Food Politics

Thanks to Lawrence Sumulong, a student in last semester's Contemporary Asian American Issues course, a video lecture by Jennifer 8. Lee entitled "Who Was General Tso? and Other Mysteries of American Chinese Food." It's a great piece discussing the politics of production, consumption, and circulation of American Chinese food from its historical origins during the 1800s exclusion era to its present day. It's a witty, funny, and provocative when compared with other so-called "American" foods, but she falls flat on her conclusion taking a moralistic ground instead of a more critical analysis. I suppose it's okay considering her audience, but so much of her critique is historically and politically grounded that I was surprised she didn't follow up with a larger critique about the politics of race and food politics. Oh well.