VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
----*----

TRAN THI KIM OANH

CANTONESE CUISINE IN HO CHI MINH CITY NOWADAYS

Major : Culture
Code : 9 22 90 40

SUMMARY OF CULTURE THESIS

HANOI, 2019


The work was completed at
GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Scientific Supervisor: Assoc. Prof., Ph.D. Vo Quang Trong

Reviewer 1: Prof., Ph.D. Bui Quang Thanh
Reviewer 2: Assos. Prof., Ph.D. Đang Hoai Thu

Reviewer 3: Assos. Prof., Ph.D. Tran Thi An

The dissertation will be defended before the thesis review
council of the Academy at the Graduate Academy of Social Sciences
at

hour

has several typical dishes, which is the basis for understanding the Chinese
culture in Ho Chi Minh City today. In the life processes, natural, economic
and social conditions and the viewpoint of human life contribute to
influencing the tastes and ways of practicing the cuisine of Cantonese people.
Therefore, studying this thesis in the above aspects desires to contribute to
understanding in the broader aspect of cuisine in the ethnic culture.
2. Purpose and mission research of the thesis
2.1. Purpose
Identifying the Cantonese cuisine in terms of family cuisine, ritual
cuisine and community cuisine in order to see the role of cuisine in terms of
expressing the outlook on life, gender, arranging the social order and current
changing trends in the context of ethnic culture and the context of
contemporary society.
2.2. Mission
+ Overview of research projects related to cuisine, Chinese cuisine, and
Cantonese cuisine.
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+ Identifying family cuisine, ritual cuisine, and culinary cuisine outside
the family.
+ Pointing out the transformation process of the culinary culture of
Cantonese people in Ho Chi Minh City, the factors that impact and the
purpose of that change.
+ Discussing some of the issues posed from the practice and
transformation of cuisine practices of Cantonese people in Ho Chi Minh City
today.
3. Object and scope of the research
3.1. Object of the research
The main research object of the thesis is the various cuisine practices in

- Considering the cuisine in a new aspect is the expression of the
cosmological perspective, the concept of gender in the division of cuisinerelated practices, expressing the social status of individuals and families.
- The cuisine is not only a dish, a way of eating but also a view of cuisine
as a mirror of a cultural reflection in view of the role of cuisine in modern
life.
6. Theoretical and practical significances
Theoretical significance: Firstly, the thesis provides a new approach
when studying Cantonese culinary culture including considering cuisine as an
autonomous cultural school, reflecting the current social order and
participating in cultural production in the Cantonese cuisine framework in Ho
Chi Minh City.
Secondly, through a systematic study of the Cantonese cuisine culture on
the basis of considering the practice of home meals and community rituals in
order to clarify the role of cuisine involved in the creating ethnic culture of
Cantonese language group in Ho Chi Minh City today.
Practical significance: The thesis provides more insights into the unique
culinary culture of Cantonese people as well as ethnic cultural life with
cultural, economic and political messages expressed through cuisine.
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Accordingly, understanding about the cuisine is not only normal eating but
also a culture, expressing many cultural and social messages. This resource
does not help only researchers and educators but also policymakers about
ethnic culture in terms of understanding the culture of each ethnic group to
get the right behaviors and feasible policies in promoting the strengths of
cultural resources in social development.
7. Structure of the thesis
In addition to the introduction, conclusions and references, the thesis
consists of 4 chapters:

In general, the works we mentioned above show a multidimensional
view of cuisine and culinary practices in aspects of nature, nutrition and
social reflection that are practiced in each specific meals or family meals and
ceremonial dishes.
1.1.3. General assessment of research situation
All of the works including Vietnamese culinary research in general or
the above mentioned Chinese cuisine have provided us with a rich source of
data on many different aspects of cuisine. At the same time, the subjects of
research on cuisine in the above mentioned projects are Vietnamese, Chinese
and Chinese people living in Ho Chi Minh City in general, not a group of
individual Chinese language communities. Although there is no condition for
further analysis of Vietnamese and Chinese culinary issues, but this is the
basis for us to have a reference and develop in a broader research approach,
such as: cuisine contributes to reflecting gender relations, the culinary role in
humanity or cuisine that reflects the social stratification of the Chinese
community in Ho Chi Minh City today.
1.2. Theoretical basis
1.2.1. Concepts
Cuisine (food culture)
After explaining the concepts of cuisine in many respects as the views
of previous researchers like Professor Tran Van Khue, Professor Tran Quoc
Vuong, Dr. Phan Van Hoan. We see that the researchers identify cuisine
(culinary culture, food culture) not just about eating and dishing. Therefore,
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in this thesis, we understand that cuisine is the way of eating, organizing food
and its impact on social behaviors. It can be said that seeing cuisine in the
research framework of the thesis will see people's views on cuisine not
merely food but also the view of worldview and social stratification, about


