[Publication] The Social Life of American Crayfish in Asia (Book Chapter)

Re-orienting cuisine: East Asian foodways in the twenty-first century

Professor Sidney Cheung’s article, entitled “The Social Life of American Crayfish in Asia”, has been published as a chapter of the book Re-orienting cuisine: East Asian foodways in the twenty-first century, edited by Kwang Ok Kim:

“Sidney Cheung (chapter 12) shows how crayfish harvested in the United States were imported into China via Japan and have been reinvented and transformed into a new local specialty food of the Nanjing area, now serving as a critical source of income for the local residents. What is particularly emphasized in this process is the fact that the reinvention of crayfish into an economically profitable crop in the fish farms of Nanjing and its restaurants involves serious ecological destruction, but such consequences do not draw the slightest attention of the local authorities, the farmers, and the consumers” (Kim 2015: 8).

The book consists of 14 chapters, which expand the discussion of food to include its social and cultural meanings and functions. Details of the book can be found at http://www.berghahnbooks.com/title.php?rowtag=KimRe-Orienting.

Contents of the book

Reference: 

Kim, Kwang Ok ed. 2015. Re-orienting cuisine: East Asian foodways in the twenty-first century. New York: Berghahn Books.