Food and Society: Report on Japanese Food & Cuisine - Assignment Example

Food and Society: A Report on Japanese Food and Cuisine Japanese food and cuisine has claimed an important role in the development of food in all parts of the world and in different cultures. In the modern era, the influence of the Japanese cuisine is continuously increasing and pushing boundaries. The said role can be attributed to the history, the unique culture of the country and the traditions rooted from the oriental ancestors. The Japanese cuisine and food then can be perceived as the culmination of the synergy of the rich culture and the development in terms of technology happening in the country through the course of history. To be able to appreciate and determine the influence offered by the Japanese culture in the international cuisine, the study is aimed to discuss and present the different attributes and facets of the traditional and modern cuisine and foods that can be traced from Japan. History of Japanese Food and Cuisine One of the main aspects in understanding the Japanese food and cuisine is the history that covers the roots of the Japanese cultural essence including the religion, geography, social and political facets. It can be considered that Japanese cuisine is a continuously developing culture that imbibes the different influences from different factors such as other nations and the development of the modern era in different aspects. Geographical Facet of History The geographical history of Japanese cuisine can be attributed to two factors such as the topography of the islands within the country and the cultural influence from nations in Asia and other nations of the world. The history of Japanese cuisine can be traced back 2000 years ago with the major influences including the mainland China and Korea. This can be related to one of the geographical factors that is the influences from outside the country. These are the nations that are adjacent to Japan. During that period, Japanese cuisine is different from the present era. After the different influences and complex interaction of the different factors, the development of the present day Japanese cuisine occurred in a process that started between 300 to 400 years ago (Murphy, 2003). After the major influences from the neighbouring nations, European and American culture had also led to further development of the Japanese food and cuisine (Ashkenazi and Jacob, 2000). There are different contributions of the different nations to the Japanese cuisine. The rice had been one of the most important inputs of Korea to Japanese culture during the Yayoi period in 400 B.C. From the crop to the technologies that are involved in the growing rice, it became the staple and the one of the most fundamental composition in a typical Japanese meal. China, on the other hand, introduced soy beans and became another distinct character in Japanese cuisine. Other contributions from China are tea, chopsticks and other types of food and ingredients that added character to Japanese food (Murphy, 2003). Another important factor that led to the development of Japanese cuisine is the climate and topography within the nation. The role of rice in the cuisine can be attributed to the fact that growing the crop is suited to the climate of the nation. This is the same case for other crops and ingredients that comprise the Japanese cuisine. The variations of Japanese food in the different major islands can be attributed to the proximity to different countries in Asia (Ashkenazi and Jacob, 2000). Religious Facet of History The Buddhist religion can be considered as the most influential factor in the history of Japanese cuisine. This can be attributed to the fact that the said religion is responsible for the limited ingredients in terms of meat and fish included in the Japanese food in the early part of history. It is just in the modern era wherein there is a gradual inclusion of the meat and fish in the Japanese cuisine (Murphy, 2003). Another religious belief of great influence in Japan and the composition of the cuisine is the Shinto religion. It can be considered as the earliest religion in Japan which is focused on naturalism and purity, thus, the foods eaten are consequently chosen on the basis of the teachings of Shinto (Ashkenazi and Jacob, 2000). Social Facet of History The social facet in the history of Japanese cuisine can be related to the traditions rooted in the different localities within Japan. This factor interacts with the other factors such as religion, geography and topography. The social aspect then is the holistic perception regarding the food in different parts of the country. For nations near the sea, the main influence can be the abundance of food resources from the sea. For inland localities, fresh water resources can be considered as an important ingredient (Murphy, 2003). The religious influence resulted to low cattle and dairy product consumption. In addition, the spices used for meat are also limited in the Japanese cuisine on the basis of the need for meat preservation, due to the fact that less meat products are used (Murphy, 2003). Political Facet of History The political factor is an important influence in Japanese cuisine on the basis of the fact that a leader can establish rules regarding the food that Japanese people are allowed or prohibited to eat. One example is the decree by Emperor Temmu during his rule in A.D. 675 that forbade the people to eat meat of cattle and other animals. The emperors from the 8th and 9th centuries hindered the killing of animals for food (Murphy, 2003). Traditional Japanese Restaurants in Japan There are different attributes that can be found in the traditional Japanese restaurants in Japan. The said attributes can be related to the manner of preparation, the different dishes that are served and the traditions that are considered rooted from the pure and authentic Japanese cuisine. There are different characteristics that can be noted in the traditional Japanese cuisine. One of the characteristics that can be observed is the expression of the authentic techniques in terms of preparation, service and the culture in dining. This can be attributed to the fact that the food being served targets the native taste of the Japanese. The main components of the Japanese cuisine are rice, noodles and bread. O-kome or rice is the main staple food. Other important foods in the Japanese cuisine are beans or mame, mizo, tofu and shoyu or soy sauce (Rowthorn, 2007) The restaurants in Japan can be classified on the basis of the foods that are served. There are restaurants that serve a whole variety of dishes of different authentic compositions. Some of the restaurants of the said kind are the izakaya or drinking places with grilled food; family restaurant (famiresu) and shokudo for the family members with