{"product_id":"food-culture-in-southeast-asia-food-culture-around-the-world-9780313344190","title":"Food Culture in Southeast Asia (Food Culture around the World)","description":"\u003cp\u003eSoutheast Asian cuisines  such as Thai  have become quite popular in the United States even though immigrant numbers are low. The food is appealing because it is tasty  attractive  and generally healthful  with plentiful vegetables  fish  noodles  and rice. Food Culture in Southeast Asia is a richly informative overview of the food and foodways of the mainland countries including Burma  Thailand  Lao  Vietnam  Cambodia  and Malaysia  and the island countries of Singapore  Brunei  East Timor  Indonesia  and the Philippines. Students and other readers will learn how diverse peoples from diverse geographies feed themselves and the value they place on eating as a material  social  and symbolic act.  Chapter 1  Historical Overview  surveys the archaeological and historical evidence concerning mainland Southeast Asia  with emphasis on the Indianized kingdoms of the mainland and the influence of the spice trade on subsequent European colonization. Chapter 2  Major Foods and Ingredients  particularly illuminates the rice culture as the central source of calories and a dominant cultural symbol of feminine nurture plus fish and fermented fish products  local fresh vegetables and herbs  and meat in variable amounts. The Cooking chapter discusses the division of labor in the kitchen  kitchens and their equipment  and the steps in acquiring  processing and preparing food. The Typical Meals chapter approaches typical meals by describing some common meal elements  meal format  and the timing of meals. Typical meals are presented as variations on a common theme  with particular attention to contrasts such as rural-urban and palace-village. Iconic meals and dishes that carry special meaning as markers of ethnic or national identity are also covered. Chapter 6  Eating Out  reviews some of the options for public eating away from home in the region  including the newly developed popularity of Southeast Asian restaurants overseas. The chapter has an urban  middle-class bias  as those are the people who are eating out on a regular basis. The Special Occasions chapter examines ritual events such as feeding the spirits of rice and the ancestors  Buddhist and Muslim rituals involving food  rites of passage  and universal celebrations around the coming of the New Year. The final chapter on diet and health looks at some of the ideologies underlying the relation between food and disease  particularly the humoral system  and then considers the nutritional challenges related to recent changes in local food systems  including food safety.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45652484522037,"sku":"ByrdShop_0313344191","price":39.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780313344190.jpg?v=1781851677","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/food-culture-in-southeast-asia-food-culture-around-the-world-9780313344190","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}