Exploring the Cultural and Communicative Meanings of Cooking to Chinese Students in the USA Through Photovoice

• In Event: The State of Adaptation/Assimilation Research

Abstract

Cooking is normally viewed as a quite common daily routine, yet it can also be a stress reliever, a symbolic action imbued with cultural meanings and a means to communicate identity. The goal of this study is to examine the cultural and communicative meanings of cooking to one group of Chinese students, representatives of the largest population of foreign students in the USA, so as to explore their acculturation process. Using photovoice, a participatory research method, the authors invited 9 Chinese college students who submitted 123 photos and shared their stories regarding cooking through a 2-hour focus group discussion. Thematic analysis was conducted according to the themes generated by the participants, revealing not only their attachment to their native culture but also their difficulties in intercultural communication.

Authors

• Zhiming Xu, Washington State University

• Jeffery Chaichana Peterson, Washington State U