Sacrifice VS. Superiority
As the author of Finding the “Ideal Diet” Deborah Neill asserted, “(food) symbolizes culture, social status and power … it also could reaffirm cultural and social prejudices” (Neill 2009, 23). In hindsight, diet and nutrition played a critical role in the empire building of many countries, and Japan and France are not exceptions. While a bunch of parallel can be drawn between the French and Japanese colonialism in terms of colonial foodways, the measurements adopted by Japan and France in colonial dietary practices were not on par with each other. In particular, the keywords are divergent - while superiority was an essential term to French colonialism in Equatorial Africa, sacrifice was hugely accentuated in Japanese …show more content…
Over the course of 1908 and 1918, “French traditions were seen as the best answer to dietary health.” (Neill 2009, 5) Frenchmen believed that such superiority could help them symbolically strengthen French power over Africans in the colonies. (Neill 2009, 2) Hence, in regard to the adoption of local food, Frenchmen were unwilling to incorporate common African food, which was much more available (such as manioc, a major staple of urban African diet), into their diet. Instead, French settlers replied on canned food, in order to preserve their French habits. (Neill 2009, 16) Furthermore, reinforced by new technologies, including “steamships, canning, and refrigeration”, it was more convenient for French settles to avoid acceptance of local food of Africa, sticking to imported French ingredients and food prepared in a classical French fashion. (Neill 2009, 22)
Speaking of French settler communities in Africa, one of the ways for them to celebrate their superiority was gathering together during the “cocktail hour”. The customary afternoon aperitif was regarded as a vital part of colonial life. Such rituals of the “cocktail hour” functioned to separate Europeans and their allowable privileges from the surrounding population (Neill 2009, 17). Additionally, since early 1890s, European governments raised taxes on imported European liquor, which elevated its status as “a symbol …show more content…
Consequently, a competition was set up between Japanese settlers and local Koreans. Such competition stimulated Koreans to imitate Japanese by adopting Japanese traditions, while Japanese settlers strived hard to be more authentic than the surrounding imitators. In this regard, due to the competition and the similarities between Japanese and Korean culture, Japanese settlers definitely have experienced more “insecurities” than French settlers did. This is a strong embodiment of “sacrifice” - at the time, Japan was looking up to Western countries, so the sense of superiority was not strong. Even though Japan considered itself to be more superior than Korea of the time.
Summary
In retrospect, due to the varied natural environment, adoption of local food, and social circumstances. Along with the escalating warfare and oppressive colonial expansion (Lee 2012, 173), Japan used sacrifice as a powerful weapon to consolidate Japanese home and residing in its colonies. Along the same vein, the superiority embraced by French settlers boiled down to its pride in French culinary practices, a national cuisine that evolved in a class-based society (Neill 2009, 22). As far as I am concerned, through the lens of , Afford food for
As the author of Finding the “Ideal Diet” Deborah Neill asserted, “(food) symbolizes culture, social status and power … it also could reaffirm cultural and social prejudices” (Neill 2009, 23). In hindsight, diet and nutrition played a critical role in the empire building of many countries, and Japan and France are not exceptions. While a bunch of parallel can be drawn between the French and Japanese colonialism in terms of colonial foodways, the measurements adopted by Japan and France in colonial dietary practices were not on par with each other. In particular, the keywords are divergent - while superiority was an essential term to French colonialism in Equatorial Africa, sacrifice was hugely accentuated in Japanese …show more content…
Over the course of 1908 and 1918, “French traditions were seen as the best answer to dietary health.” (Neill 2009, 5) Frenchmen believed that such superiority could help them symbolically strengthen French power over Africans in the colonies. (Neill 2009, 2) Hence, in regard to the adoption of local food, Frenchmen were unwilling to incorporate common African food, which was much more available (such as manioc, a major staple of urban African diet), into their diet. Instead, French settlers replied on canned food, in order to preserve their French habits. (Neill 2009, 16) Furthermore, reinforced by new technologies, including “steamships, canning, and refrigeration”, it was more convenient for French settles to avoid acceptance of local food of Africa, sticking to imported French ingredients and food prepared in a classical French fashion. (Neill 2009, 22)
Speaking of French settler communities in Africa, one of the ways for them to celebrate their superiority was gathering together during the “cocktail hour”. The customary afternoon aperitif was regarded as a vital part of colonial life. Such rituals of the “cocktail hour” functioned to separate Europeans and their allowable privileges from the surrounding population (Neill 2009, 17). Additionally, since early 1890s, European governments raised taxes on imported European liquor, which elevated its status as “a symbol …show more content…
Consequently, a competition was set up between Japanese settlers and local Koreans. Such competition stimulated Koreans to imitate Japanese by adopting Japanese traditions, while Japanese settlers strived hard to be more authentic than the surrounding imitators. In this regard, due to the competition and the similarities between Japanese and Korean culture, Japanese settlers definitely have experienced more “insecurities” than French settlers did. This is a strong embodiment of “sacrifice” - at the time, Japan was looking up to Western countries, so the sense of superiority was not strong. Even though Japan considered itself to be more superior than Korea of the time.
Summary
In retrospect, due to the varied natural environment, adoption of local food, and social circumstances. Along with the escalating warfare and oppressive colonial expansion (Lee 2012, 173), Japan used sacrifice as a powerful weapon to consolidate Japanese home and residing in its colonies. Along the same vein, the superiority embraced by French settlers boiled down to its pride in French culinary practices, a national cuisine that evolved in a class-based society (Neill 2009, 22). As far as I am concerned, through the lens of , Afford food for