The Expansion of the Outsourcing of Meals in Rural Communities

The Qualitative Data Analysis of the Articles in the Magazine “Ie No Hikari”

Abstract

This article surveys the expansion of the outsourcing of meals in rural communities with the qualitative data analysis of the articles in the magazine “Ie No Hikari”. The joint cooking spread with the Lifestyle Improvement Movement in 1950ʼs. The communal cooking in the busy seasons for farming started early in 1960ʼs. And, in the middle 1960ʼs, the use of foods cooked outside the home was hastened by the purchasing business of Japan Agricultural Cooperatives. Though the communal cooking declined early in 1970ʼs, the use of foods cooked outside the home was accelerated by the setting up of private chain stores in the middle 1970ʼs. Those changes means the commercialized process of the domestic cooking in rural communities in Japan.