This course investigates the reach of Chinese cuisine in South Asia, with a particular focus on Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It draws on face-to-face and online interviews with restaurant managers and diners. This study observes a growing interest among young university students and early-career professionals—members of South Asian emerging middle class—in seeking what they perceive as “authentic” Chinese cuisine. In response, restaurant owners and entrepreneurs have begun branding and serving dishes marketed as authentic Chinese food. Drawing on primary data collected through fieldwork, it argues that the concept of authenticity is largely an imagined construct, shaped by educated, middle-class consumers and significantly influenced by digital media and online food content. Authenticity holds diverse meanings for various stakeholders—including diners and restaurant managers—ranging from cultural traditions within Chinese culinary practices and ethnic Chinese identity in the kitchen to associations with health and wellness
- Hybrid (F2F & Online simultaneously)
By the end of this course, student should be able to;
- Learn how Chinese cuisine has undergone glocalization: it is both adapted to local tastes and presented as authentic, resulting in a spectrum of fusion offerings.
- Understand the pursuit of authenticity and the prevalence of culinary fusion exist in a dynamic, fluid, and co-dependent relationship.