the

cosmopolitan

understand the worldview reflected in life.
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viewpoint

to


- Considering culture as a mirror of social culture and reflecting an
existing social order. Cuisine practices involved in the production of
culture are applied to understand the cultural messages expressed in
Cantonese cuisine practices, looking at social orders, settlements,
gender, class, status as well as the process by which cuisine is
involved in the production of ethnic culture.
Besides, the thesis is also interested in Pirre Bourdieu's theory when he
mentions the way cuisine affects culture, identity, and social changes.
Through the process of cultural production by the consumption of food
partly reflects the role of cuisine for social culture. Through this
theoretical point of view, we compare how cuisine practices, such as:
food quality, cuisine positon inside and outside family, cuisine
participation in life cycle rituals and schedules are expressing the
expressive meaning of food culture.
1.4. Study area
1.4.1. Descriptions of the Chinese community in Ho Chi Minh City, the
process of settlement and distribution

Cantonese people are also scattered throughout the districts. However, Cho
Lon is still the oldest and most crowded area of Cantonese people.
1.4.4. Some common characteristics of the Chinese cuisine
- Chinese people places much value on eating.
- Chinese cooking techniques are booming with a lot of materials and
ways of processing that creating diversity.
- Culinary taste has a difference between regions
- The standard in Chinese culinary arts is to converge both colors, flavor,
taste, etc. to make the dish more charming, creating different tastes of salty,
sweet, sour, and spicy combining decoration. Therefore, Chinese dish really
becomes the culinary art.
- The viewpoint of dish is a dose, with the belief that eating and drinking
can be effective in preventing and treating diseases and nutrition so many of
these beneficial plants become familiar dishes in their cuisine. With the
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viewpoint of enjoying food "neutral and beautiful ", it also plays a role in
regulating functions and health care for people, which is also an idea towards
harmony and unified balances between human with nature, human with
society.
Through out some basic characteristics of Chinese food culture will
generally give us the basis to better understand the culinary practices of
Chinese people, especially Cantonese people in Ho Chi Minh City nowadays.
It is to see which elements of the community identity are retained, which one
has changed to suit the life in the new land.
1.4.4.5. Descriptions of the current Chinese cuisine in the study area
The culinary culture of the Chinese people in the resident area is
considered in the following aspects: How to prepare a family dish, a
restaurant network outside the family, a symbolic image of offerings in

but they all have the same point: the structure is quite similar, in which: rice
belonging to a starch group which plays an unchanged fundamental role, the
accompanying dishes are flexible, varying according to different tastes and
conditions that are served with rice and soya, fish sauces or chili according to
user preferences’s tastes. With this structure, it creates a dish with balance of
yin and yang, harmony which is beneficial for health as well as beautiful.
2.1.2. Meal preparation
Back to families like Ms. Luy, Van, uncle Hung, etc. we found that the
process of preparing meals is basically flexible for family members, who has
more time will prepared food ingredients or meals. However, from a certain
point of view, such as the case of Luy's family, Van's family, the preparation
of meals in the family is still mainly women. Besides, preparing a fussy or
simple meal depends much on the circumstances and nature of the work of
each individual in the family. Accordingly, the lunch in current many
Cantonese families in the family scope is quite simple and convenient.
Dinner usually takes place full of members and many traditional dishes are
prepared, this is also how family members take care of their spirit and health.
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2.1.3. Cultural practice through meals
Cooking techniques can not describe all the deliciousness and
characteristics of the culinary culture, we have to mention the stage of
decorating for meals which creates the perfectness for the "delicious". All
exhibits do not create the opposite, they bring characteristic in a regular meal
of Cantonese people.
Meals in the Cantonese’s family is a time period when family members
connect together so it is quite noisy and fun, which carries characteristic of
the Chinese people in general in practicing meals with many participants. The
sitting position in the meal is not too delimited by rank, but mostly due to

