Short description:

The Language of Food: Through the Lens of East Asian Films and Drama invites readers into the fascinating world where food culture and language intersect, revealing how each dish communicates beyond mere taste.

Long description:

The Language of Food: Through the Lens of East Asian Films and Drama invites readers into the fascinating world where food culture and language intersect, revealing how each dish communicates beyond mere taste.

Through East Asian films and television shows, this book uncovers the rich tapestry of 'food languages' embedded within East Asian cultures. Divided into three parts ? Base, Ingredients, and Seasoning ? this book provides a structured exploration of this phenomenon. The Base section offers philosophical and historical context, while the Ingredients section delves deeper into specific themes, using examples from film and television drama to illustrate the nuanced communication inherent in food culture. Finally, the book is 'seasoned' with linguistic insights and a practical food words glossary, aiding readers in navigating the intricate verbal and cultural nuances at play. This illuminating resource goes beyond the realm of food itself, offering a profound understanding of how each dish carries its language, enriching communication and deepening cultural connections.

This book will captivate students and researchers of East Asian languages, media studies, film studies, food studies, and Korean Wave studies and anyone intrigued by the intricate relationship between food and language.

"In Proust's ? la recherche du temps perdu (known in English as Remembrance of Things Past), a mere mention of a simple plain madeleine is enough to send the narrator into rapturous memories of his childhood. If the memory of the tiny clams at the bottom of your dashi broth, the crunch of kurobota pork katsu and shredded cabbage or the stiffening sourness of a favoured kimchi jjigae have the same effect on you, then Jieun Kiaer, Loli Kim and Niamh Calway's The Language of Food will become a favourite of yours. With an invigorating multi-modal approach, the authors explore the intersections and collisions around the language of East Asian food, its technologies and cultures. Combined with a lively visual analysis of cinematic moments of ranging across East Asian cinema from Wong Kar-Wai's beautiful In the Mood for Love to the more recent Apple TV+ series Pachinko, the book's words conjure the flavours of many a delectable edible moment for this reader."

Dr Robert Winstanley-Chesters, University of Edinburgh, UK

Table of Contents:

LIST OF FIGURES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PROLOGUE

BASE

PREPARATION, SERVING, AND CONSUMPTION

ARTICULATING FOOD DISCOURSE

INGREDIENTS      

RICE

SWEET POTATO

NOODLES

Ramen and Ramyeon Are Not the Same

DUMPLINGS

STEW

SOUP

MEAT

VEG

FISH

KIMCHI

PICKLE         

TEA

DESSERT

FUSION   

Omurice and Y?shoku

English Breakfast

Cha Chaan Teng

SEASONING

LANGUAGE MATTERS     

Japanese

Chinese

Korean    

Diverse Forms and Words

FOOD WORD GLOSSARY

FILMOGRAPHY

REFERENCES