Description
A rich, salty, and steaming bowl of noodle soup, ramen has become an international symbol of the cultural prowess of Japanese cuisine. In this highly original account of geopolitics and industrialization in Japan, George Solt traces the meteoric rise of ramen from humble fuel for the working poor to international icon of Japanese culture.
Ramen's popularity can be attributed to political and economic change on a global scale. Using declassified U.S. government documents and an array of Japanese sources, Solt reveals how the creation of a black market for American wheat imports during the U.S. occupation of Japan (1945-1952), the reindustrialization of Japan's labor force during the Cold War, and the elevation of working-class foods in redefining national identity during the past two decades of economic stagnation (1990s-2000s), all contributed to the establishment of ramen as a national dish.
This book is essential reading for scholars, students of Japanese history and food studies, and anyone interested in gaining greater perspective on how international policy can influence everyday foods around the world.
Author: George Solt
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 02/22/2014
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.80d
ISBN13: 9780520282353
ISBN10: 0520282353
BISAC Categories:
- History | Asia | General
- Cooking | Specific Ingredients | Pasta
- History | World | General
Ramen's popularity can be attributed to political and economic change on a global scale. Using declassified U.S. government documents and an array of Japanese sources, Solt reveals how the creation of a black market for American wheat imports during the U.S. occupation of Japan (1945-1952), the reindustrialization of Japan's labor force during the Cold War, and the elevation of working-class foods in redefining national identity during the past two decades of economic stagnation (1990s-2000s), all contributed to the establishment of ramen as a national dish.
This book is essential reading for scholars, students of Japanese history and food studies, and anyone interested in gaining greater perspective on how international policy can influence everyday foods around the world.
Author: George Solt
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 02/22/2014
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.80d
ISBN13: 9780520282353
ISBN10: 0520282353
BISAC Categories:
- History | Asia | General
- Cooking | Specific Ingredients | Pasta
- History | World | General
About the Author
George Solt is Assistant Professor of History at New York University.