Abstract
In this article, I try to consider how the foodways of Chinese overseas can be described. Chinese restaurant in Lagos, Nigeria, offers “ordinary” Chinese dishes, almost the same as we usually eat in mainland China. Though they are authentic Chinese dishes, it is difficult to regard them as foodways of Chinese overseas. Bak kut teh in Malaysia, which is closely related with the historical story of Chinese overseas, are still consumed in local’s daily life as well as eagerly commercialized as local specialty. Nanyang Zongcan is unique category of cuisine which especially features the food of Chinese overseas. The restaurant offers popular “creole” Chinese foods dishes which were invented and localized in Southeast Asia or North America. Customers consume them as icon of Overseas Chinese foods, which withdrew with original context. The foodways of Overseas Chinese are never able to be grasped as they are intrinsically but described as spectrum from ordinary Chinese dishes consumed abroad to reflexive icon. In this regard, the foodways of Overseas Chinese as research object correspond to Overseas Chinese itself.
