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Pretty much all non-Japanese food in Japan is some form of “cultural appropriation” to the extent that it plays into stereotypes/tropes Japanese people expect f
by alephnan 2y ago
Pretty much all non-Japanese food in Japan is some form of “cultural appropriation” to the extent that it plays into stereotypes/tropes Japanese people expect from that given “cuisine”. For example, Italian would consist of lots of cheese. Japanese “Italian” food is in a category of its own. In this case, it would be actual appropriation because it’s made by Japanese people rather than the given ethnic minority putting a spin on their cuisine. Best comment I’ve ever read on Reddit is that the Japanese don’t like cheese, they like the concept of cheese. Japanese people can’t stand strong smells nor spice, so that already greatly restricts the authenticity of food.
The exception would be if the restaurant is catering specifically or exclusively to the immigrant population. I’ve found this to be common in Vietnamese restaurants where it’s just a community hangout spot for the migrant workers.
Since you live in Yokohama, the entire town plays on stereotypes and tropes of what Japanese think of Chinese. Namely, all the fortune teller shops since the Japanese think Chinese people are mystical (the Western version is fortune telling machines feature an automata wearing a Turban or Gypsies).
- tkgally 2y agoThanks for the response. I mostly agree with you about the food, but not about Yokohama. Chinatown is a tiny, atypical part of Yokohama; the vast majority of the city, including where I live, has nothing to do with stereotypes of Chinese. Also, Japanese views of China and of Chinese people are, for better or worse, diverse and complex, and mysticalness and fortune-telling play little to no role for most people.
- MisterTea 2y agoI was in Japan the past two weeks and coming from NYC I wanted to try some pizza. So while in Sapporo I tried pizza at the Kirin beer garden (maybe Sapporo? I was drunk) and was disappointed. The cheese was a small pat in each quadrant and bland, similar to polly-o, the sauce lacked flavor which tasted like jar sauce, and the crust was under cooked. Then in Tokyo wandering the Ueno shopping district I found a small Italian joint that also had pizza. Same issues as my experience in Sapporo but the dough was almost uncooked in the center. I will say they got the look of pizza down but none of the flavor and texture is all wrong. Feels more like a quick and dirty homemade pizza using cheap canned super market ingredients. Maybe they need a fat guy named Sal from Queens to lend a hand. Maybe they just dont like the flavor or texture of proper pizza.
- Klonoar 2y agoCongrats, you learned what it’s like to live in Japan and be eternally disappointed with pizza. Swap burritos and the same experience mostly fits. Was one of the more annoying parts of living there. You’d often have a place open, they’d get it “right”, then it either closes or they slowly change the food to fit the Japanese palette over time and the dish becomes a weird mirage. There are a few exceptions - but that’s few and far between.
- MisterTea 2y agoI suppose the stronger garlic and onion flavors along with oregano isn't appealing to the Japanese pallet.
- growse 2y agoI had lasagna in Sri Lanka once and had an similar experience. Looked like it, tasted nothing like it. It's like the only thing they had to go on was a picture of what lasagna looks like.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago> Pretty much all non-Japanese food in Japan is some form of “cultural appropriation” Pretty much all food everywhere is cultural appropriated to some degree--authenticity when it comes to cuisine is essentially a meaningless term.