#asamdefinition

[bizarrefoods-blog1]

Bizarre

In order to delve deeper into bizarre foods, it is important to better understand food. Food can be a method in which individuals consume other cultures. When one consumes another culture’s food, it gives that individual a perception of that food’s culture. If there are positive feelings surrounding a culture’s food, there will be positive feelings about the culture; if there are negative feelings surrounding a culture’s food, there will be negative feelings about the culture. As such, food can create bonds between different people and cultures, or it can create more distance between different people and cultures.

Webster’s Dictionary has several ways to define bizarre. Generally, bizarre is defined as unusually out of the ordinary, whether it be seen as extravagant or eccentric. There is quite a wide variety of synonyms for bizarre as well: fantastic, grotesque, strange. Fantastic can imply that something is conceived or carried out without adherence to truth or reality. Grotesque can imply awkwardness, ugliness or disgust, or sinister. Strange can imply unfamiliarity, foreign, stark contrast, or being out of place. Each of these synonyms can give a different connotation to bizarre, so it is crucial to specify the context and meanings that are to be communicated.

When applying bizarre to describe foods, the connotation is highly dependent upon interpretation. In the case of the dominant, white-American majority of society, cultural foods described as bizarre are often seen as either grotesque or exotic. Individuals can hold an opinion about a group of people through the foods that they have eaten from their culture. In Andrew Zimmerman’s Bizarre Foods television program, his opinions about foods can influence others’ opinions. At Zimmerman’s enjoyment or displeasure at certain foods, the audience can make their own judgments of foods before even trying it themselves. Nevertheless, whether these foods described as grotesque or exotic, there is a unanimous agreement that these foods are all authentic, in that they were made in the place they come from by people who consume them.

"Bizarre." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web.

Kelly, Casey R. "Bizarre Foods: White Privilege and the Neocolonial Palate." (2014): 1-26.

Kelly, Casey R. "Exoticizing Poverty in Bizarre Foods America." (2015): 3.

Lam, Dylan, Allen Lim, and Malinda Pang. “Food.” Asian American Studies 150: Asian American Cultures. Feb 2017.

[bizarrefoods-blog1]

Supermarket space.

Supermarkets are a necessity for most people, especially families. There are many who choose where to settle down based on whether there is some sort of supermarket nearby. Fresh fruits and vegetables, cooking ingredients, fish and meat, drinks, snacks; a supermarket has all the food supplies that a household kitchen could need. With the diversity in the residents of Southern California, there are a variety of different types of supermarkets: Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, conventional American, etc.

Since the target consumers for supermarkets like 99 Ranch, H Mart, Saigon Supermarket, and Vons differ, I would like to find out if and how the products and spaces of these supermarkets are different.

Going to Little Saigon every weekend gives me the advantage of familiarizing myself with many Vietnamese supermarkets, and from my experience, they are generally the same in terms of the products they offer and the environment in which the supermarket experience takes place. Focusing on Saigon Supermarket, the first section that you come to as you walk in is the fresh produce. Fruits and vegetables are laid out for customers to dig through, pick and choose. Though there are some produce present that would not be found in a supermarket like Vons; when in season, these “bizarre” foods can be found. There is jackfruit, dragon fruit, Vietnamese guava, special herbs, and the like. Most Vietnamese supermarkets also cut meat and fish in preparation for cooking as well. Like Saigon Supermarket, some Vietnamese supermarkets also fry fish for a small extra fee.

Being next to Little Saigon allows me access to the Korean District in Garden Grove. My family enjoys going to Arirang as there is a small food court where mom and pop shops have been put up. Vietnamese supermarkets do not have food courts, but I have noticed that Korean supermarkets like H Mart and Arirang do have food courts; I believe that it is a nice touch as it allows for people to stop and have a meal, and for those new to Korean foods, they can have a taste.

There is also a question of authenticity as well. Many choose to go to these ethnic supermarkets in order to buy the proper, authentic foods and ingredients. It is difficult to come across certain ingredients – like the herbs for pho and ingredients for tofu soup – in a supermarket like Ralph’s, Vons, or Sprouts.