Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 地理學系 === 105 === Hsinchu, the city of wind (named because of its winter intensive northeast monsoon), is known by its rice noodle, pork meatball etc. As one of the specialties of Hsinchu, rice noodle culture has more than a hundred years. The rice noodle industry was founded because of Hsinchu’s particular natural and humanistic resources and it is deeply rooted into Hsinchu’s local culture. However, as the industry and society develop over time, the rice noodle industry changes as well in terms of its sales model. In 2013, a rice noodle safety crisis induced people’s concern of rice noodle’s production. Rice noodle becomes the focus and motivation of this study.
We discussed the relationship between the local food culture and the sales model of traditional rice noodle industry, and the change of this relationship because of societal change and consumerism. There are three purposes of study: (1) to illustrate the production features of Hsinchu’s rice noodle, (2) to demonstrate the formation of rice noodle culture of Hsinchu, and (3) to elaborate the food culture and identity caused by Hsinchu’s rice noodle.
The results showed that Hsinchu’s rice noodle industry had a diminished connection with local society due to consumerism and societal change. The modification of rice noodle production partly is caused by technological change and partly by society change; but this modification also influences Hsinchu’s rice noodle industrial culture. The Hsinchu local food culture was shaped by the rice noodle industrial features, consumers’ opinions, the local characteristics, local governmental influences, the fusion of rice noodle and local food culture, and their interactions. Consumers recognized this rice noodle food culture through ways of marketing and purchases. The rice noodle food identity, along with the industrial changes, localization of products, local connection and consumerism, is now wildly accepted by Taiwanese and Hsinchu brand name becomes a classic of rice noodle industry.
Keywords: Hsinchu’s rice noodle industry, food culture, and food identity
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