Let’s Talk About Chinese Fusion Food in Shanghai
...I’m Taking This Opportunity to Reclaim My Space
Amidst all the anti-Asian hate crimes, I have been reading a lot of Asian American pieces. Our voices have been silenced for so long that when we finally get the chance to speak up, we are limited to solely sharing our trauma. It takes so much to be vulnerable to the entire world, yet it is almost our duty at this difficult time—just so that we can prove the discrimination that we face is real.
However, now I’m taking this opportunity to reclaim my space and talk about something other than the violence that my community is experiencing. I hope this piece will serve as a small step for everyone to recognize the Sinophobic narrative that America is pushing, and that China exists beyond what is portrayed in the media.
Shanghai is considered to be the most Westernized city in China. Studying abroad there last fall, I couldn’t help but notice how this is reflected in the unique Chinese fusion that is inhibiting its food culture. I was especially interested in how Western companies operate in a Chinese space and the limitations of the “Chinese” identity. To cater to both the Shanghainese people as well as the foreigners living or visiting Shanghai, Western companies selectively incorporate “Chinese” elements into their products.
The concept of Shanghai as a global city was initiated when Deng Xiaoping advocated for neoliberalism but with Chinese characteristics in China.
“China was also opened up, albeit under strict state supervision, to foreign trade and foreign investment, thus ending China’s isolation from the world market.”
— David Harvey
“Neoliberalism with Chinese Characteristics”
Thus, Shanghai became more self-conscious of its consumers, taking into consideration the expectations of both locals and foreigners. Unlike the Chinese fusion food served at the restaurants in Shanghai, Western food companies aren’t concerned with including traditional Chinese ingredients or cooking methods. Instead, Western food companies are able to thrive in Shanghai because they target a specific food item that both fits the “Chinese” politicized identity domestically and internationally.
However, it is problematic to describe what is exactly the “Chinese” politicized identity in the Western context.
“With regard to this tradition, Frank Dikötter (1992) has argued that racial thinking had its own roots in Chinese history but developed into a nationalist discourse in the late nineteenth century with Western racial theories, which identified the Chinese nation with the yellow race, although the category was originally a Western coinage with a racially derogatory connotation (Keevak 2011).”
— Yinghong Cheng
“Is Peking Man Still Our Ancestor?”
Instead, I will attempt to explain the “Chinese'' politicized identity using examples of newly invented Chinese fusion food by Western food companies. Simply put, the overall product has to be “exotic” to both the Chinese and the Westerner. For the Chinese, this is inherent in the Western company itself. For the Westerner, it is the “Chinese” element that serves as an incentive. Allowing all of this to happen is the culture industry.
“While the mechanism is to all appearances planned by those who serve up the data of experience, that is, by the culture industry, it is in fact forced upon the latter by the power of society, which remains irrational, however we may try to rationalize it; and this inescapable force is processed by commercial agencies so that they give an artificial impression of being in command.”
— Max Horkheimer and Theodore Adorno
“The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception”
Godiva x White Rabbit Ice Cream
From a quick glance, the Godiva x White Rabbit ice cream uses double branding brilliantly. Here, the “Chinese” element is the White Rabbit candy that is familiar to both Shanghai locals and foreigners alike.
In China, White Rabbit is considered a Shanghai icon.
“The silky, creamy taste of White Rabbit candy…first romantic encounter with ‘Made in Shanghai,’ and the sweet childhood memories of relishing this treat with friends and family certainly have lived on.”
— Ni Tao
“Time-honored White Rabbit candy a sign of the old and new in Shanghai’s innovation”
Often sold in Chinatowns abroad, White Rabbit candy is an international symbol for “Chineseness” as well. The history of White Rabbit’s iconisation is related to the West’s ability to easily accept it. After all, it was inspired by British milk candy!
“In the late eighties, milk began to be regarded in China as a symbol of modernity, westernization, good nutrition, and, most of all, quality.”
— Jonathan Crichton, Christopher N. Candlin, and Arthur S. Firkins
Communicating Risk
Shake Shack Strawberry Yuzu Garden Shake
To start off, the name of the shake is a pun derived from Shanghai’s tourist site Yu Garden. Immediately, this lets the consumer know that it is limited to the Shanghai location, increasing incentive for them to try it while they’re in the city.
