Put proposal draft writing here

Introduction/Background

"...a foreign culture is not easily shared; one must learn its language, penetrate its symbols, get the feel' for it that only comes from protracted interaction and a sustained effort at understanding." 

-Pierre L. van den Berghe, pg 9

Van Den Berghe, P. L. (1984). Ethnic cuisine: culture in nature. Ethnic & Racial Studies, 7(3), 387.

Food, Etiquette and Manners go hand in hand in everyday life in Japan. They are social practices inherited through history and have strong connections to the roots of Japan. The interest in Japanese culture continues to grow in New Zealand. An example being Japanese food influencing many restaurants and outlets. As a result, the rate of New Zealanders going on exchanges to Japan increases each year. Through globalization there has been a loss of Japanese identity with the promotion of western values and beliefs. This has caused Japanese food to join the fast food chain ,and the food altered and adapted to suit New Zealand tastes. Consequently there is a lack of ‘authenticity’ as the original cultural roots are forgotten and the value of the food is lessened.

A lack of knowledge of the culture embedded in Japanese food is an obstacle for New Zealand travelers going to Japan. Western stereotyped etiquette causes them to be unaware of etiquette and manner taboos they perform. How we eat is a cultural and social expression and as a result it is harder for foreigners to belong if appropriate manners and etiquette are not followed.

Our proposal sets out to explain our journey and proposed design response. Through the use of different theories, we will analyze why food, manners and etiquette are important in the cultural identity of Japan and how appropriate Japanese etiquette can change how food is experienced for a New Zealander in Japan. We will also outline where the project will head, in providing practical ways of teaching knowledge related to eating etiquette and manners to future travelers to Japan. This is beneficial, as it will enable them to make a good impression and easily transition from western culture to Japanese culture.

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“We turn the consumption of food, a biological necessity, into a carefully cultured phenomenon. We use eating as a medium for social relationships: satisfaction of the most individual of needs becomes a means of creating community" – Margaret Visser

Japan and New Zealand have been maintaining a friendly relationship since the post World War II. New links were established after the war and Kiwi culture has continued to be enriched by Japanese influences. Japanese food culture is one of the few aspects that were inherited from Japan and has continued to do so these days. However through globalization, Japanese cuisines in New Zealand have since then be changed altered and adapted to fit in New Zealand’s fast food chain aspect. Original cultural roots are often ignored and forgotten as a result which starts to become problematic for students who are intending to study in Japan. Stereotyped etiquette are often followed but they do not correspond with the etiquette that they have in Japan. They become distant to these cultural practices, leading to a disconnection in relationship with the Japanese. (Still need to write more)

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Central Proposition/ Research Question

A tangible guide can be used to understand why food, etiquette and manners are important in the cultural identity of Japan. It can also help future travelers learn appropriate eating etiquette and manners before going to Japan.



"Although the majority of Japanese don't believe in one specific religion but combine aspects of several religions in their daily lives, Shinto is the prosthetic religion that originated from Japan."

"matsuri are festivals celebrating religious traditions through out the year. They are mostly Shinto festivals and devoted to different gods and local traditions depending on when and where they are celebrated."

"Iki and wabi-sabi have many things in common, and together they constitute the basis od aesthetic ideals in present day  Japan as well as Japanese behavior."

http://lccpgdesign.com/2013/students/lei-wang/projects/how-does-wabi-sabi-influence-japanese-contemporary-design

https://lissaliane.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/book-design-wabi-sabi/

http://alexbakkerdesign.com/project/wabi-sabi/

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How can a interactive guide be used to challenge westernized perception of Japanese dining and help future Kiwi exchange students who are interested in travelling to Japan learn and establish a confident understanding of food that is embedded in Japanese table manners and etiquette? 

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Aim

Through Research we found globalized Japanese food has caused a loss in value of manners and etiquette in NZ. This prompted us to create a helpful guide for future travelers to Japan. Through detailed research and personal experience, we want to gently educate our audience to establish a confident mind about Japanese food and its embedded etiquette. This is so they are well prepared before their trip to Japan and to settle into a new environment with ease. Our guide will familiarize and provide knowledge for travelers. This will help them understand proper eating etiquette and manners used everyday in Japan.

