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 -