Cultural dialogism in the dissemination of culinary knowledge: a comparative analysis of How to Cook and Eat in Chinese and Chinese Gastronomy

Abstract

ABSTRACT The dissemination of culinary knowledge is achieved mainly via cookbooks. It is no exception that Chinese culinary knowledge reaches international audience via cookbooks penned by Chinese diasporas. This research makes a comparison of two Chinese cookbooks to approach how they achieve cultural dialogism in their introduction of Chinese culinary knowledge into the English world. To elucidate this major statement, dual aspects are expounded, namely, the way to reconstruct Chinese culinary knowledge system and the methods to translate Chinese culinary terms. In this discussion, Chinese and English culinary knowledge systems are taken as cultural others to each other. The diasporic authors of the two cookbooks, with flexible cultural standpoints either as an insider or an outsider of Chinese and English culinary cultures, enhance cultural dialogism between heterogenous cookery traditions and practices. It is concluded that cookbooks are among the diverse cultural texts of (Chinese) diasporas, whose social functions go far beyond transferring culinary knowledge or establishing the authors’ identity in an exotic context. Rather, they serve as a “tasty tool-kit” to promote cross-continental communication and intercultural dialogues.