Food Studies Matter, Meaning, Movement Case Japanese Food Identity, Maya Hey

CASE JAPANESE FOOD IDENTITY MAYA HEY DOES EATING NATTO MAKE ONE JAPANESE ?

Maya Hey is a researcher , writer , and educator working at the intersection of food , feminist thought , and fermentation . She holds degrees in nutrition , gastronomy , and cation studies alongside work experience that spans farms , markets , kitchens , and chemistry labs . Learning Outcomes After reading and discussing this text , students should be able to 60 JAPANESE FOOD IDENTITY

Name an example of a food identity and explain how one comes to embody it . Compare the internal and external processes of ing with a food practice . Consider and critique at least one aspect of the ( times problematic ) relationship between culture and authenticity , with regards to food . INTRODUCTION Natto is a fermented food made with soybeans . Originating in japan , it is often served as a topping to rice . Natto is one of the many ways that Japanese food culture preserves important source of the process of tion . Historically , fermenting soybeans ensured that people had access to vital nutrients long after the bean was harvested , such products as miso or ( better known as soy sauce in the West ) Unlike miso and , however , natto takes a shorter time to ferment ( two to four days versus several months ) Part of this difference is due to the fact that natto is fermented with a bacterial species called Bacillus , whereas the other ferments tend to use fungi ( of the Aspergillus and species ) Originally , the bacteria that transform natto came from dried rice stalks when farmers would try to preserve the bean , although nowadays the commonplace nature of natto in japan means that most of it is mass produced in Styrofoam ets . MAYA HEY 61

Soybean fermented fermented with bacteria with fungi natto miso Figure One bean , fermented three ways . Whereas Japanese ferments like miso and have become common in the Western larder , natto remains less so , partly because of its texture . As a result , natto is an anomaly worth exploring in further detail . To what extent does natto connote as a food and , taken further , connote Japanese food identity ?

62 JAPANESE FOOD IDENTITY Figure Historically , cooked soybeans would be placed inside bundles of dried rice stalks . The naturally occurring bacteria would transfer from the stalk to the bean and ferment the soybeans into natto . You might be thinking at this point , Why is it that miso and are fairly while natto remains less known ?

Natto is unique in its texture and is often regarded with a MAYA HEY 63 ture of fascination and disgust . On the one hand , natto is hailed as a and due to its health benefits , helping to combat conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases ( cardiovascular diseases ( sion , stroke ) and intestinal distress ( colitis , irritable bowel syndrome ) On the other hand , natto looks stringy and has a feel on the tongue , which tends to be a rare experience for eaters ( aside from eating vegetables like okra and ) As with other novel experiences , what remains unknown or to the eater may simply be written off as weird or . What is peculiar about natto is that some folks in Japan do not enjoy its , either . That is , natto is not universally loved by the Japanese people , yet it can be used as one of many to measure someone Japanese identity . Like many food ties , the repeated acts of consuming a food can bolster a persons sense of self I am who I am because eat . Or , on a scale We are the people who eat these foods they are the people who eat those foods . What we eat ( or dont eat ) can define who We are , but more than that , the practices We regularly perform with those foods can inform our food identities . Of course , this is not unique to Japan or to natto . Many foods can define individual values and collective belief systems , whether in vegan diets , Kosher dietary laws , or national dishes . Identities , especially food identities , are not fixed because they are subject to contextual differences that change the ways that food are practiced . Food practices , in all places , with all sorts of foods , can both create and undermine identity . As a person of Japanese heritage , I recognize that eating is part of a whole host of identity performances informing who I am . Of all of the things I eat that connote my , I am drawn to how natto identity to what extent 64 JAPANESE FOOD IDENTITY

does natto connote as a food or even connote in food identities ?

The answers are not forward , partly because is negotiated by a mixture of forces happening at the same time , some culturally rooted , some socially situated , others purely happenstance . I focus on natto because , as a ferment , it emerged out of necessity ( food security ) but as a contemporary food one that isn celebrated is an anomaly worth exploring , to the dynamics that it brings out . These include choosing natto ( over other foods ) preparing it , and consuming it . GROUNDED OBSERVATION In this text , I examine the ways in which consuming foods like natto can inform one sense of self or subjectivity . Rather than generalize the current state of natto consumption , my approach to this chapter is based on a sample of one , myself . To accomplish this , I use some of the tools used in because these methods allow me to study how and why natto gathers meaning on personal and societal scales . By keeping my grounded in the specific details that make up my lived experience , I can make claims without committing the error of speaking on behalf of others , or of reducing natto or ness to a set of criteria . Importantly , a subjective approach sees knowledge as always being in terms of being part of a whole as well as being partial to ( or inherently biased towards ) something . In this way , my observations are seen as a truth , instead of the universal truth . As many feminist thinkers argue , accounting for this partiality is critical to demonstrate how knowledge is not lesser than objective knowledge , but is rather an attempt to convey ( one type of ) reality . I also draw on interviews and fieldwork during a ethnography of fermented foods in japan . MAYA HEY 65

