Food issues. Interdisciplinary studies on food in modern and contemporary East Asia

The volume focuses on the relationship between food, culture, literature, and language from a comparative, transcultural, or literary perspective. The essays investigate these aspects from different approaches: historical, sociological, anthropological, religious, linguistic, and aim to investigate issues such as the symbolic value of food; food as an essential element for the construction of individuai identity and a sign of belonging to a community; food as an intercultural medium; food as language and the language of food. The articles included in the volume are organized in a Japanese and a Chinese section and use different approaches within the humanities disciplines to explore topics ranging from classical and contemporary East Asian literature to present-day issues, focusing on Food Culture and its declinations.