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Taiwan’s
Rapidly Changing Food-Habits

      
Dereke Bruce

         
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the
course-work requirements for the degree of
Master of gastronomy

at

The University of Adelaide.

2005

Student I.D: a1106958

Abstract

Over the past 30 years, the enormity of change in the diet of the Taiwanese people has been spectacular. Increased wealth has been the vehicle of change, allowing a people who once subsisted on rice soup with taro or sweet potato to now enjoy a virtual cornucopia of global tastes.

The purpose of this work is to explore why the Taiwanese people have so readily embraced such a vast array of foreign cuisines and to determine which sector of Taiwanese society is calling for such radical changes in their daily diet. From an empirical standpoint and prior to the commencement of this work, there appeared to have been several factors evident within Taiwanese society that warranted further investigation into the food habits of contemporary Taiwanese society. The most telling of these factors was the recognition by the researcher of an air of restlessness that appeared to pervade the lives of the local people. This, coupled with a lack of national direction and the government-implemented policy of living within the parameters of the status quo, provided a platform from which to explore the reasons behind Taiwan’s rapidly changing food habits.

To this day very little has been published pertaining to the subject of Taiwan’s changing food-habits with a view towards a nation seeking its own national identity. For this reason, much of the cognitive research for this dissertation was conducted relating to neighbouring countries that had experienced parallel development-related events similar to the Taiwan experience. Some of the opinions expressed within this dissertation are by way of personal observation, inspired by applicable, corresponding events that have occurred throughout Southeast Asia. The events in question range from the influx of U.S based franchise catering services to the importation of a greater variety of foreign foodstuffs and their increasing availability in the traditional marketplace.

This work allows itself a brief sojourn into recent Taiwanese history while focussing primarily on contemporary Taiwanese food-habits and discusses currently perceived future trends within the parameters of the nation’s changing food-ways.

Declaration
    
I hereby declare that none of the material contained in this dissertation has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any institution and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief the dissertation contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text of the dissertation and corresponding bibliography. I consent to this dissertation being made available for photocopying and loan, if applicable and if the dissertation is accepted for the award of a degree.

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank his supervisor, Dr Alex Kutlaca for his relentless attention to detail and commitment to excellence in my work. His guidance, advice and support through genuine friendship from the inception of this dissertation through to completion were invaluable.
   
            Thanks are extended to my wife Liu Li Ling and her family for the many snippets of cultural inside information concerning Han Chinese migration, past Taiwanese history and insight into present culinary trends and their significance when compared with ancient Chinese gastronomic history.

I wish to offer thanks to my staff and colleagues within the food service industry for their patience in answering the many questions and their courage in truthfully reciting times of personal food scarcity. Today the country enjoys an abundance of produce, however many of these painful memories are still fresh in the minds of the Taiwanese people.

1.  Preface

1.1 National Identity (Overview)
Throughout the course of investigation for this research dissertation, it became apparent that there existed, in Taiwan today, a general sense of an unbridled enthusiasm for social development amongst Taiwanese, a sense that has transcended, currently transcends and appears to be likely to continue to transcend every tier of Taiwanese society. This entrepreneurial spirit is immediately recognisable to virtually all who choose to visit this island; however, behind the veneer of such enthusiastic endeavours is a foundation of restlessness brought about through the events of a tumultuous past and the resultant subsequent authoritarian mistrust.

Clearly the nagging questions asked by most of Taiwan society concerning self and place, when viewed within the light of good education and a broadening of financial horizons involve the sensitive matters of heritage, national identity and future social status. The matter of Taiwanese national identity has not yet been settled. The windfall of capital gains over the last 25 years has not reaped the coveted harvest of international standing, so eagerly sought after. Increased wealth does not appear to have led to a greater understanding of Taiwan’s rather precarious standing on the world stage, and the various ethnic divides that constitute Taiwanese nationality, has led to the evolution of a citizenry who have not yet reached any consensus as regards to who they actually are.

History and the recorded facts pertaining to migratory trends point to Taiwan as being a nation split between Chinese and South-East Asian heritage. Harsh dictatorship, tribal differences and a lack of national recognition from the world community is now forcing the people of Taiwan to either create a national identity or choose one that is agreeable with the remainder of the world.

Food is one cultural construct that Taiwanese society has used and continues to use as a tool to achieve this goal. The previous generation scratched the surface of national pride through hard work. Now, democracy, higher education and the desire for a national identity as Taiwanese by the global community is digging up a spirit of national sentiment that will somehow make sense of this island’s colourful past. None, but a handful of scholars, have penned the history of the islands past three centuries and only a very small group of writers have outlined the evolutionary pathways of contemporary Taiwanese foods.

In some instances, throughout the introduction and overview sections of this dissertation the researcher has linked the foods of today with certain historical facts, these being based upon the work of previous scholars and which are referenced accordingly. A review of Taiwan’s gastronomic past, highlighting the ethnic migratory patterns and corresponding eras, is imperative in order to better understand the direction in which the Taiwanese food-habits appear to be heading today and, more importantly, in order to gain a greater depth of understanding as to why the people of Taiwan have chosen to embark on such a culinary journey.

The Taiwanese timeline of chronological history briefly outlines significant events over the past three-centuries, but this does not insinuate the genesis of a specific civilisation on the island known then as “Formosa”. The timeline provides the author with a platform from which the political stage can be set, and the resultant power play will offer a better understanding of ethnic migratory trends. The intent is to highlight the origins of contemporary Taiwanese society and to reveal the cultural divides still present with a view towards investigating the pathways of today’s changing food-habits for Taiwan.

Earliest inhabitants, along with the sections on Early Foods exemplify the dimension of change in contemporary Taiwanese cuisine, and highlight the influence of globalisation upon contemporary Taiwanese food-habits. The researcher has chosen to include a brief overview of Chinese regional foodstuffs in order to explore possible links between the culinary pathways of Taiwan’s contemporary food-habits in context with Taiwanese gastronomic ancestry. Although the indigenous (aboriginal) people of Taiwan reveal a rich colourful culture, their foods (as has been cited in the sections on Food Sources and the Taiwanese Diet) are only now coming to the forefront due to their political marginalisation. The aboriginal people’s culinary contribution to the establishment of a new national identity is of utmost importance. The recording of Taiwan’s past history is clearly a pre-requisite for the determination of the islands’ future.

The author of this research dissertation will now attempt to investigate a number of the changes in Taiwanese society that have occurred over the last 25 years, as seen through a shift in the daily food-habits of the Taiwanese people. 
          
1.2 Aim(s) and Objectives
It is proposed to investigate Taiwanese gastronomic history from the late seventeenth century to the present, with a focus on the 25 year period from 1980~2004.
Furthermore, it is also proposed that the researcher will attempt to examine whether any social or political changes (as seen over the prescribed study period) have led to any significant changes in contemporary Taiwanese food-ways.

I therefore propose to attempt to:
(a) Approach an understanding of the relative dimension of change to the daily diet of the Taiwanese people over the prescribed study period.
(b) Investigate and document transitional changes in staple cereals that may have taken place in Taiwan over this time period.
(c) Research and document criteria critical to that which acts as the catalyst for any changes to the Taiwanese daily diet.