Figure The texture of natto is similar to the of cut okra or . Natto also has a stringiness that increases the more it is handled and stirred . 66 JAPANESE FOOD IDENTITY THE SLIPPERY MATERIALITY OF NATTO Like many other food cultures , Japan boasts a legacy of foods ( besides the aforementioned miso , and natto , there are a variety of pickles , sakes , and ) Thus , fermentation is part of the cultural identity of japan , making ferments like natto a unique opportunity to study how its ration and consumption give meaning to the people who handle them . Think about the fermented foods you might encounter bread , kimchi , sauerkraut , wine , cheese , and yogurt . Most of these are in sourdough bread , sauerkraut , fermented dairy from soured of the bacteria that ferment them . The acid adds complexity in taste while also helping to preserve the fermented ingredient ( most cheeses can last longer than a glass of milk ) This is where natto differs , because it undergoes an alkaline fermentation process . Alkaline processes are the opposite of acidic ones , and many proteins and seeds in Asia and Africa are preserved in this manner ( fresh poultry eggs are fermented into pidan , or century eggs ) alkaline mentation , proteins are broken down into units of amino acids . And while this often leads to intense , unctuous ( umami ) when left to ferment for too long , the broken chain of amino acids produce ammonia and can give off a putrid smell . So even before one handles natto , the scent of it is already ing through the air , usually in the form of a or gent odor ( similar to old cheeses , like Brie or Camembert ) Some people mitigate the smell by adding other to natto including ( green onions ) seasonings ( more ) or other vegetables and herbs ( radish , Others avoid natto entirely . MAYA HEY 67

Another material reality of natto is its stringy texture , which some people characterize as sticky , gooey , and slimy . This stringiness is also an effect of the fermentation process , in which bacteria breakdown the soybeans to produce thin wisps of acid that have the weight and feel of a single strand of cotton candy or a spider web . It is in these strings that the compound , is located , which is known to improve one heart health . In fact , the act of stirring encourages the acid to come to room and release , which help produce the sensation of umami or savory tastes in the human tongue . Stirring the natto makes it easier to eat as well . Natto often comes in a square styrofoam container , similar in size to a deck of cards . The top opens up like a scanner lid , and on top of the natto beans lies a plastic liner with two sauce packets ( one based , one mustard ) A common ritual for natto eaters like me is to carefully peel back the plastic liner so as not to take any of the beans with it . After adding one or both of the sauce packets , I grab a set of chopsticks in one hand , and with a firm grip , whir my hands around in a circle so that the natto strings start to wrap around itself . Since individual beans might be difficult to grasp with chopsticks , the stirring encourages the natto beans to clump together , making it easier to eat in portions . CAN YOU STOMACH IT ?

GAUGING AUTHENTICITY AND FOREIGNNESS The mucilaginous texture of one ability to tolerate or enjoy a person membership inside Japanese culture , or so the belief goes , because it is considered to have a taste and texture that only individual could enjoy . Here , I turn to my own experiences of eating natto as , a ese term used to describe people . 68 JAPANESE FOOD IDENTITY

When I was growing up , I was often asked if I preferred bread or rice for breakfast , which , even in my young age , I knew was an indirect question about whether I identified more as Japanese ( native ) or Western ( foreigner ) In the context of late modernization , bread at breakfast came to how Japan engaged with global food practices , and the rest of the Western world . When I would indicate my preference for rice , I would often be met with the question regarding my thoughts on is , whether or not I could stomach it . Because I had been eating it since my childhood , I considered it an ordinary rice topping , analogous to butter on bread . The tion to my response was always one of approval and assurance , as if I had passed an unspoken test . As I would eat the natto , I would twirl my chopsticks after each bite so as to cut off the stringiness of the natto beans . Seeing this , other Japanese would see this as a sign that I was I knew how to handle natto . To this Japanese audience , eating natto validated identity . How ( Japanese ) authenticity gets monitored and enforced can have consequences that range from solidarity to sinister keeping , and much of it has to do with how we imagine degrees of cultural or ethnic identity . That I am part Japanese means that my identity depending on the context . In Japan , I am often seen for my , which , by definition , means that I could never be whole or fully Japanese , so I am rendered an least until practices like grant me an exception . This follows a nationalistic rhetoric of always being not enough to be let into a dominant culture , something that many and people experience . In a context , however , I am often seen only for , and called upon to speak on behalf of my people as if I were their representative ( tell us why your people eat that stuff ) This manifests into , exoticism , or being good MAYA HEY 69