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The fast food identification in Japanese restaurants compelled us to create a helpful guide for future exchange students who are interested in travelling to Japan. Through detailed research and personal experience, we want to gently educate our audience to establish a confident mind about Japanese food and its embedded etiquette so they are well prepared before their trip begins. This is key to settling in a new environment and avoid misunderstandings; reducing the cultural shock. This guide will provide a gateway into a rarely discussed topic in order to challenge westernised perception of Japanese dining derived from common stereotypes.  

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Theory

"consumer culture is often carried away by the seasonal colour schemes and special feelings, rituals associated with each of the seasons."

http://www.slideshare.net/Semiotico/japanese-semiotics-aesthetics


Cultural semiotics

Basic Tasks of Cultural Semiotics. In: Gloria Withalm and Josef Wallmannsberger (eds.) (2004), Signs of Power – Power of Signs. Essays in Honor of Jeff Bernard. Vienna: INST, p. 56-89.
http://faculty.georgetown.edu/irvinem/theory/Posner-basictasksofculturalsemiotics.pdf

“culture may be regarded as a hierarchy of particular semiotic systems, as the sum of texts and the set of functions correlated with them, or as a certain mechanism which generates these texts”.

https://culturedecanted.com/2014/10/08/the-semiotics-of-cutlery-eating-food-symbolically-off-course/

The term “cultural semiotics” has been used since Ernst Cassirer (1923-29) suggested describing certain kinds of sign systems as “symbolic forms” and claimed that the symbolic forms of a society constitute its culture. Cultural semiotics is that subdiscipline of semiotics which has culture as its subject.

-Comparisons of east against west in eating styles?

west

 east

http://www.orange-red.com/blog/2012/04/01/cultural-differences-china-vs-west/

https://foxhugh.com/multicultural/figuring-out-cross-cultural-dining-etiquette/

Types of Etiquette

1) Seating – Who sits where?  What sort of chairs and tables do you have?How do you sit?

2) Utensils – What utensils are used for eating?  Are there any rules about how to use the utensils?What foods require utensils and what foods can be eaten with your hands?

3) Body Language – Are there any rules about posture?  Are there any rules about chewing your food?

4) Conversation – What are acceptable topics at the dining table?

5) Noises – Is slurping allowed?  How noisy can your chewing be?

6) Drinking – What are some common toasts?  Are there any special rules about filling glasses?

7) Timing – When do you arrive at a home or restaurant?  When do you sit down?Is there a particular order to what you drink or eat?  When do you leave a home or restaurant?

8) Reciprocity – Do you tip? If you do tip then how much do you tip?  If you are invited to dinner do you have to repay the host with a dinner?

Cultural Taboos

Van Den Berghe, P. L. (1984). Ethnic cuisine: culture in nature. Ethnic & Racial Studies, 7(3), 387.
retrieved from: http://www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/doi/pdf/10.1080/01419870.1984.9993452

" Commensalism is our central social ritual. Thus, we combine our two most powerful behavioral reinforcers: food and sociality." pg 10

"Inevitably, ethnic food can fall victim to its success. Once its popularity earns it a place in the mass market, it loses all value as an ethnic marker, and thus becomes 'deethnidsed.'"pg 9

"Ethnic cuisine is the easiest and most pleasant way to cross ethnic boundaries. As eating together is perhaps the most basic expression of human sociality, ethnic cuisine could well be the ultimate reconciliation between a diversity we cherish and a common humanity we must recognize if we are to live amicably together." pg 11

Margaret Visser

"Less noticeable signs can catch us off our guard and rob us more insidiously of our sense of security. Most of the picturesque (vivid) details that strike travelers as weird have to do with table manners."

