Bodily Memory and Sensibility: Culinary Preferences and National Consciousness in the Case of ＂Taiwanese Cuisine＂

Abstract

This paper employs ＂bodily memory＂ to theorize the concept culinary preference and examines how consumers conceive of the notion of a ＂Taiwanese cuisine＂ and the relationship between national consciousness and culinary preference. I will consider how a sense of nationality might link individuals to a particular set of dishes. The cases discussed reveal that ＂Taiwanese cuisine＂ is not meaningful to all consumers, and a preference for that cuisine cannot be interpreted as purely an expression of Taiwanese identity. Instead, such a preference is rooted in the lived experience and bodily memories of consumers. This study shows that informants understand ＂Taiwanese cuisine＂ from diverse perspectives, in particular gender, locality, and ethnicity. Social positions, the social experiences of consumers, and their need for inclusion and exclusion are all influential in shaping these diverse perspectives. On the basis of their lived experiences and memories (of specific flavors and dining contexts, for instance), individuals develop their own sensibilities, which serve as the ground where culinary preference and national consciousness appear to be correlated. Thus, while food is often viewed as a boundary marker in anthropological research, this research identifies restrictions on the boundary-marker roles that food can play.