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Feasting on culture and identity: food functions in a multicultural and transcultural Malaysia

Malaysia is a food lover’s paradise and Malaysians in general enjoy the diverse culinary heritage of its multicultural society. Although divided by belief, culture and creed, Malaysians are united in their love for the country’s multicultural cuisine. Food is an integral factor in bringing Malaysi...

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Main Author: Melissa Shamini Perry,
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2017
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/12864/1/21729-65591-1-PB.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/12864/
http://ejournal.ukm.my/3l/issue/view/1059
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spelling my-ukm.journal.128642019-05-07T14:30:03Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/12864/ Feasting on culture and identity: food functions in a multicultural and transcultural Malaysia Melissa Shamini Perry, Malaysia is a food lover’s paradise and Malaysians in general enjoy the diverse culinary heritage of its multicultural society. Although divided by belief, culture and creed, Malaysians are united in their love for the country’s multicultural cuisine. Food is an integral factor in bringing Malaysians together and in allowing Malaysians to learn about each other’s cultures and traditions but it can also be a source of contestation and ethnic tensions. This paper explores the multifaceted functions of food in two Malaysian literary works. The paper aims to identify the role of food in the Malaysian multicultural context at both the individual and communal level. Food references, imagery, metaphors and symbols are analysed through multicultural, transcultural lenses and the postcolonial theory of the Third Space. A novel by Adibah Amin, This End of the Rainbow set in pre-independence Malaysia, and a contemporary short story Deep Fried Devils by Shih-Li Kow, are examined to investigate the transformative roles of food in the Malaysian multicultural context. These texts demonstrate the integral role of food in eliciting nostalgia of happy childhood and family memories and in forging personal and communal friendships and inter-ethnic relationships. Both the novel and short story reveal the strong connection between food and cultural identity and show how food can bring about a sense of pride and possessiveness in individuals and cultural groups and at the same time evoke power struggles and identity conflicts in a multicultural and transcultural context. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2017 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/12864/1/21729-65591-1-PB.pdf Melissa Shamini Perry, (2017) Feasting on culture and identity: food functions in a multicultural and transcultural Malaysia. 3L; Language,Linguistics and Literature,The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies., 23 (4). pp. 184-199. ISSN 0128-5157 http://ejournal.ukm.my/3l/issue/view/1059
institution Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
building Perpustakaan Tun Sri Lanang Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
content_source UKM Journal Article Repository
url_provider http://journalarticle.ukm.my/
language English
description Malaysia is a food lover’s paradise and Malaysians in general enjoy the diverse culinary heritage of its multicultural society. Although divided by belief, culture and creed, Malaysians are united in their love for the country’s multicultural cuisine. Food is an integral factor in bringing Malaysians together and in allowing Malaysians to learn about each other’s cultures and traditions but it can also be a source of contestation and ethnic tensions. This paper explores the multifaceted functions of food in two Malaysian literary works. The paper aims to identify the role of food in the Malaysian multicultural context at both the individual and communal level. Food references, imagery, metaphors and symbols are analysed through multicultural, transcultural lenses and the postcolonial theory of the Third Space. A novel by Adibah Amin, This End of the Rainbow set in pre-independence Malaysia, and a contemporary short story Deep Fried Devils by Shih-Li Kow, are examined to investigate the transformative roles of food in the Malaysian multicultural context. These texts demonstrate the integral role of food in eliciting nostalgia of happy childhood and family memories and in forging personal and communal friendships and inter-ethnic relationships. Both the novel and short story reveal the strong connection between food and cultural identity and show how food can bring about a sense of pride and possessiveness in individuals and cultural groups and at the same time evoke power struggles and identity conflicts in a multicultural and transcultural context.
format Article
author Melissa Shamini Perry,
spellingShingle Melissa Shamini Perry,
Feasting on culture and identity: food functions in a multicultural and transcultural Malaysia
author_facet Melissa Shamini Perry,
author_sort Melissa Shamini Perry,
title Feasting on culture and identity: food functions in a multicultural and transcultural Malaysia
title_short Feasting on culture and identity: food functions in a multicultural and transcultural Malaysia
title_full Feasting on culture and identity: food functions in a multicultural and transcultural Malaysia
title_fullStr Feasting on culture and identity: food functions in a multicultural and transcultural Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed Feasting on culture and identity: food functions in a multicultural and transcultural Malaysia
title_sort feasting on culture and identity: food functions in a multicultural and transcultural malaysia
publisher Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
publishDate 2017
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/12864/1/21729-65591-1-PB.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/12864/
http://ejournal.ukm.my/3l/issue/view/1059
_version_ 1643738910664163328
score 13.211869

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