Understanding fusion Korean food: considerations of identity, creation and acceptance in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Our research addresses the link between the palatability of food and ethnic acceptance within dominant cultures. Specifically, we explore considerations of fusion Korean food in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Within our exploration, our paper not only reveals how our four Korean chefs construct fusion Korean food, but how that construction has co-created the acceptability of Korean migrants within Aotearoa New Zealand’s socio-culture. In these ways, our paper provides a unique insight into the politics of palatability, recognizing the key role that food plays in constructs of identity and social acceptance. Consequently, our paper’s considerations of fusion Korean food provide a template of understanding for other ethnic groups seeking recognition and acceptance within a dominant socio-culture.

KEYWORDS:

• Fusion
• socio-culture
• culture
• Korea
• new zealand
• food
• kiwi-korean
• bibimbap
• identity
• palatability

Acknowledgments

The research on which this article is based would not have been possible without the help of our four research chef participants. We express our gratitude for their time and the expertise shared with us throughout our research process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The term “invented tradition” refers to Hobsbawm and Ranger’s (1983 2012)notion and involves “a process of formalization and ritualization, characterized by reference to the past, if only by imposing repetition” (4).

2. Glocalisation is a neologism of the two words “global” and “local” (Robertson 2012; Roudometof 2016).

3. Stano (2014) described the “taco pizza” as “a pizza made with cheddar and pepper jack cheese, tomato sauce, refried beans, taco chips, lettuce, and other common taco components” (p. 905).

4. According to Kong (2018), tonkatsu was a fusion dish that exemplified western influences (and especially a food culture of eating pork) within Japan during the Meiji era.

5. Spoonley (1988) observed that Pākehā are “New Zealanders of a European background whose cultural values and behavior have been primarily formed from the experiences of being a member of the dominant group of New Zealand” (63–64).

6. As Sobur et al. (2018) noted, “Korean pop music is known as Korean Pop or K-pop” (414).

7. Jidan (지단/알고명): a type of garnish where egg white and yolk are separated, beaten, and pan-fried into thin sheets. The sheets are usually sliced into thin strips and used as garnishes for various dishes.

8. Bok choy: a type of Chinese cabbage.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joanne-Yeeun Chun

Joanne-Yeeun Chun has recently completed her Masters of Gastronomy dissertation at Auckland University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Joanne’s research explored the ways Korean chefs developed fusion bibimbaps within the Auckland milieu. Through discussing the practical realizations of fusion bibimbaps, her research proposed the symbolic significance of bibimbap and fusion bibimbaps to a Kiwi-Korean identity. As an emerging researcher, Joanne is keen to undertake more research and publishing opportunities. This paper is her first foray into academic publishing.

Lindsay Neill

Dr Lindsay Neill is senior lecturer in hospitality management at Auckland University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Lindsay’s research interests lie in vernacular and popular culture, particularly food, Kiwi identity and materiality, gastronomy, semiotics, and the music and social influence of The Beatles. Lindsay has published widely on these topics and is also the coauthor of five textbooks including the award-winning New Zealand Chef.