Teaching Asian American History Through the Lens of Chinese Food

From the demonization of the food additive MSG to the shuttering of Chinese restaurants in the U.S. during the pandemic, attitudes about Chinese food have reflected broader trends and sentiments toward the Chinese and Asian American population. Likewise, shifts in the Chinese restaurant industry—the prevalence of certain regional cuisines and the boom of trendy, upscale Chinese restaurants in urban areas—reflect changes within the Chinese American population itself.

In a virtual event hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute on May 3, a panel of historians discussed the intersection of Asian American history and Chinese food. Introducing the discussion, Francesca Bray, professor emerita of social anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, explained the value of studying the production and consumption of Chinese food in order to “appreciate the unlikely interplay of food and racial politics.”

Racist Misconceptions About the Origin of COVID

Particularly now, as immigrant-operated Chinese restaurants across the country are struggling, partially as a result of racist misconceptions about the origin of COVID, we can “help solve problems by incorporating cooking and eating as a critical teaching component in Asian and Asian American history classes,” Bray said.