- BA Course

This course explores the processes of globalization in relation to Japanese food and food technology. The class begins with a discussion of food and identity politics by asking what is Japanese food. It then moves on to a consideration of global inflows by examining how modern Japanese cuisine has evolved, incorporating and transforming elements from an imagined “West” and China. This will be followed by an examination of global outflows by looking at how Japanese food products and technology went regional and then global starting in the 1960s. The course also focuses on the particular example of sushi, including a discussion of the highly specialized system of apprenticeship for sushi chefs, the way in which ingredients are sourced globally, and how international consumers and distributors have localized its taste. As has been the case since 2005, Hong Kong currently imports more Japanese food items than any other country or region in the world. The territory, therefore, provides extraordinary opportunities to consider globalization and localization in action.