2025 Volume 21 Pages 1-12
This paper presents the results of a survey conducted between December 2024 and January 2025 on the awareness of traditional food culture among young people in Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan. In Vietnam, food culture remains deeply rooted in ancestor worship, with culinary traditions being transmitted mainly through families. In Thailand, Buddhist ceremonies continue to shape food practices, yet urbanization has brought significant changes to traditional events. In Japan, although the association between annual festivals and food remains strong, family-based transmission has weakened, and the internet has become a primary source of knowledge. Nevertheless, there is a strong willingness among Japanese youth to engage in the preservation and practice of traditional culinary forms, suggesting that tradition is being reinterpreted as a new form of cultural enjoyment. A common feature across the three countries is the frequent use of glutinous rice in ceremonial dishes as well as a growing reliance on commercially prepared foods, reflecting broader shifts in contemporary foodways. To ensure the continuity of traditional food culture, it is essential to adapt these practices to modern lifestyles while fostering systems that enable the younger generation to rediscover and creatively engage with traditional values.