economic conditions that combine to create the "cultural" value.
People with tight economic conditions can choose affordable
restaurants, towards a cheap and delicious factor. People with good economic
conditions prefer to choose luxury restaurants. This shows the social
stratification by selecting restaurants outside the family. Each place is
associated with location, quality, price and different service will be suitable
for families with different economic conditions very clearly.
2.2.2. Practice cuisine outside the restaurant on the menu - an alternative
to family meals.
We approach in a number of out-of-home food practices with different
customers, different catering purposes, accordingly, each person with
different purposes will have different restaurant choices. Practicing food
outside the family with the thought of releasing the labor for the relatives
during the preparation of meals, that means not only the share of housework
but also facilitating family connection. Or connect friends and partners
through meetings. It also shows flexible behavior towards the modern life of
modern Cantonese people.
In general, with many classifications of restaurants serving dishes outside the
family, it helps meet the culinary needs of many diners from different
families, economies, and social positions.
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Conclusion
Approaching the daily Cantonese cuisine inside and outside the home
gives us a multidimensional perspective on the daily culinary practice of the
Cantonese community. Accordingly, the cuisine in the family towards the
factor of connecting friendship, promoting the problem of yin and yang in the
food to ensure elements of good, beautiful but nutritious. The process of
eating meals within the family shows us the flexibility in gender assignment,

cakes, orange cakes, radish cakes, sponge cakes, etc.
Characteristics of the wedding are dishes and kinds of feasts that have
many meanings to wish long-term and happy bond for the couple like
dragon-phoenix cake, sponge cake, roasted pork dish, etc.
The symbol of the longevity wishing ceremony is stacked dumplings that
represent the age of that person and the fried noodles used as a wish to
prolong the long life for the owner of the ceremony.
The image of pig turning in funeral shows the sincerity of the son to his
parents, especially the son-in-law with his parents-in-law. Each roast pig is
offered to represent a son-in-law, and more pigs, the bigger families and
children.
3.2. The community in culinary practice through rituals.
Associated with the calendar and life cycle of Cantonese people is the
process of preparing offerings, attentive food, whether at home or in the
community scope, this partly reflects the role in the family as well as the size
of the ceremony.
Accordingly, in the scope of the calendar is to prepare worship dishes as
well as dishes serving the party only within the family or close family, so
even without the gender division but most women in the family is still the
buyer and preparation, men often play a supporting role. However, depending
on the different circumstances, there is adequate mutual support. In the cycle
of life cycle rituals, often larger in size with the acceptance and participation
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of many components including family scope and social scope, preparation is
often assigned to both men and women in the family.
Considering the extent of food preparation for the calendar and life-cycle
rituals, it has now been commercialized quite a lot, the food, the decoration
has made service, this just shows the progress society has just contributed to

From a family meal perspective, with the structure and composition of
the dish mentioned in the meal, the value of balancing connecting the yin and
yang and the Five Elements theory, bringing the element to taste, spectacular
and delicious which is especially good for health but still ensures flexibility
through dish coordination during culinary practice. The balance of yin and
yang expressed during the preparation of a meal presentation before being
enjoyed is quite evident in Cantonese families that we have the opportunity to
interact with or interview in depth. The color and texture of the dish
combined to ensure the "offset" contrast create the attractiveness of the dish
expressed through culinary practice discussed in the area of Luy's house,
Van's house, or Uncle Hung's house., etc. The deliciousness is reflected both
through cooking and mixing ingredients skills.
At the range of family meals or community meals in rituals, the balance
of yin and yang is clearly expressed through the display of a beautiful table.
The dishes presented in the meal that is also presented in the yin and yang
system through opposing colors such as the green of vegetables, opposition
red shrimp, black of fish, dark of beef, gold of fried noodles. The diversity in
the method of processing and decorating dishes on the dining table not only
for people to enjoy an interesting experience but also create a voyeuristic,
balanced visual effect. It is the balance in the new dishes that are important to
create the yin and yang combination by the light dishes corresponding to the
darker dishes.
Icons through dishes are worshiped and enjoyed
This valuable study in the Cantonese culinary framework we also look
at such aspects is used in the calendar and life cycle at the family and
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community level. These elements also symbolize the desire for yourself and
family to live a peaceful, happy prosperous life and stay together, through:

