By Christine Lee & Emma Remy
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Representing Asian Cuisine in Greater Philadelphia.
We were interested in Bamboo Bistro as the only representative of Asian cuisine in the Swarthmore borough. Christine had eaten at Bamboo before, while Emma had yet to. We were expecting to find some Asian community that congregated at Bamboo, either comprising Asian students of Swarthmore College or residents of Swarthmore town. However, we discovered that, as a result of the demographics and expectations of the Swarthmore community, Bamboo is incredibly Americanized.
When we first approached Bamboo, the restaurant was empty because it was a mid-afternoon on a Sunday. Several employees were sitting near the entrance, on their phones or chatting in (presumably) Mandarin. After asking for an interview, two of the employees squabbled over whose English was better until Tim agreed to his voice being recorded. We were surprised to discover that, while the employees of Bamboo were from the Philadelphia Chinatown area, the restaurant was intended to present Americanized-Asian food and atmosphere.
When we first approached Bamboo, the restaurant was empty because it was a mid-afternoon on a Sunday. Several employees were sitting near the entrance, on their phones or chatting in (presumably) Mandarin. After asking for an interview, two of the employees squabbled over whose English was better until Tim agreed to his voice being recorded. We were surprised to discover that, while the employees of Bamboo were from the Philadelphia Chinatown area, the restaurant was intended to present Americanized-Asian food and atmosphere.
Asian as an Umbrella Term for Chinese Cuisine.
An interesting phenomenon that we noticed was that Swarthmore residents would refer to Bamboo Bistro as a “Chinese” restaurant. We deduced that perhaps the Swarthmore community did not see observe a difference between Chinese/Japanese/Thai foods as part of distinct cultures, rather seeing Asia as a uniform region. Another example of this mindset is in how some customers assumed Bamboo serves Korean food, even though it is a Chinese/Japanese/Thai restaurant. Additionally, while many Chinese restaurants in Chinatown have both English menus and “traditional” menus (in Mandarin), Bamboo has only an English menu.
Reflecting on this, we realized that Bamboo is marketing itself to the expectations of the Swarthmore community -- the Americanized idea of a “Chinese” restaurant. We then returned to Bamboo Bistro to document the aesthetic aspects of the restaurant, from the “Asian” art on the walls to the Western design and layout of the restaurant.
Reflecting on this, we realized that Bamboo is marketing itself to the expectations of the Swarthmore community -- the Americanized idea of a “Chinese” restaurant. We then returned to Bamboo Bistro to document the aesthetic aspects of the restaurant, from the “Asian” art on the walls to the Western design and layout of the restaurant.
White America Imagines Asian Cuisine.
In addition to interviewing the staff of Bamboo Bistro, we spoke with a member of the Swarthmore community, exploring the other side of this marketing/expectation dichotomy. We found a Swarthmore resident and Bamboo regular to interview in the Swarthmore public library, an important community space. She confirmed our ideas about Swarthmore community members’ expectations for the restaurant; for example, she expressed honest “disappointment” that her expectation of the “broccoli with sesame chicken” dish was different from what she received at Bamboo Bistro. She also mentioned that “the Swarthmore community wants to have a restaurant with good Asian cuisine” and that there will always be a “market for [this] kind of food” in the borough. We then inferred that this is because Chinese food provides Swarthmore's largely White American residents with a chance to experience a different, generalized or imagined, food culture from their own.
Through our own experiences with Bamboo Bistro and our work for this project, we’ve realized that Bamboo Bistro will continue to provide an Americanized Asian food experience in order to thrive as a business in the Swarthmore borough. We also witnessed the dialectic between consumption and reinterpretation of one culture for the sake of another, especially through the ways in which the restaurant presents itself both aesthetically and discursively.
Through our own experiences with Bamboo Bistro and our work for this project, we’ve realized that Bamboo Bistro will continue to provide an Americanized Asian food experience in order to thrive as a business in the Swarthmore borough. We also witnessed the dialectic between consumption and reinterpretation of one culture for the sake of another, especially through the ways in which the restaurant presents itself both aesthetically and discursively.
About the Authors.
Christine Lee and Emma Remy are sophomores at Swarthmore College. They usually spend their time watching K-Pop videos at random times of the day and enjoy every single moment of it. Please don’t ask them about their majors because they still have not decided and will pretend they have no idea what you’re talking about.
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