The Study Of Food Cultural Change In Taiwan Since 1900

Taiwan is the largest island in China, and has deep ties with the mainland. But since the end of the nineteenth century it suffered the colonial rule of Japanese and the martial law regulation of national government in a hundred years time. So many Japanese colonial rulers and immigrants from China provinces had come to Taiwan and caused enormous impact and influence. Food culture as the most fundamental aspect of people’s social life also has a great impact and change so far.Before the twentieth century, Taiwan food culture were mainly affected by mainland immigrants from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou of Fujian Province. It has a strong flavor of minnan color and lay the foundation for the Taiwan food culture. In 1895, Japan occupied Taiwan, a lot of Japanese flocked to Taiwan, brought many Japanese cuisine, improved Taiwan rice varieties, and enriched the kinds of Taiwan’s staple food and subsidiary food. During the period of Japanese occupation in Taiwan, the custom of dining out was more and more popular, increased many restaurants, and emerged Japanese restaurants. At the same time in order to improve the health condition in Taiwan, Japanese colonialists promulgated a series of decrees to regulate the Taiwan restaurants and food markets. The Second World War ended in 1945, national government received Taiwan from the Japanese colonialists. And in the civil war national government was defeated and retreated to Taiwan. In order to consolidate the domination, Taiwan began martial law rule period for 38 years. During this period the Taiwan people’s diet experienced a shift from grains to pasta, noodles became the large-scale consumption of food. The influx of millions of mainlanders to Taiwan also brought the continent diet style to Taiwan. In 1987, martial law was lifted, Taiwan gradually towards to a democratic society, the economic has developed continuously. Taiwan’s snack shine under the driven of the night market economy, and became a representative of Taiwan’s food culture in the new era. The exoteric Taiwan market has become a national show stage of food culture. It can be said that the hundred years of Taiwan’s food culture is the most important period with a great change, fusion and development, and Taipei as the political, economic and cultural center of Taiwan, is the most typical representative of them.Through the analysis of the three stages of Taiwan food cultural change, this article also makes a further analysis on the relationship between the food culture with the political power and social identity. From the food rationing policy between Japan-ruled period and the reign of KMT period we can see that political power has great domination and control to people, and from the Taiwan banquet history after the national government we can know the interactive relationship between changes in the political system and the general public catering culture.Finally, the paper takes the education of Japan-ruled period and the historical memory of military dependants’ village as example to explain that food culture is of great significance to social identity.In short, this article tries to reflect the changes of Taiwan food culture since twentieth Century through the investigation of Taipei food culture development, and on this basis I describes the relationship between food culture, political power and social identity, which may provide a new angle for us to examine changes in Taiwan’s history.