belief towards integrity when the members close a new year and move to a
new year with more good aspirations, etc. While symbolic expressions are
defined by images, colors, names, the number of uses in previous rituals is
associated with elaborate preparation at the family level, nowadays along
with the process its commercialization appears to be popular in the markets
of every festival, ensuring a more beautiful and sophisticated element and are
longer preserved foods than expressing aspects that ensure nutrient supply
continuously throughout the year. The combination of foods in a dish and
many dishes in a meal or party such as fish meat is a symbol of prosperity
and affluence. Besides, the food used in rituals symbolizes fertility,
proliferation like images of lotus root, pomegranate and inviting tea to invite
lotus jam in the wedding ceremony.
It can be said by the dishes used in the holidays associated with the life
of the Chinese to see the diversity and richness of the cosmological viewpoint
of the Cantonese people. Besides, the worldview that is practiced by the
Cantonese within the community of families through rituals is a typical
symbol of community identity because they are also a part of cultural
artifacts.
4.2. Culinary culture and social relations
Here we place cuisine in the correlation of social relations in the life of
Cantonese people such as kinship - relatives, community relations. Through
the selection of food in both quality and quantity, it also contributes to reflect
their economic situation and social status.
The aspect of public dining practice from events associated with rituals
in the life of Cantonese people, the events we approached and described
above all showed during the course of the meal practice eating the
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community. Generally, older people, high-ranking people served in advance

reflected through the image of "giving gifts" after the month-end ceremony
or the long-term ceremony and the engagement. The purpose of the
difference in this "gift" distribution can be understood through food given to
a "special" audience that shows respect, closer friendship, or maintaining the
profit relationships. The lesser part is the connection and maintaining the
social relationship to remember each other to have fun together.
Overall through community meals provides a more multidimensional
connection perspective where the party host is the subject, the food is the
substance that connects and establishes multidimensional relationships in
society.
In terms of gender relations
Different from the old "housewife" in the Chinese perspective, the angles
of food and gender, the role of gender in the Cantonese community is very
different, governed by the social status of women constantly changing. In
fact, within the family, they are still "key box hands" so it still more or less
affects the "kitchen and power" factor. Therefore, in the kitchen, it is unclear
to define gender roles, through interviews and participation, we see that this
gender role is still the main role of women but is gradually shifting from
women to male.
The preparation of previous dishes is often done by women
(mothers, daughters-in-law ...) who are responsible for taking care of
food, dishes, and meals for the family. For a long time, women have the
role of housework and parenting, other members are in charge of the
economy, communication, and business outside.
Thus, the perspective of cuisine culture influencing the role of gender,
we also see an overview of the culinary practices of Cantonese people
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reflecting gender, although, in practice, there is no gender distinction in

Vietnamese.
Conclusion
From culinary culture practices in the family and human life rituals, we
discuss a number of issues such as the worldview, the food that conveys the
cultural and culinary aspects in modern society. From there we can see
somewhat of the current picture of the ethnic Cantonese.
Culinary practice within the family and rituals of Cantonese imbued with the
yin and yang of the Five Elements in mixing ingredients and culinary
practices within the family and community. The process of culinary practice
can also be understood as the process of interaction between nature, people
and society. Considering community meals, the seating position of the guest
speaks of their importance in society or with the homeowners. The quality
and quantity of dishes offered at parties contribute to the economic wealth or
social status of the owner. If the food is placed in a normal way of
understanding it is only an item to feed people, but in a cultural context,
namely, establishing a social relationship, assigning gender, the food is raised
in a new level.

GENERAL CONCLUSION
Studying on the cuisine of Cantonese people in Ho Chi Minh City
nowadays, we choose an approach from a cultural anthropological
perspective to consider cuisine from cultural dimensions. With the research
subject is the Cantonese community living in Ho Chi Minh City for about
10 years.
We have pointed out that the human life of Cantonese people is
embodied in cuisine, the cuisine is a component that contributes to
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