Anthropos: Anthropos, 82.1987,1/6

Anthropos, 82.1987,1/6

Bibliographic Data

Journal

Structure Type:: Journal

Works URN (URL):: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-714820

URN:: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-714820

Persistent identifier:: BV043334262

Title:: Anthropos

Sub Title:: internationale Zeitschrift für Völker- u. Sprachenkunde

Place of Publication:: Fribourg

Publisher:: Ed. St. Paul

Year of Publication:: 1906

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Domain:: Social and cultural anthropology > General overview

Journal Volume

Structure Type:: Journal Volume

Works URN (URL):: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-711875

URN:: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-711875

Persistent identifier:: 1513669072122

Title:: Anthropos, 82.1987,1/6

Year of Publication:: 1987

Call Number:: LA 1118

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Journal Issue

Structure Type:: Journal Issue

Title:: Bd. 82, 1987, Heft 4-6

Collection:: Journals and Newspapers > Journals of Ethnology

Anthropos 82.1987: 389-401 From the Common Pot Feasting with Equals in Chinese Society James L. Watson 1. Introduction 2. Village Banquets: In Defiance of Convention 3. The Setting: Food and Ethnic Boundaries 4. Village Cuisine: Two Kinds of Banquet Food 5. Origin of the Common Pot 6. Banquets and Legitimization 7. Restaurant Feasts: A Recent Innovation 8. Conclusions: The Banquet as a Levelling Device 1. Introduction It is by now commonplace in anthropology to treat food as a code that reflects, in Mary Douglas’s words, ‘different degrees of hierar chy, inclusion and exclusion, boundaries and transactions across . . . boundaries’ (1971: 61). 1 The use of food to express complex social messages is highly developed in India. 1 2 Much the same can be said of China although the published ethnography on this subject 3 is rather sparse in comparison to the vast body of work now available on Hindu food symbolism. K. C. Chang notes that ‘appropriate food must be served [at Chinese banquets] since the parties involved know exactly what is being said’ (1977: 16). This does not mean that the mes sages are universally apparent; in fact, ‘the language of food takes many years to learn’ James L. Watson, Ph. D. in Anthropology, Universi ty of California, Berkeley, 1972. Lecturer in Asian Anthropology, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 1973-1983; Professor of Anthro- pology, University of Pittsburgh, 1983 to present. - Field- Work in Hong Kong New Territories 1969-1970, 1977-1978; in China summers 1985 and 1986. - Publica tions: Emigration and the Chinese Lineage (1975); Be tween Two Cultures: Migrants and Minorities in Britain (Ted.7 1977); Asian and African Systems of Slavery ([ed.] 1980); Class and Social Stratification in Post-Revolution China ([ed.] 1984); Kinship Organization in Late Imperial China ([co-ed.] 1986). (1977: 17). The present paper deals with one, hitherto unexplored aspect of China’s culinary tradition, namely the use of food as a social levelling device. The custom described in this study represents a militant rejection of the hierarchical values that normally find expres sion at Chinese banquets. The higher one ascends the social hierarchy in China the more elaborate and complex the rules of entertainment become. This is particu larly true when food is involved. At banquets, for instance, the quality and diversity of dishes reflect the status of the diners (cf. Anderson and Anderson 1977: 372-373); hosts must make very careful calculations to avoid turning a guest into an enemy. Imperial banquets, of course, were the most sumptuous. The Sung court (mid-twelfth century) employed over a thousand chefs and kitchen assistants. Daily meals prepared for the emperor were so opu lent that 40 serving boxes were required to carry the dishes to the dining room (Freeman 1977: 157). 4 A banquet given by a prince to honor the emperor in 1151 consisted of over 30 1 See also Douglas 1966: 54-72; Firth 1963, 1973: 243-261; Lévi-Strauss 1968: 471^195; Ortner 1975; Soler 1979; Yalman 1969. 2 See, e. g., Appadurai 1981; Cantle 1981; Dumont 1970: 130-151; Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi 1977; Inden and Nicholas 1977; 18-21; Khare 1976; Khare and Rao 1986; Marriott 1968; Parry 1985. 3 The best source on China is ‘Food in Chinese Culture,’ a collection of original essays edited by K. C. Chang (1977); see also items cited in note 5 below, plus Anderson and Anderson 1969, 1972; Cooper 1986; Pills- bury 1975; Strauch n. d.; and R. Watson n. d. 4 Many Ch’ing (Manchu) emperors had simple tastes and did not indulge regularly in extravagant foods. None theless they were presented with the full complement of dishes once a day, only to have it all returned to the kitchens. Most of the meals they actually consumed were

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