“We turn the consumption of food, a biological necessity, into a carefully cultured phenomenon. We use eating as a medium for social relationships: satisfaction of the most individual of needs becomes a means of creating community" – Margaret Visser

Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions

“Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiment in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e., historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other, as conditioning elements of future action. “Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn, 1952, p. 181)

(An Ethnography of dinner entertainment in japan) reading:

"Superficial understanding of a culture is often said to be worse than no understanding at all."

"..it gives one a false conviction that he knows it all."

"..an ethnic cuisine is associated with a geographically and/or historically defined eating community."

The Five Stages of Culture Shock: Critical Incidents Around the World By Paul Pedersen

"Without a fixed cultural identity, the multicultural person is forced back on her or his own subjectivity to interpret experiences. It is easy for the multicultural person to be overwhelmed by the cultural context."


http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Globalization_and_its_Effect_on_Cultural_Diversity
"Globalization allows further colonization which impacts intellectual property and cultural rights. Global access to information has opened the gateway to acquiring cultural property and information. Many view that ‘if it is out there it is free for the taking’, which includes cultural signs, songs, dance, rituals and other cultural artifacts. These icons of a culture are viewed as a living heritage and are an integral part of identity (Smith, 2000). Using images, reselling them and mis-representing these rights are considered property theft and a heinous crime against communities. It is difficult to monitor or control what is out on the Internet and therefore difficult to prevent and prosecute appropriately."

Gannon, M. J. (2008). Paradoxes of Culture and Globalization. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.

“As globalization has proceeded, it has created many changes that influence all or most of us, sometimes in very minor ways and at other times critically.”

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Method/Process (Methodology?)

-Found Studies
study on american ethnic restuarants
Liu, S. Q., & Mattila, A. S. (2015). Ethnic dining: Need to belong, need to be unique, and menu offering. International Journal Of Hospitality Management, 491-7. doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2015.04.010

exchange student study

Byram, M., & Feng, A. (2006). Living and Studying Abroad : Research and Practice. Clevedon [England]: Multilingual Matters.

Retrieved from:

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzE3NDg4NV9fQU41?sid=d1d3b5b0-368e-4b9d-925a-fb7a29ca705b@sessionmgr105&vid=0&hid=112&format=EB

mind map or journey map ?

mood board (Inspiration)?

visual trials?



methodology

Colour and symbolism:

The power of five:

Five Colors
The prevalence of the five colors – white, black, red, green and yellow – has been a tradition since Buddhism arrived from China in the 6th century. It can be seen in temple architecture, pottery and artwork. The Japanese believe that it is best to include the five colors in every meal. While I don’t always do this, I find that following the five colors rule boosts the nutritional value, as well as the visual enjoyment of the meal. Today’s bento, for instance, includes white rice with black sesame seeds, a red umeboshi, a slice of sweet yellow omelette, and green beans with black sesame sauce. Being mindful of this practice will help you serve balanced meals with the proper vitamins and minerals. My aunt used to say that you should eat 20 different kinds of food a day. I’ve also read that this practice also helps the Japanese stay slim.

Whenever I make a monochrome meal, I find it strange and somehow lacking. One of my favorite dishes is genmai rice with tororo, with miso soup on the side; basically, different shades of white and brown. Adding shredded nori to the rice, yellow pickles and a green salad with cherry tomatoes would improve the meal greatly, but I have to admit that I don’t always do so.

-Food should be enjoyed by all the five senses, including vision. Choosing appropriate and beautiful tableware to please the eye is as important as flavor.

-Five ways: including a wide variety of food preparation, such as deep-frying, adds richness to a meal.

http://www.savoryjapan.com/learn/culture/power.of.five.html

Activities Shared in groups

http://www.post-it.co.nz/wps/portal/3M/en_NZ/APAC_Post-it/Home/Solutions/Articles/Peer-study-ideas-learning-a-foreign-language/

Idea of hierarchy

Could compose things on page this way, The system of Japanese etiquette is based on hierarchy.

Simple design

Comparisons

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Intention

Roles
summary of findings
what design strategy are we using?

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Bibliography/Appendices

http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Globalization_and_its_Effect_on_Cultural_Diversity

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