Understanding fusion Korean food: considerations of identity, creation and acceptance in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

ABSTRACT Our research addresses the link between the palatability of food and ethnic acceptance within dominant cultures. Specifically, we explore considerations of fusion Korean food in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Within our exploration, our paper not only reveals how our four Korean chefs construct fusion Korean food, but how that construction has co-created the acceptability of Korean migrants within Aotearoa New Zealand’s socio-culture. In these ways, our paper provides a unique insight into the politics of palatability, recognizing the key role that food plays in constructs of identity and social acceptance. Consequently, our paper’s considerations of fusion Korean food provide a template of understanding for other ethnic groups seeking recognition and acceptance within a dominant socio-culture.