different tastes and the teishokuyo-ya with set meals composed of rice and side dishes. There are also restaurants that are classified on the basis of one type of specialized food that are being prepared. The classification includes sushi-ya for sushi, kaiten-zushi for sushi on a conveyor belt, soba-ya for soba and udon noodles, ramen-ya for ramen dishes and fried rice meals, kare-ya for kare raisu or curry rice dishes, tonkatsu-ya for deep-fried pork and meat cutlets and gyudon-ya for beef domburi. There are a lot more types on the basis of the main dish being served (Hara, 2006; Ishige, 2001; Rowthorn, 2007). Aside from the types of food, the distinct culture of the Japanese people in terms of dining can also be observed in the traditional restaurants. These includes practices in the use of chopsticks, eating etiquettes and the needed tools and condiments in dining such as communal dish and soy sauce (Rowthorn, 2007). Popularity and Spread of Japanese Cuisine There are different factors that contributed to the popularity and increasing influence of the Japanese cuisine in other nations and regions of the world. One is the cultural simplicity and eccentricity of the Japanese people that are reflected to the cuisine. The Japanese cuisine can be considered simplistic in preparation and in the addition of ingredients. For that matter, the cuisine inspired the different cultures to adapt and take in cooking stimuli that are truly Japanese (Hume, 1995; Rowthorn, 2007). Another reason is the distinctive characteristics of the Japanese cuisine. The said development can be attributed to the importance being given by the Japanese people to the integrity of the culture. For that matter, the skill of knowing Japanese cuisine can also be considered as a very distinct skill to possess for people in other nations (Hume, 1995; Rowthorn, 2007). One of the most important reasons is the increasing attractiveness of the Japanese cuisine in terms of healthy preparation and content. Due to the fact that Japanese cultural aesthetics have strong affinity for perishability, which can be perceived in the use of non-permanent materials even in architecture, it can be translated to the freshness and health that can be achieved from the food that the Japanese people are eating (Hume, 1995). The spread of the Japanese food can be observed in the high level of acceptance and knowledge of the people of different nationalities for the authentic or the adaptations of Japanese cuisine in other countries. This phenomenon is not limited to neighbouring nations but also in other continents such as the United States and the European Region. Japanese Restaurants in London The Japanese cuisine in London and other parts of Britain can is initially aimed to serve the Japanese businessmen during the 1920’s. During the decline of business in the following years, the Japanese restaurants established an organization to be able to pursue the prevalence of Japanese food on the region (Itoh, 2001). After the said period, the rise of Japanese cuisine can be attributed to the fact that the Japanese culture is achieving a high level of influence in the global arena specifically in terms of the modern technology that the said country is contributing to the world. Initially, Japan is a highly traditional nation that had closed its boundaries from the world to prevent outside cultural influence. As the modern era unfolded, the technology that the nation was able to offer had increasingly contributed to the technology the world has in the present. In London, there are two types of Japanese food that can be accessed. One is the food authentically based on Japanese cuisine but are given additional treatment or ingredients to be able to suit the taste of the local market. Another is the type wherein the Japanese influence is used to inspire the development of new type of food that can be considered endemic to the locality, specifically London (Campion, 2003). Pricing can be considered competitive to other cuisine but the range of amount can depend on the authenticity of the Japanese influence. One of the reasons that can be cited is the need for the ingredients that can largely be considered to grow in the tropics, specifically Asia. Marketing and design can be considered important because ambience in the restaurant can be used by people as a factor to perceive authenticity. The value of Japanese aesthetics that can be present can be related to the price of the food in restaurants that offer Japanese or Japanese inspired cuisine (Campion, 2003). Basically, the popularity of the Japanese food can be related to the reasons for the overwhelming acceptance for the food such as health aspects and the trend of promoting Asian food and culture. In a world population by people that are increasingly becoming health conscious, the Japanese cuisine can be perceive as a hope to achieve health and vitality. Although this is true on the basis of preparation and the importance being given by the Japanese people to their food, the advantages that the Japanese cuisine can offer is being highly publicized in the present era (Hume, 1995; Rowthorn, 2007). Conclusion Based on the data gathered from the research undertaken, Japanese cuisine had given an important contribution to the world’s cuisine and food perspective. The main contributions can be based on the value given by the Japanese people in their eccentricity in the preparation and the traditional contents of the food. The modern era had been a promising time for the explosion of Asian influence to the world. This can be attributed to the technology that the Japanese offered the world, thus commencing curiosity on the food they eat. Another angle is the increasing health consciousness of the international community. Seeing the discipline involved in Japanese cuisine, people are attracted to trying and adapting what the said cuisine can offer. In general, Japanese food and cuisine had been an important influence to the international treatment, preparation and content of food. References Ashkenazi, M. and Jacob, J. (2000) The Essence of Japanese Cuisine: An Essay on Food and Culture. US: University of Pennsylvania Press. Campion, C. (2003) The Rough Guide to London Restaurants. Rough Guides. Hara, R. (2006) International Cuisine: Japan. Hodder Arnold. Hume, N.G. (1995) Japanese Aesthetics and Culture: A Reader. SUNY Press. Ishige, N. (2001). The History and Culture of Japanese Food. New York: Columbia University Press. Itoh, K. (2001) The Japanese Community in Pre-War Britain: From Integration to Disintegration. Routledge. Murphy, D. (2003) ‘Things Japanese: A History of Japanese Cuisine’. [Online] Available at: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/things_japanese_29.html (Accessed: 14 October 2009). Rowthorn, C. (2007) Lonely Planet Japan. Lonely Planet. Read More