GYOZA 餃子

Food plays an interesting role in the relationship of countries.  Japan and China have often had a hostile relationship, so this example of food sharing is almost amusing, as the Japanese were willing to kill for China’s natural resources, but upon defeat received the consolation prize of learning how to make a delicious dumpling.  It is still surprising though, that despite the apparent disdain the Japanese held for the Chinese, especially during and after World War II, they would embrace this distinctly Chinese dumpling and that it would gain tremendous popularity.  The gyoza dumpling is still referred to by many vendors as Japanese Style Jiaozi, suggesting they have too much pride to refer to a Chinese dumpling as their own.  Of course, many refer to it as just gyoza still. 

            This complicated set of issues is a wonderful example of Japan’s constant identity crisis. Despite being an island nation, they constantly struggle to differentiate themselves from surrounding countries on a cultural level, especially from China. Kitaoka Shin’ichi, a Professor at The University of Tokyo summarizes this problem in a paper discussing national identity, writing “Not all countries feel a burning passion to clearly define their own national identities, and fewer still are obsessed with this issue as much as Japan.”  After exclaiming the Japanese obsession to define itself, Kitaoko rebuts this statement, making it clear that it is an ongoing process that experiences waves of activity, opposed to a constant identity search, writing, “The Japanese search for a clear identity has not been a steady and continuous one, though, and this pursuit has been characterized by a significant ebb and flow.”  Kitaoka later credits modern day Japan with being independent of China, although this was clearly not always the case, and the Gyoza serves as a reminder to the once tumultuous relationship with the Chinese.  The ebb and flow Kitaoka refers to is certainly a result of different effects impacting people’s feelings about their country and sense of national identity.  One would think that after World War II anyone in Japan would be eager to denounce all cultural influences of China.  Instead the power of a good dumpling outlasted the pride of the Japanese and they could not help but eat a dumpling invented by their rivals.