PSU Center for Japanese Studies presents the first lecture in its series Kanpai Japan!
Professor Satomi Fukutomi, Middle East Technical University in Ankara
RAMEN NOODLES & ONIGIRI Mundane Japanese Foods that Comfort You
Ramen noodles and onigiri are both popular food items in Japan. Ramen noodles (not instant noodles) are rarely prepared at home. Whereas onigiri, despite being readily available at convenience stores, often is. They are not special food items for rituals or served at ceremonies, yet ramen noodles and onigiri remain firm as a Japanese food staple because of their ordinariness. In this presentation, Professor Fukutomi will talk about the power of ordinariness that she believes Japanese people value today. Entering into the new millennium, people have been forced to adjust themselves to post-bubble social and economic changes. While doing so, they have found comfort in this sense of ordinariness. Professor Fukutomi will analyze the narratives of ordinariness that have become attached to ramen noodles and onigiri and how they comfort and encourage people to live in “new” Japan.
Satomi Fukutomi is an assistant professor of Asian Studies Program at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. Her research focuses on consumption of food, particularly everyday food with emphasis on gender and social class. Her work includes anthropological analyses of ramen noodles in Japan and authentication of Japanese food in Australia. In her current research she examines how onigiri (Japanese rice ball) is presented as a tool to create narratives of nostalgia and healings in contemporary Japanese films and television series. She is also interested in multispecies studies, especially emotional bonds formed in human and nonhuman-animal relationships.
During Spring term the Center for Japanese Studies will partner with Saké One, St. Cousair, and Zupan’s Markets for Kanpai Japan II, a series of Japanese food and drink culture related events taking place from April 29th through May 31st. The CJS will present three lectures at Portland State University as part of the festivities, which include a total of ten events.
See Full Schedule of Kanpai Japan II Events