enough to conveniently use a persons identity as the whole , ally for questionable purposes like racial profiling or commercial marketing . Context certainly matters , but perhaps more tant than what I am in each setting is the fact that I consider my identity to be , depending on context and , to the extent that these places allow , the values that I practice . These practices include what I eat and how . I enjoy natto both as a nostalgic taste and as a health food , but it is part of a greater constellation of other practices how I slurp my noodles , how I bring a teacup to my lips , how I begin and end each meal with of which can be coded as Japanese practices , some not . Alongside these food practices are others that one can also embody language , dress , manners , and more . I choose to continue this range of practices because they ground me in a past that I share with my relatives and ancestors . By making a ritual out of these practices , I can continue to uphold these values as long as I carry these practices in my body and pass them on to generations after me . CONCLUSION HOW EMBODIMENT INFORMS FOOD IDENTITIES How we embody a food can define us in both literal and ways . Embodiment refers to the process of incorporating things into one body , including foods and their practices . To embody a food means to ingest its molecules , which then become the building blocks of our physical being ( soy proteins , Yet we embody the practices that accompany the food as well , especially as they help form a cultural identity with ( twirling chopsticks to cut off the stringiness of natto ) For natto in particular , the materiality requires a different compared to other fermented soybeans like miso and , slotting natto and its practices as a distinct food and ritual in japan . 70 JAPANESE FOOD IDENTITY

How We embody foods and their practices can lead to a sense of belonging to ( or being foreign to ) a given food culture . The sense of self that comes with eating natto is sometimes internally defined ( I eat this because it reminds me of my family ) or externally imposed ( I wont eat this because people will think I am different ) Given the fact that other food cultures also have alkaline ferments ( in Korea , nao in Thailand , in ) I wonder to what extent these places also use the embodiment of these foods as part of ing a racial , ethnic , or national identity . Eating natto may not inherently make one Japanese , not in the sense that it can confer citizenship or fulfill a checklist to . Instead , natto distinguishes itself as a ferment ( even in Japan ) such that one ability to prepare it , eat it , and enjoy it reinforces its uniqueness that can be selectively called upon to include and exclude those who handle it . So whether natto is or isn food is secondary to the fact that some people use it to make sense of in an increasingly globalized world . At the same time , can not be into one by natto or any other foodstuff we . While I am mostly writing from my own experience in Japan , it is also worth noting , dian , and can not be collapsed into a singular Japanese category because they neither share the same histories nor were subject to the same political forces around migration , internment , and land ownership . A similar caution goes for the phrase of Japanese descent , in that people who identify as nisei , sansei , and ( terms for , and , respectively ) usually along the lines of language , cultural adaptations , or lost connections from uprooted homes . Again , MAYA HEY 71

identities are not fixed . It is from repeating practices that identities can form and inform who we are . Repeatedly practicing the nuanced rituals associated with natto thus make up my layered process of identifying with Japanese food culture . To think that I am who I am because I eat this food works only if we dig deeper into how the Self comes to stand itself . Philosophers call this subjectivity , and it is shaped and reshaped by how we engage with the world around us as we try to make sense of it . This is why philosophers often write of subjectivity as being produced , because it is an active process of the Self becoming an individual . To embody something , be it food or an identity , connects the physical with the figurative . Eating ferments like natto is just as much a social and cultural way of being as it is a political encapsulation of embodied difference . Natto can be a slimy food known by its stench and stringiness that prejudice can write off as being unsophisticated or gross , while at the same time , it can be a nostalgic or food that eaters celebrate as a kind of belonging . What matters is that these processes are always and already ongoing , affected by and affecting how we make sense of the world around us . And , even as we do so , we are making sense of who we are as we exist in this world . Discussion Questions How does embodying certain foods define one identity ?

Name and explain a few examples of the food you embody and the meaning it provides to your identity . Consider the difference between 72 JAPANESE FOOD IDENTITY tion and external labels in food identity . Who has the ability to define themself ?

Who decides what is a food identity and how is it enforced ?

Many foods and identities are ( reduced to a single aspect ) What makes this a problematic way of thinking ?

What would be a more respectful approach to understanding in identities ?

This text relies on aspects of storytelling to sent subjective experience . What is the role of personal narrative as the basis for how we come to know what we know ?

Additional Resources , 1988 . Food , Self , and Social Science tion 27 888027002005 , 2003 . Exotic Appetites of a Food Adventurer . New York . 2020 . It is food that calls us home A ofjapanese Canadian food and Studies , 207 ) MAYA HEY 73