Ninth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

In recent years, East Asian governments have taken up a “taste-full” approach to international relations: Public Culinary Diplomacy. These cultural diplomacy programmes promote a country’s cuisine and culinary products to attract foreign visitors, foster agricultural exports and create a positive image abroad. Among East Asian Public Culinary Diplomacy programmes, the case of Taiwan is of particular interest since President Ma Ying-jeou declared taking Taiwan’s food to the world “a policy priority” in 2010. But, how is “Taiwanese food” constructed by the government for an international audience and potential recipients of such a food centred cultural diplomacy programme? Is Taiwan’s government constructing a competitive differentiator amidst the shared cultural and historical connections with the People’s Republic of China? In addition to revealing synergies between Taiwan’s food culture and its foreign relations, this paper identifies key frames used by official government outlets constructing the specific cultural dimension of food vis-à-vis the PRC. This paper adds a new contribution to the academic discussion of cultural diplomacy and the construction of cultural heritage for a non-domestic audience through the analysis of rhetorical processes shaping “Taiwanese food.” This contribution, thus, is relevant because both the use of food in cultural diplomacy and the construction of cultural heritage for a non-domestic audience are yet to be fully understood through academic research.