<論文>コンタクト・ゾーンにおけるエスニックフード・ビジネス : 横浜市鶴見区の沖縄・南米系飲食店・物産店から

Abstract

This paper gives an insight into a so-called Contact Zone where people with various cultures and ethnicities live together. In doing so, it also makes a report on the history of this area, along with the current conditions of Okinawan and South American people's ethnic food business. The main question raised in this paper is whether food culture with various backgrounds divides people into those who eat it and those who do not, or the enjoyment of food rather brings forward people's harmony. This paper analyzes this question based on my investigation of restaurants and souvenir shops in Yokohama city Tsurumi ward where residents from Okinawa and South America live together. The result of the investigation is as follows. Ethnic restaurants produce cross-cultural exchanges, and some restaurants have furnishing goods and national flags to imitate cultural contacts. The menu in such restaurants is written in two or more languages like Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese in an attempt to attract guests of various ethnic groups. In a lot of ethnic restaurants & shops, the main employees come from the same ethnic group. However, some restaurants & shops employ members of different ethnic groups, whose simplified operations help leap language barrier. The main clients of these restaurants & shops come from a certain ethnic minority group. However, in some cases, guests from the majority group continue to have relations with ethnic minorities through employment relations etc. In shops selling ethnic food, contacts between the ethnic minorities are maintained. But this not only creates a chance for communication but also leads to conflicts. Although the numbers are relatively few compared with minority's contact, the contacts between the majority and the respective ethnic minorities through food have been maintained.