Chinese Food in Australia: Diaspora, taste, and affect

Abstract

This thesis examines the political and cultural significance of Chinese food in Australia by considering its specific discourses and representations. It begins by mapping the politicised history of early Chinese food in the 19th century and considers the circumstances underpinning its emergence and later proliferation. Building on cultural studies scholarship about migration and food from Australia and the United States, this thesis examines the interrelated link between migration and the generation of new cultural products. I reframe westernised Chinese food as an innovative and necessary response from the Chinese community. By identifying the adaptable and creative nature of Chinese food (and people), I problematise the belief that westernised Chinese food is “inauthentic” and a complete victim to western supremacy. This thesis indicates how Chinese food is an effective place from which to understand differences, identity, and power. Situating Chinese food in the 21st century, I analyse how notions and tastes for it have changed over time, within the Chinese Australian diaspora and more broadly. With a focus on material examples and auto-ethnography, I examine how intergenerational and cultural differences in the diaspora can influence what we eat and how we eat. Cautious not to undermine the structuring effects of racism and class privilege in food discourses, I consider how whiteness and middle-upper class “tastemakers” shape how we perceive and relate to Chinese food. Finally, this thesis considers the capacities of Chinese food by looking at the visceral feelings and affects it can produce. I examine how commensality (eating together) can help encourage new ways of thinking, feeling, sharing, and relating. Ultimately, this thesis moves toward a view of Chinese food that embraces multiplicities and variance, as opposed to singularities and tradition.