4 Consumption and Culinary Cosmopolitanism.....................................................................87 4.5 Healthy Cosmopolitanism....................................................................................................89 v 4.6 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................91 Chapter 5 “Let’s Eat Japanese!” ....................................................................................................93 5.1 Ethnic Food..........................................................................................................................94 5.2 Other ....................................................................................................................................98 5.3 The Perpetual Foreigner.....................................................................................................100 5.4 Eating the Other .................................................................................................................102 5.5 Oriental Other ....................................................................................................................107 5.6 Palatable Cultural Difference.............................................................................................111 5.7 Whiteness...........................................................................................................................117 5.8 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................125 Chapter 6 Methodology ...............................................................................................................128