Friday, March 5th, 2010 Asian Foodprints: Rediscovering Japan through a Culinary Odyssey

Description

In our 2010 Asian Foodprints conference – our second such event – we will focus on Japan and Japanese food. The aim of this event is to use Japanese food and its culinary traditions as windows to explore both continuities and change in Japanese society. From Sanrio’s global merchandising of Kogepan, to saturated television programming in Japan about cuisine, to the cultural economy of fish and rice, food makes up the very social, political, and economic fabric of Japan. The globalization of sushi and the syndication of the Iron Chef model worldwide are a testament to the popular reach of Japanese food. And the several academic treatments of Japanese cuisine and food more generally are proof of their scholarly intrigue. As such, this conference marries the popular with the academic. Indeed, as an important nexus between east and west, modern Japan has played a significant role in shaping global society, prompting ever more curiosity about the evolution of Japanese cuisine and food culture. In addition to a more “hands-on” perspective on Japanese food, the conference will feature three panel discussions about:

1. Food and Social Identity;
2. Japanese Food Culture in Practice;
3. Food, Politics and Economy

The 2010 Asian Foodprints conference looks to build on the success of the inaugural event which featured Chinese and Hong Kong cuisine. That rendition was received with tremendous delight by the community and critics alike, as well as extraordinary academic acclaim by scholars of food and food culture. We expect Rediscovering Japan to be even better. The conference is hosted by the Asian Institute, Canada’s largest Asia-focused research and teaching centre, and the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia Pacific Studies at the University of Toronto. However, this conference is a collaborative endeavour, with contributions and support from the Departments of Sociology and East Asian Students, the Japan Foundation and the Japanese consulate in Toronto.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM [updated 2.12.10]:

8:30 – 9:00 REGISTRATION and breakfast

9:00 – 9:15 WELCOME
Joseph Wong (Director, Asian Institute, University of Toronto)

OPENING REMARKS
Senator Vivienne Poy (Senate of Canada and Chancellor Emerita of the University of Toronto)
Consul General Tetsuo Yamashita (Consulate General of Japan, Toronto)

INTRODUCTION
Vanina Leschziner (Professor of Sociology, University of Toronto)

9:15 – 10:15 KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Examining Japan’s Culinary Soft Power and the Geopolitics of Cuisine in East Asia
James Farrer (Professor of Sociology, Sophia University, Tokyo)

10:15 – 10:30 BREAK

10:30 – 11:45 PANEL I: Food and Social Identity

Five Myths of Premodern Cuisine
Eric C. Rath (Professor Pre-Modern Japanese History, University of Kansas)

Crocodile Sushi and Wasabi Slurry: Dynamics in Japanese Cuisine
Michael Ashkenazi (Food Scholar and Author; The Essence of Japanese Cuisine: An Essay on Food and Culture)

Becoming Ainu in Tokyo: A Story of Urban Ainu Life told through Ainu Food
Mark K. Watson (Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal)

Discussant: Thomas Keirstead (Professor East Asian Studies, University of Toronto)

11:45 – 12:30 FOOD DEMONSTRATION
Co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan

Mina Makimine (Chef of Consul General of Japan)

12:30 – 1:55 LUNCH
Hosted by the Consul General Tetsuo Yamashita (Consulate General of Japan)

1:55 – 2:00 GREETINGS FROM THE FACULTY OF ARTS & SCIENCE

Ito Peng (Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science, U of T)

2:00 – 3:15 PANEL II: Japanese Food Culture in Practice

The Culture of Sushi in Japan and Canada: What a Difference a Country Makes?
Hiro Yoshida (Chef, Hiro Sushi Restaurant)

The Sake Boom in Japan and After
Chieko Fujita (Free-lance writer and journalist; based in Japan)

Sake in Japan & Canada – Lost in Translation
Shotaro Ozawa (Sales Manager, Ozawa Canada Inc.)

Discussant: Vanina Leschziner (Professor of Sociology, University of Toronto)

3:15 – 3:30 BREAK

3:30 – 4:45 PANEL III: Food, Politics and Economy

Traditional Sushi Pizza: The Constructed Image of Japanese Culinary Culture
Shaun Tanaka (Professor of Geography, University of Toronto)

The Journey of the Flying Fish: Canada and the Birth of Modern Sushi
Sasha Issenberg (Author of The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy and Washington Correspondent, “Monocle”)

Discussant: Harriet Friedmann (Professor of Sociology, University of Toronto)

4:45 – 5:00 CLOSING REMARKS

Vanina Leschziner (Professor of Sociology, University of Toronto)

Click above to register for the CONFERENCE. For CONFERENCE DINNER please check separate registration site at http://webapp.mcis.utoronto.ca/EventDetails.aspx?eventid=8691