Modern East Asia Class Takes to the Field

The Modern East Asia (HIST 314) class went to the New China Chinese Restaurant in Ada on Tuesday for lunch. The purpose was to explore how East Asian cuisine has been transmitted to the United States.

In addition to the meal (students tended toward the spicier items) the owner of the restaurant, who comes from Guangzhou in the People's Republic of China, told the students about how the food she offers differs from what they would find in that country. According to her, the main difference is that in China the food normally comes in its original form, i.e. chicken comes with the head and feet still attached, as do fish, and that the bones generally remain. American sensibilities require that these be removed. She also told the class that Chinese cooking varies between north and south, with northern cooking featuring more noodles and bread, while southern contains the rice that is more familiar to Americans.

The photos above were taken by Sophie Crawford, wife of Professor Crawford, who joined the class for lunch. Sophie, who is from France, also told the class about how Chinese food in France differs from the American version. She told them that the sauce in American Chinese food tends to have thicker sauce, similar to American gravy. This brought up grocery-store tourism, or looking at a culture through how they set up their groceries. Professor Crawford mentioned that one of the first things he noticed in France was that there was an odor in groceries, of fresh food, but one could smell fish, cheeses and other foods, something that is unusual in American stores. Alyxia Caragiu mentioned that she had noticed the same thing in Romania, and Matt Byal found the same thing in India.

It was a good meal and a good learning experience, looking at how East Asian culture has moved across the Pacific, and how culture must adopt to its new location.

Pictured from right foreground around the table counterclockwise – Trey Jones (SO Social Studies), Carol Wilson (SR English), Jennifer Bazell (SR Social Studies), Matt Byal (SR International Studies), Alyssa Smithers (JR History), Warren Burless (JR Psychology), Anthony Azzarello (SR Sport Management), Heather Stein (FR General Studies), Alyxia Caragiu (JR Business), Kim Howard (SO Social Studies), and Professor Crawford.