Strawberry Yu(zu) Garden Shake
Vanilla frozen custard blended with strawberry puree and yuzu juice, topped with whipped matcha cream cheese, whipped cream and matcha powder.
The “Chinese” elements here are the yuzu, matcha, and cream cheese foam-top.
As advertised in the name of the shake, foreigners are enticed by yu(zu) because it is an East Asian fruit that usually isn't incorporated in Western dishes.
Due to the popularity of matcha-flavored snacks and cream-cheese tea in China, the ingredients matcha and cream cheese are the norm for Shanghainese locals. However, a foreigner at first glance would probably be confused by the mention of cream cheese in a shake, considering that it is usually used for bagels or cooking purposes. Despite the initial thought that adding cream cheese to a shake is perverse, the exclusivity of the shake only being in the Shanghai Shake Shack brings about the notion of a “new” and “necessary” experience to foreigners abroad.
“The triumph of advertising in the culture industry is that consumers feel compelled to buy and use its products even though they see through them.”
— Max Horkheimer and Theodore Adorno
“The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception”
Pizza Hut Durian Pizza
The durian in Pizza Hut’s durian pizza is an entity that satisfies both the tastebuds of the Chinese locals and the curiosity of the foreigners in Shanghai. In China, the popularity of durian has only been increasing, as Chinese people aren’t just interested in the whole fruit but also durian-related food items. The expansion of durian as a commodity is essential to understanding the impact of the culture industry.
“Since all the trends of the culture industry are profoundly embedded in the public by the whole social process, they are encouraged by the survival of the market in this area.”
— Max Horkheimer and Theodore Adorno
“The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception”
Because Chinese people are demanding more durian-flavored food products, it creates an illusion that they have autonomy in their desires. While their increased demand drives the sale of durians, the shops that are adding durian as a flavor to their products are creating something “new.”
For foreigners who are trying durian for the first time, the familiarity of a pizza definitely helps when stepping into unknown territory. More importantly, Pizza Hut in China is a completely different experience. It is actually a sit-down restaurant, complete with top-notch waiter service and no tipping! This in itself might encourage them to go to Pizza Hut, even if they don’t eat the durian pizza.
Takeaways
While White Rabbit, cream cheese topping, and durian aren’t traditional examples of “Chinese” food, they serve as a more contemporary view of the “Chinese” politicized identity.
“Popularized to essentialize the source of the common belonging for the national unity and a diasporic Chineseness.”
— Yinghong Cheng
“Is Peking Man Still Our Ancestor?”
There is a great correlation between the food industry and the culture industry. By manipulating the “Chinese” identity, the popular media is able to create new Chinese fusion food trends. The result then is foreigners and Chinese locals falling victim to consumerism. They want to try the fusion food only because of the newly placed value within them.
Ultimately, however, the success of these cuisine creations derives from the brand recognition of Western companies. It bestows upon foreigners a sense of security, and locals a degree of expected quality. By opening up a storefront in Shanghai and offering new items that embody “Chineseness,” foreigners are forced to be reckoned with this illusion of choice. They compare the food served by the same Western company back in their home country and the options on the Shanghai menu.
“Ideology always reflects economic coercion - everywhere proves to be freedom to choose what is always the same.”
— Max Horkheimer and Theodore Adorno
“The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception”
In the end, the creations of the Godiva x White Rabbit ice cream, Shake Shack Strawberry Yuzu Garden Shake, and Pizza Hut durian pizza reveal that the culture industry is—and perhaps always will be—thriving. Through the unconventionality of combining Western and Chinese food, people’s desires are transformed.
To further decolonize our minds:
I challenge you to identify whether the headlines in American newspapers and magazines are true or anti-China propaganda. Have fun!
Hint: There’s a lot of anti-China propaganda.
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This piece was so interesting to read, so informative and important!!
I would love to see a deeper dive into this concept of the “culture industry” you describe. Additionally, this was really informative because I originally thought this whole fusion thing was somewhat unique to the US. (However, I haven’t been luck enough to travel overseas yet)