Foodways of two Asian International Students
Changes, Continuities, Adjustments, and Adoption
I clearly remember the first week of January, 2018 — the day I arrived in Bloomington, IN to begin my graduate studies.
In the days that followed, I was exposed to more instances of culture shock — because the America you see on the internet and prepare for as a prospective student is not the America you experience. Food definitely was a big marker of that.
That culture shock is not evident when you see me switching between Fahrenheit and Celsius, grams and ounces, courgettes and zucchinis, eggplant and brinjal, steel and iron utensils to non-stick pans, gas-stove to electric coil, etc. I have had to adopt, adapt to, and substitute ingredients and methods to recreate my home in my kitchen here. My food habits have changed in some regards, while in other ways, I have continued certain practices by embracing changes.
These feelings of otherness are fleeting moments of belonging are not temporary. While the emotional stress isn’t visible on my face, and the homesickness isn’t audible in my voice, the isolation, loneliness, homesickness, and foreignness are familiar feelings.
And I’ve learnt in 3 years: such experiences are definitely not exclusive to me, as you will see in the sections that follow.
Ethnography is an acquired (ever changing) taste:
This ethnographic project is based on the food experiences of Manita and Wuerxiya — two Asian international students at Indiana University from Nepal and Inner Mongolia, China respectively. My goal was to identify themes of continuities or changes in how Manita and Wuerxiya situate themselves in this foreign country through their foodways — which Carole Counihan defines as “behaviors and beliefs surrounding the production, distribution, and consumption of food” (2018, 6). I present my report in a narrative style in an effort to evoke the emotional and sensorial aspect of food that I found missing in quantitative research.
An increasing number of international students from Asia join universities in the U.S. every year (Israel and Batalova 2021), but research on their food habits is scarce except for a few quantitative or statistical ones. At Indiana University Bloomington almost 59% of international students are Asians (OIS 2020). However, it is concerning that their experiences rarely surface — regarding food or anything for that matter — on both academic and public level. Countless colleagues and I myself have experienced broad generalizations, xenophobic and racist remarks about Asian foods cultures, not to mention how our immigration status as neither immigrants nor citizens but as “non-residential aliens” is politically unstable.
Most if not all research on the subject of international students and their dietary practices have been quantitative, and not narrative. Slaten et al.’s (2016) research on Asian international students in the U.S. identifies food related challenges under “acculturative stress” that affects their sense of belongingness in academic settings. Lee et. al. (2020) point towards the increase in intake of processed foods corresponding to acculturation and longer stay in the U.S., highlighting how that international students may already be aware of “western” foods in their own homelands. The most descriptive analysis so far could be Jong Min Lee’s research on the dietary change and “degrees of acculturation” amongst 511 East Asian international students in the U.S. concludes that while experiencing culture shock, these students cooked or bought meals more often than they would back home, their diet was closer to an Asian diet as opposed to an American one (2017).
For this research, I conducted interviews and also spent time in-person (fully masked!) and virtually outside of participant-observant/interview settings with my collaborators. Anthropologist James Clifford credits this method to Renato Rosaldo, and describes it as “deep hanging out…less a practice of intensive dwelling (the ‘tent in the village’) and more a matter of repeated visiting, collaborative work” (1996, 5). From an ethnographic perspective, communicating outside of the interviews and engaging in mealtime activities allowed me to engage in a praxis of feminist framework where I constantly challenged my own positionality in the everydayness of the kitchen — a space largely neglected by men as well as academia (Manning 2018). These methods helped me problematize the ethnographer-ethnographee hierarchies between me and my collaborators, and helped me imagine ethnography as a sensorial and collaborative practice (Bejarano et al. 2019).
I fully “prioritized participants, respecting their rights and their stories” as Bowen et al. advised researchers to do (2019, 237). I wanted this project to be as much transparent and creative as possible, so I sent initial and revised drafts to Manita and Wuerxiya via Google documents for feedback, and also used social media to connect with them regarding the finalizing of this blog and to clarify any questions that arose in the process.
Narrative #1: “A perfect day for a hotpot!”
“A college town such as this is a window to the world, and for many people, what they find here may open their minds to how people around the world eat.”
