By Xinrong Chang
Sichuan cuisine is very important in China. If you looked around in Chinese cities, you will find that the most popular type of restaurant is the Sichuan restaurant. Because of the popularity of Sichuan cuisine, its history and development has received much attention. This project will discuss the development of Sichuan food for social reasons.
In the past, Sichuan cuisine was just representative of the regional diet and did not become popular on a national scale. In the last 30 years, with rapid urbanization, commercialization of food, and massive population migration, Sichuan cuisine began to conquer the stomachs of all Chinese people (Luo 2019). However, as Sichuan cuisine has become more popular in China and around the world, it has been questioned as having been alienated from its current face and is now Chinese fast food (Zhang 2016). In recent years, China’s rapid economic development and social progress have echoed the constant changes in Chinese cuisine. The cause-and-effect relationship is worth examining.
For the analysis of Sichuan cuisine, there are three sources, each discussing the development of Sichuan cuisine from a different perspective. Firstly, I interviewed my classmate, a native of Sichuan, who explained from her own experience how Sichuan cuisine itself has been influenced by economic development. For the second primary source, I chose another interview with a friend of mine who is from another region in China. It is a different perspective to discuss the social reasons why Sichuan cuisine has become popular. The documentary Sichuan flavor becomes my last source. The filmmaker records the dilemma faced by Ma Po Tofu- one of the most classic Sichuan cuisine – because of social development.
These three sources have something in common, they all record and analyze the development of Sichuan cuisine itself in relation to social development. The purpose of this exhibition is to discuss how the development of Sichuan cuisine has been influenced by economic development
Bibliography
Luo, guangyan. “Chili, Sichuan cuisine and class: why do we love spicy food?…” Chili, Sichuan Cuisine, and Class: Why Do We Love Spicy Food? | Interface News – Culture, October 23, 2019. https://www.jiemian.com/article/3633313.html.
Zhang, yinyin. “Far From Dead: An Economic Analysis of the Birth and Development of Sichuan Cuisine.” Far From Dead An Economic Analysis of the Birth and Development of Sichuan Cuisine|Interface News · JMedia, July 14, 2016. https://www.jiemian.com/article/738129.html.
