The noodle narratives : the global rise of an industrial food into the twenty-first century / Frederick Errington, Tatsuro Fujikura, and Deborah Gewertz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Errington, Frederick Karl.

Contributor:

Tatsuro, Fuzikura.

Gewertz, Deborah B., 1948-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Noodles industry--Social aspects--Japan.

Noodles industry.

Noodles industry--Social aspects--United States.

Noodles industry--Social aspects--Papua New Guinea.

Noodles--Social aspects--Japan.

Noodles.

Noodles--Social aspects--United States.

Noodles--Social aspects--Papua New Guinea.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (211 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, 2013.

Language Note:

English

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Summary:

Tasty, convenient, and cheap, instant noodles are one of the most remarkable industrial foods ever. Consumed around the world by millions, they appeal to young and old, affluent and impoverished alike. The authors examine the history, manufacturing, marketing, and consumption of instant noodles. By focusing on three specific markets, they reveal various ways in which these noodles enable diverse populations to manage their lives. The first market is in Japan, where instant noodles have facilitated a major transformation of post-war society, while undergoing a seemingly endless tweaking in flavors, toppings, and packaging in order to entice consumers. The second is in the United States, where instant noodles have become important to many groups including college students, their nostalgic parents, and prison inmates. The authors also take note of "heavy users," a category of the chronically hard-pressed targeted by U.S. purveyors. The third is in Papua New Guinea, where instant noodles arrived only recently and are providing cheap food options to the urban poor, all the while transforming them into aspiring consumers. Finally, this study examines the global "Big Food" industry. As one of the food system's singular achievements, the phenomenon of instant noodles provides insight into the pros and cons of global capitalist provisioning.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Illustrations and Table

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Instant Noodles as Quotidian and Ubiquitous

1. The Taste of Something Good

2. Japanese Instant Noodles in the Market and on the Mind

3. What Instant Noodles Reflect and Affect in America

4. Instant Noodles for the Bottom of the Pyramid in Papua New Guinea

5. Making (and Unmaking?) a Big Food World

Conclusion: Big Food for a Huge Population?

Notes

References

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780520276345

0520276345

9780520956674

0520956672

OCLC:

851695518