The steam wafted towards me, an aroma familiar at times, indiscernible at others. An electric pan in front of me, surrounded by fresh vegetables, spices, and 5 different varieties of tofu that I had never seen before. Wuerxiya, my host for the evening, had invited me and my wife over for a Mongolian hot pot. As folklorist and ethnomusicologist in training, we wanted to exchange thoughts, feelings, songs and stories over foods and drinks. Wuerxiya had decided that today would be the best day for a hotpot, as it was cold outside, and exactly a year ago, she had said, “Back in my hometown, we know when families are having hotpot in the winter when warm steam forms condensation outside their windows”.
Wuerxiya first came to the U.S. in 2012 as a visiting student, and later a Master’s degree student in the University of Oregon in 2015. In 2017, she joined Indiana University’s Ph.D. program in Folklore and Ethnomusicology.
Anda Union’s Buriat Song played in the background, a fitting soundtrack to our soiree where Wuerxiya shared her memories of the home, and how food helped her reconnect to her culture and traditions. And after all, it was a party in 2019 when Wuerxiya and I first met and made foods from our countries.
“Plum wine helps balance the heat and spice of the hotpot”, said Wuerxiya, interrupting my thought, as she as she poured me a cup of the subtly sweet drink.
Earlier in the interview, discussing her experience as an international student in two different universities in the U.S., Wuerxiya had pointed out, “I found the West Coast to be more diverse and not conservative like here. Given the history of early Asian immigration there, I was able to find a wider variety of food and ingredients from China. Unlike here in Bloomington, people are more accepting and familiar of diverse cultures there. After all, a college town such as this is a window to the world, and for many people, what they find here may open their minds to how people around the world eat.”
The warmth of the homely food found its way in the interview as well, in the form of warmth of family and friends. She continued: “My father is a philosopher, so when we drink Mongolian tea for breakfast, my whole family gets together to debate. During dinner, the family comes together and shares with one another how their day was. From our very first meal to the last one, we don’t eat alone. We always eat with family at home, or friends if we are outside. But here, you eat with Netflix…”.
I drew the bowl closer to my mouth, my chopsticks skills still questionable, and took a bite of the lotus root slice I had earlier dropped onto the pan full of broth. Fibrous and crunchy yet cooked, and flavored by the spicy broth it had been cooking in for quite some time.
“When my mother cooks at home”, Wuerxiya had said in the interview, “she balances both nutrition and flavor with the philosophy of food as medicine. For instance, body temperature is balanced as needed by intaking food categorized as hot, cold, or in the middle. Pork is cold, lamb is hot, lychee is hot, pear is cold, lotus is cold because it grows in water, bamboo is in the middle because it grows in spring, etc. These are complex ideas rooted in historical consciousness, cultural memories, and wisdom passed down from generation to generation.” Eating healthily means being in harmony to one’s surroundings and drawing from what she had learned at home about traditional Chinese beliefs on food, medicine, and health — Wuerxiya saw all three of these connected to one another.
When asked if she wanted to add something more to this conversation, Wuerxiya pointed out, “Back home, every meal was freshly cooked, and leftover food was forbidden in my family. Here in the U.S. as international students — and write this down in your paper — we don’t have much time. I cooked a lot of fried rice using frozen vegetables when I first came here because it was cheap, convenient, and healthy. I then moved to frozen dumplings, but that soon got boring. One semester, I made bulk of curry every week to go with rice, but that never tastes like a freshly cooked meal. I have grown sick of packaged food in this pandemic, so I have started cooking more again.”
A folklorist by training, Wuerxiya also stressed that my question on dietary changes demanded an “anthropological answer”. She said, “To anthropologically answer your question, remember the importance of nomadic lifestyle in Mongolian culture. We are not conservative, we do not hold too much. We want to accept the culture of where we are, we want to learn new things, we are not afraid of change. Unlike most international students who only go to certain restaurants, I’m okay with trying out Thai food, Nepali food, and Mexican food with my friends. Also, as a Mongolian, one of the ways my food habits differ from that of most Chinese is that we eat a lot of dairy products, so as soon as I arrived in the U.S., I enjoyed different varieties of cheese available here. American pizza is good!”
Narrative #2: “To enjoy food, community is important”.
“I probably couldn’t make certain foods for myself, especially if they are foods that I used to eat with my family or friends in Nepal”.
April 10th, 2021 was a rainy day, and I was already at Manita’s place. “The bus…”, she said, shaking her head as she opened her apartment door. That is a situation I am familiar with: using public transportation for grocery is a hassle but a reality of many university students. After 20 minutes of catching up, we got to the interview, our conversation punctuated by the sound of eating packaged onion rings with a homemade sauce.
