Overview

Designs a novel analytical framework to approach transcultural food mobilities, a culinary phenomenon that has been with us for decades as a result of colonialism and globalization Why is it surprising for some of us to read the pairing of ""Chinese"" with ""pizzas"" and ""Italian"" with ""dumplings,"" such as proposed in the book’s title? After all, in some regions of the two countries, Italians eat frequently dumplings, and Chinese frequently make baked, steamed, or fried flatbread with toppings or fillings. Furthermore, when dumplings are made in Italy by Chinese migrants or Chinese Italians, or when pizzas are made in China by Italian migrants, Chinese Italians, or Chinese without apparent ties with Italy, are these culinary products Chinese, Italian, Chinese-Italian, or something else? Why do we need to care for such labeling dilemmas? This book shows how China-Italy food mobilities relayed in popular culture helped forge Chi­nese and Italians’ socioeconomic identities in recent decades by fundamentally shaping contempo­rary Chinese and Italian consumer cultures. This book addresses China-Italy food cultures against the backdrops of two epoch-making socioeconomic processes. During the 1980s, Chinese cuisine became the first non-European food widely available in Italy, thanks to the widespread presence of Chinese eateries. Only American fast food, which established itself in Italy around the same time, enjoyed comparable popularity as a destination for Italian culinary tourism. Meanwhile, in the early 1990s, together with American hamburgers and fried chicken, the American food chain Pizza Hut’s pizzas and spaghetti were the first non-Asian foods that post-Mao Chinese customers recognized as ""Western."" The book proposes a critical framework that analyzes transcultural food mobilities by seriously assessing the confluence of diverse mobilities and their impact on food cultures. Ulti­mately, the study shows that a sophisticated interpretation of transcultural food mobilities can help address alterity and build understanding in a world of increasing political and cultural polarization.

Full Product Details

9781531512163

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Reviews

Food constitutes a great entry point to observe the relationship between the Chinese and Italian cultures, as it is central to both. Looking at hospitality, food production, tourism, and media within the broader context of globalization, Zhang Gaoheng provides an original and stimulating analysis of the mobilities and the migration flows that have connected the two countries in the past few decades.---Fabio Parasecoli, Professor of Food Studies, New York University

""Food constitutes a great entry point to observe the relationship between the Chinese and Italian cultures, as it is central to both. Looking at hospitality, food production, tourism, and media within the broader context of globalization, Zhang Gaoheng provides an original and stimulating analysis of the mobilities and the migration flows that have connected the two countries in the past few decades."" - Fabio Parasecoli, Professor of Food Studies, New York University

Author Information

Gaoheng Zhang is Associate Professor of Italian Studies at the University of British Columbia. His recent books include two monographs, Fashion Communications Between Italy and China: Unfolding a Sartorial Relationship (Bloomsbury, 2025) and Migration and the Media: Debating Chinese Migration to Italy, 1992–2012 (Toronto, 2019), and a co-edited volume, Cultural Mobilities Between China and Italy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024).

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