Diffusion of Asian food culture in Denver

Denver is a relative big and well-developed city in America with a population of 600,158 (2010 census). Like many other cities in America, Denver shows the typical American culture – multiethnic culture. When the statue of liberty was dedicated in October 28^th 1886, migrants from various countries were welcomed and started a new life in America. The international immigration boomed during the first decade of the twenty-first century. What’s more, three-fourths of the recent U.S. immigrations have originated from Asia and Latin America (James M. Rubenstein 88). From my personal perspectives, the level of multi-ethnic is associated with the level of development. Denver is a perfect area that shows how Asian food culture is influenced and impacts the natives in America. In this paper, diffusion of Asian food culture in Denver would be illustrated by giving many specific examples. More importantly, I believe the diffusion of Asian food culture in Denver has both positive and negative influences. Besides, mixing of culture is the biggest product of globalization. Culture diffusion causes many effects to both the originated area and being influenced area.  Explains would be given in the following paragraphs.

Many people may have heard about the Lollicup Tea Zone in Denver on the south Colorado Blvd. Lollicup is probably the most famous boba place in Denver. The major group of customers in Lollicup is high school students and college students from various ethnics. Boba is little pearl-sized tapioca ball at the bottom of drinks. It is made by the starch of the cassava root and would become sweet and chewy ball after cooking. Boba was originated from Taiwan. Within around two years, Boba was diffused to nearby countries, such as mainland of China, Singapore, Philippines, Canada and west coast of America. (U.S. TimeMagzine 2001) Boba as a kind of Asian food culture, being diffused and strongly influenced by foreign culture, presents to peoples from other ethnic groups a fresh Asian food idea and affect those peoples. Boba gradually became popular in America nowadays. In 2001, Jeffrey Ressner described the diffusion of Asian boba in states on U.S. TimeMagzine, “It (Boba) traveled to North America via the large Asian community in Vancouver, then migrated to Chinatown areas in New York and other U.S. cities before popping up at trendy college campuses in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.” Americans love it because it’s attractive by adding some chewy balls in milk tea. Compared with boba, British milk tea became a kind of plain and boring drink. I interviewed one of the American guests in the Lollicup called Alice and she said, “Boba is so ethnic and unique that people could not buy it from somewhere else. ”

As an Asian, when I ordered a cup of boba in Denver Lollicup, I felt that everything here was what I was familiar with. Suddenly, I felt that I was lost because everything here was strange. Boba in America, as a result of culture diffusion, is somehow changed. In the Lollicup tea zone, we could see how Asian food culture and American food culture mixed and presented a new food style. To be specific, Asian peoples prefer to call boba as pearl milk tea rather than boba or tapioca. Asian boba places would only provided milk tea with boba at the bottom of the milk tea with various temperature for guests to choose, such as hot, warm or cold. However, Lollicup in Denver provides guests with boba slush, snow bubble and normal boba milk tea. Boba slush is a drink that is made by boba and blended ice. While snow bubble is creamy and similar to boba slush. Moreover, Lollicup in Denver provides both Asian and American nibbles. Not only Asian steamed bun but also American bread and cakes are served in Lollicup. According to my observation, Lollicup in Denver serves hot chocolate, cappuccino and black coffee too. Lollicup as a tea place in America should serve drinks that are loved by Americans, such as hot chocolate, cappuccino and black coffee. However, Lollicup is showing Asian food culture that is relative fresh and attractive to Americans at the same time. Similar to Asian boba places, many social activities are associated with eating and drinking. Lollicup in Denver, as a result of Asian food culture in America, offers guests both Asian and American activities that they could spend time on. For example, Asian manga and American fashion magazines are putted on the bookcase. Besides, walls are decorated with oil painting and Japanese cartoon drawings. Finally, American foosball table and board games are also accessible.  

Except the Lollicup Tea zone in Denver, there are enormous Asian restaurants and tea places in Denver that show the mixing of Asia and America food culture. Take panda express as an example, Chinese food in Panda Express is selling with the American fast food selling way. Prepared food enhances the efficiency of selling but the tradition of Chinese cuisine is lost. Vietnamese Pho is quit popular in Denver too. However, the flavor is a little bit different from the original Vietnamese pho. Two years ago, I spent a whole month in Hanoi (Capital city of Vietnam). I was fall in love with pho at that time. There were a lot of spices that guests could add on in Hanoi’s pho restaurants. Take the fish sauce as an example. Fish sauce is not available on the table of pho restaurants in Denver. Like many other American restaurant, salt, pepper, Sriracha hot chili sauce and soy sauce are always on the table. However, the American type of Vietnamese pho has a unique flavor and I enjoy eating it too.

Generally speaking, the development of transportation, Internet and media (Television) promotes the globalization. As a result of globalization, culture diffusion is enhanced. I hold the view that diffusion of Asian food culture in Denver brings both positive and negative impacts on the original food culture and American local food culture.