Manita Pote has been in the U.S. as an international student for the past one and half year. Manita is from the Newa: community, who have contributed much to the arts, architecture and cuisine of Kathmandu valley since the medieval period. Their feasts are so epic that there is a saying in Kathmandu that is popular even amongst non-Newa: peoples: “Out of 365 days in a year, the Newa: have 366 days of feasts’’.
“What we eat is dependent on a lot of factors including religion, weather, and individual preference.” Manita said, answering my questions on how food is thought of in relation to wellbeing in her community. “The diet changes almost every month. In the winter for instance, we eat what keeps the body warm, and what helps the body fight illnesses. Much thought goes behind why we eat kwati (bean-stew) for monsoon when people are tired after the plantation season and need something to warm them up, or why we eat kheer (rice pudding). Apart from cultural sensibilities, economics and affordability is an important factor too. From a religious perspective, one’s hierarchy in the family decides what part of the sacrificed animal they get, and the animal was used in sacrifice affects what foods are prepared for a festival.”
Pondering on the differences between how food is talked about in her family and here in Bloomington, Manita said, “Back home, vegetables are locally sourced and very much organic. Most of our groceries come directly from the farmers who either sell their produce themselves or through local outlets of shopkeepers, as opposed to chain providers here in the U.S. (Kroger, Walmart, etc.). People here make a big deal of what they call natural, organic or green food. I mean, the vegetables here look good visually, polished, uniformly sized, etc. but they do not taste good to me, no matter how I cook them.”
When I asked Manita about the changes and continuities in her diet, she said: “I crave for that simple meal of rice, green veggies, protein in the form of meat or lentils, and chutney/pickle — which is healthy, ideal, and balanced, but I don’t always have the time nor the ingredients for. That is a much more balanced diet compared to store bought packaged spaghetti and sauce, which has now become my staple. I do meal prep to save time but eating the same curry for 3 days isn’t fun.”
I have tried Manita’s recipes before and she is an amazing cook. She is also open to newer food experiences, and told me that as international students, holding on to one’s traditional foods and exploring new food was very much possible. “Hanging out with other international students has taught me that our diets vary based on where people come from and how they eat. I’ve tried Thai, Burmese, Korean, Turkish restaurants in Bloomington with my friends, and I learned how taste is culturally specific and subjective. Realizing how certain ingredients are similar, I have also started experimenting with Nepali food using substitute-ingredients from across Asia.”
After the interview, I started cooking Chips Chilli — a favorite amongst young urban Nepalis. The interview was over, but we were still going to hang out.
At this modest apartment that Manita shared with another international student from Asia, there was a plant on the windowsill, and a little bottle of chile-pepper pickle. We started talking about grad school stress. As if course load was not enough, we had to be extra-careful in protecting ourselves in this pandemic, and also had to think of our families back home, added to the stress of cultural adjustments one makes as a foreign student. So, what helps during such difficult times? I asked Manita.
“Community is important”, she said, drawing on her own experience of living individually versus communally. “When the pandemic began last year, I was forced to move temporarily to a Nepali international student community in Illinois. Memories of home came back through foods such as tea and chatpate (a spicy street food with puffed rice and fresh vegetables). I probably couldn’t make them when I’m alone because these are foods that I used to eat with my family or friends in Nepal”.
In-between and beyond traditional and “western” diet:
The “folk knowledge” my collaborators embodied regarding health in relation to food as medicine showed how deeply connected nature is with our wellbeing, and how different foods need to be consumed together for their complementary nutritional values (Coates 2016; Mudambi et al. 2011). Manita and Wuerxiya highlight the possibilities of practicing both scientific and centuries old traditional ideas about food, health, and the environment and their dynamic relationship, as has been taught by Indigenous wisdom (Hassel 2006 and Durie 2004). Through their transnational experience, Manita and Wuerxiya also show how at ease they are with mainstream “American” food as they are with their traditional foodways.
Inspired by Sonia Rao’s article (2018), I began this research not only to highlight the need for international students’ experiences to be acknowledged, but also to categorize their experiences under strict dichotomy of dietary changes and continuity. However, I now realize that there exists complexity and dynamicity in how Manita and Wuerxiya have not only adopted other food cultures and altered their food habits to fit the busy academic life here in the U.S., but also built a transnational alliance with international students from other countries and cultures.
[All photographs by Suyash Kumar Neupane, with permission from Wuerxiya and Manita].
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