From Dried Seafood to Instant Ramen: ‘Japanese’ Industrial Food and Hong Kong Foodways

Abstract

This chapter examines Demae Iccho’s transnational odyssey from Japan to Hong Kong and beyond. I will focus on its first fifteen years in the territory, from 1969 to 1984, prior to Nissin’s establishing its Hong Kong subsidiary and factory. I will consider who initiated its flow and how it was distributed before supermarket shopping became the norm among Chinese residents in Hong Kong. I will also look at the distribution of Nissin instant noodles in the United States for comparative purposes. Based on oral history interviews and historical records, I will argue that, in the early years, Chinese transnational networks of dried seafood were indispensable to Demae Iccho’s diffusion in Asia.