Modern Japanese Cuisine Food, Power And National Identity.pdf

Modern
Japanese Cuisine
Food, Power and National Identity
Katarzyna J. Cwiertka
Modern Japanese Cuisine
Modern Japanese Cuisine
Food, Power and National Identity
Katarzyna J. Cwiertka

To Piotr and Niek
Published by Reaktion Books Ltd
 Great Sutton Street
London , 

First published 
Copyright © Katarzyna J. Cwiertka, 
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Cromwell Press, Trowbridge, Wiltshire
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Cwiertka, Katarzyna Joanna, –
Modern Japanese cuisine: food, power and national identity
. Food habits – Japan . Cookery, Japanese
. Japan – Civilization
I. Title
.’
-: 
-: 
Contents
Introduction 
1 Western Food, Politics and Fashion 
2 The Road to Multicultural Gastronomy 
3 Strengthening the Military 
4 Reforming Home Meals 
5 Wartime Mobilization and Food Rationing 
6 The Culinary Consequences of
Japanese Imperialism 
7 Multiple Circuits of Affluence 
Conclusion: The Making of a National Cuisine 
Postscript: Japanese Cuisine Goes Global 
References 
Glossary 
Acknowledgements 
Photo Acknowledgements 
Index 
Introduction
Multiculturalism is the defining feature of the culinary scene in contempor-
ary Japan. It is reflected in the daily food choices of every Japanese. An
average day may begin with a Western-style breakfast of toast, coffee and
fried eggs, or a Japanese-style breakfast of rice, miso soup, pickles and
grilled fish. Lunch may be either a Japanese-style obento¯ (a boxed meal of
rice and several small side dishes), prepared at home or purchased at
specialized oben