Firsthand practice: Resolving structure and change in Japanese regional cuisine

Cooking and eating are dynamic practices whose study is well suited to resolve the paradox of continuity and innovation. Culinary practices of the past must constantly evolve to remain relevant, while new ways of cooking and eating must inscribe themselves within the continuity of local habits to be widely accepted. In this article, I examine how residents of a tucked-away region in Japan negotiate the tension between tradition and novelty in their cuisine. In an area with few economic opportunities, this distinction affects the value of food. However, economic opportunity is not the only driver behind regional cuisine. Residents of this region draw on embodied dispositions to guide their culinary practices. More broadly, the body provides a privileged site to examine how structure and change can coexist with few contradictions.