The Success of Localized Chinese Food Shows a Path for the Chinese to Thrive Globally in a Less Globalized World

There is a commonly served dish among Chinese restaurants in Malta that I have yet to see anywhere outside Europe. Called "crispy duck," it consists of deep-fried duck meat served with hoisin sauce, thin pancakes, and raw cucumber and onion strips. They are meant to be eaten like Peking duck, wrapping the meat with the vegetables in the pancakes, with some sauce sprinkled to give it a taste. Yet, the fact that deep frying and raw onions are involved in the process means that the result tastes quite different from Peking duck.

Nonetheless, this "unauthentic" Chinese dish has become popular enough here to be a mainstay of menus. Unlike the Peking duck, it is not seen as a luxury item to be had on special occasions, but more as an appetizer in large family dinners, to be had before plates of stir-fries and rice arrive at the table. Clearly, Chinese food has evolved to cater to the local taste here, quite successfully, just as elsewhere. Judging by the crowds thronging the island's modest Chinese eateries, their modified menus, like crispy duck, have captured sufficient attention away from the usual American fast food, Italian, and Turkish eateries.

By documenting the many countries I have had the fortune to travel to, this blog has also highlighted the many instances of Chinese migrants who have established themselves by selling Chinese food. In many cases, these Chinese foods have become so popular that they become national cuisines, using borrowed Chinese names but no longer Chinese in identity. In the process, their original Chinese creators also became local, accumulating capital through modest restaurants that allowed their offspring to thrive in the host society as intellectuals, businessmen, and other roles not involving food sales.

It suffices to say that the dynamism of Chinese food reflects the mental flexibility of Chinese migrants peddling them. Their willingness to mold the food and their own identities for greater acceptance into local culture is what enabled them to not only establish an economic foothold where they initially knew little about the local culture and language but also eventually seek out competitive advantage based on bridging the obviousness of their foreign background and their partial integration into the local economy. The resulting business and intellectual acumen made ethnic Chinese wealthy outside China.

The same dynamism shown by Chinese migrants of the past will be critical in the coming years, as China faces more difficulties in its economic development. Financial constraints have led to the government upping the retirement age to cut back on pension costs, and finding new sources of revenue while being more scrutinizing about expenditures. This is hardly a recipe to boost consumer confidence just as the most dynamic parts of the economy are faced with production overcapacity and even the brightest stare down the possibilities of pay cuts and unemployment.

The result, unsurprisingly, is and will be a renewed push for Chinese products and people to go abroad, the latest episode in centuries of Chinese emigration when facing instability or excess domestic competition. But countries around the world are restricting Chinese products for their national security threat or unfair pricing, and also cut back on immigrant intake, especially from the feared fifth column from China. Faced with greater difficulty going abroad, a new generation of Chinese people outside China will have to be even more creative.

Now as ever, the success of localized Chinese food against stiff competition from other cuisines offers a clue to creativity. While China may seem to suffer disproportionately, the story of deglobalization amidst a financial crunch is not a China-only story. China's raising of retirement age is merely catching up with other countries that had to bite the bullet in the face of popular protests. And if Chinese imports are banned or restricted, other countries that pick up the slack will face similar hostility. Chinese products and people will have to adapt better in the face of the competition as Chinese food has. 

Seeing the success of crispy duck, I am hopeful a new generation of Chinese exports, both in goods and people, will succeed. With others incapable of being as willing to give up or sacrifice the authenticity of their cultural identity, like the Japanese, the Chinese have a distinct competitive advantage. If they can continue to build bridges by partially integrating and partially staying apart, just as Chinese food has, the Chinese will be in a good place to be the globalizers still needed in a less globalized world. As we eat, we need to remember the dynamism.