"Appetites and Aspirations in Vietnam: Food and Drink in the Long Nineteenth Century " by Erica J. Peters is a profound scholarly work that explores how food and drink reflect the social, political, and cultural transformations of Vietnam in the late modern period. Drawing on a wide array of sources from local chronicles to colonial-era newspapers Peters paints a vivid picture of daily life centered around traditional dishes and emerging consumption trends. Through the lens of cuisine, she reveals how urbanization, commerce, and cultural exchanges with France, China, and neighboring regions reshaped the Vietnamese palate and culinary identity.
The book also analyzes the intricate relationship between food, social status, and colonial policies, illustrating how cuisine became both a tool of control and a form of resistance to colonial “civilization.” From rural markets to urban streets, from humble family rice pots to elite banquets, every dish and ingredient is contextualized within a broader historical and cultural framework. Peters helps readers understand the deeper meaning of “aspiration” as expressed through culinary enjoyment and identity.
With a style that is academically rigorous yet evocative, Erica J. Peters invites readers to uncover the stories behind grains of rice, bowls of fish sauce, and cups of tea. "Appetites and Aspirations" is not merely a study of food culture—it is a reflective mirror of historical change, offering a nuanced and intimate portrait of Vietnamese culture and people at the close of the 19th century.
- Title: Appetites and Aspirations in Vietnam: Food and Drink in the Long Nineteenth Century
- Author: Erica J. Peters
- Publishers: General Publishing House
- Year Of Publication: 2023