An accidental journey: sha-cha sauce and beef consumption in Tainan since 1949

TY - JOUR

T1 - An accidental journey: sha-cha sauce and beef consumption in Tainan since 1949

AU - Tseng, Lin-Yi

N1 - doi: 10.1108/STICS-04-2018-0008

PY - 2018/9/3

Y1 - 2018/9/3

N2 - PurposeIn today’s Taiwan, sha-cha sauce is an indispensable ingredient for beef hot pot and stir-fried dishes. The purpose of this paper contextualizes the history of sha-cha sauce in Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan, and argues that sha-cha sauce, introduced by Chaoshan immigrants, has contributed to new styles and habits of beef consumption tastes and habits in the post-1949 Tainan and beyond.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses documentary materials, oral interviews and diaries to explore the relationship between beef consumption and sha-cha sauce. It begins with an historical overview of Taiwan’s beef consumption during the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945). Then, it focuses on two Chaoshan business enterprises: the Bull-Head, which makes the world’s largest “canned sha-cha sauce,” and the Xiao Haozhou, a Tainan restaurant specializing in sha-cha beef hot pot. Finally, this study analyzes Xinrong Wu, a Tainan gentry whose diary entries from 1933 to 1967 documented the changing dietary habits of beef consumption among Taiwanese.FindingsThe Chaoshan migrants played an important role in introducing the sha-cha sauce to postcolonial Tainan, and this input bolstered the beef consumption among Taiwanese. The production of sha-cha provided a reliable source of income for these migrants in Tainan, and major businesses like the Bull-Head became the international brands of Taiwanese food products.Research limitations/implicationsThe study, though limited to Tainan, reveals the symbiosis between popularization of sha-cha sauce and widespread beef consumption in Taiwan.Practical implicationsThis study helps researchers examine the connection between Chinese migrations and food culture.Originality/valueThis paper is an original scholarly investigation of the relationship between food diet and Chaoshan migration in postcolonial Tainan.

AB - PurposeIn today’s Taiwan, sha-cha sauce is an indispensable ingredient for beef hot pot and stir-fried dishes. The purpose of this paper contextualizes the history of sha-cha sauce in Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan, and argues that sha-cha sauce, introduced by Chaoshan immigrants, has contributed to new styles and habits of beef consumption tastes and habits in the post-1949 Tainan and beyond.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses documentary materials, oral interviews and diaries to explore the relationship between beef consumption and sha-cha sauce. It begins with an historical overview of Taiwan’s beef consumption during the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945). Then, it focuses on two Chaoshan business enterprises: the Bull-Head, which makes the world’s largest “canned sha-cha sauce,” and the Xiao Haozhou, a Tainan restaurant specializing in sha-cha beef hot pot. Finally, this study analyzes Xinrong Wu, a Tainan gentry whose diary entries from 1933 to 1967 documented the changing dietary habits of beef consumption among Taiwanese.FindingsThe Chaoshan migrants played an important role in introducing the sha-cha sauce to postcolonial Tainan, and this input bolstered the beef consumption among Taiwanese. The production of sha-cha provided a reliable source of income for these migrants in Tainan, and major businesses like the Bull-Head became the international brands of Taiwanese food products.Research limitations/implicationsThe study, though limited to Tainan, reveals the symbiosis between popularization of sha-cha sauce and widespread beef consumption in Taiwan.Practical implicationsThis study helps researchers examine the connection between Chinese migrations and food culture.Originality/valueThis paper is an original scholarly investigation of the relationship between food diet and Chaoshan migration in postcolonial Tainan.

KW - Migration

KW - Chaoshan

KW - Sha-cha

KW - Tainan

U2 - 10.1108/STICS-04-2018-0008

DO - 10.1108/STICS-04-2018-0008

M3 - Article

VL - 14

SP - 107

EP - 116

JO - Social Transformations in Chinese Societies

JF - Social Transformations in Chinese Societies

SN - 1871-2673

IS - 2

ER -