On the 27th of November, 2024, Duke Kunshan University students got a glimpse of the research field of anthropology and what a vegan lifestyle entails through an event titled “Discover the Secret of Well-Being”. The event forms a segment of “The Voices from the Research Field” series, organized and presented by Anthroplogy@DKU and generously sponsored by the Cultures and Movements major along with the Division of Social Sciences. This series showcases the diverse research fields of anthropologists and ethnographers. After a brief introduction to Anthropology@DKU, Prof. Sajida Tuxun welcomed students into the field that nurtures cross-cultural awareness and challenges individuals to reflect on the vast spectrum of human existence, followed by a discussion with the staff of Pure Vegan, a vegan restaurant in Shanghai that exemplifies “the values of the lifestyle”. The event concluded as attendees savored the tasty and wholesome vegan beverages and desserts prepared by the restaurant’s culinary team.
Consuming Food, Consuming Ethics
The event is based on a CSCC-funded pilot research project “Consuming Food, Consuming Ethics” led by anthropologist Sajida Tuxun. This research investigates the evolving preferences toward plant-based diets, namely vegan and vegetarian practices in urban China, focusing on the intersection of food choices and ethical considerations that define a “healthy diet” and lifestyle in Shanghai and other major cities. By examining the perspectives of various actors, including restaurant owners, staff, and consumers, the study aims to reveal the factors influencing dietary perceptions and practices. Employing ethnographic methods involving participant observation, surveys, and interviews, the project seeks to enhance our understanding of urban Chinese foodscapes and the nexus of food, health, and ethics.
Immersion in the Restaurant
Anthropology studies human societies, cultures and their development. In an ever-more-connected world, anthropological knowledge promotes empathy and cooperation across cultural divides, driving us toward a more harmonious global community. The heart of anthropology beats strongest in fieldwork. According to Prof. Tuxun, fieldwork is a distinctive rite of passage for anthropologists and ethnographers. Engaging directly with the subjects of their studies, anthropologists and ethnographers embark on journeys to various communities, sometimes remote or unfamiliar, immersing themselves in local environments.
The project “Consuming Food, Consuming Ethics” is an ethnography of the restaurant, which is a qualitative research approach where the anthropologist immerses themselves in the restaurant setting to study the cultural patterns, behaviors, and interactions within that context. This involves observing and sometimes participating in the daily life of the restaurant, interviewing staff and customers, and analyzing how the space is organized and how food is prepared and consumed.
Indeed, researchers become “one within the society” that they observe, and focus on aspects such as social interactions in the restaurant, how the restaurant reflects the community’s culture, and whether or not there are any symbolic meanings attached to certain foods or eating practices observed in the restaurant. They might also look out for any rituals involved in the preparation, serving, or consumption of food and how the restaurant adapts traditional recipes and practices in a modern and innovative manner.
Pure Vegan: A Family
In a relishing discussion with the Pure Vegan staff, students embarked on a journey of discovery of the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and the values it harbours. Starting with the pressing questions: “How do people deal with daily leftovers? Where does food waste go?
What is the truth behind our food system?”, Mr. Song, the ESG (Environmental, social and Governance) consultant of Pure Vegan, guided the participants through the interconnectedness of food, climate change, and our shared environment. Pure Vegan incorporates fresh and healthy ingredients in a novel way, according to Anne, one of the team members of the management. Much thought and care was put into the recipes, a wonderful fusion of vegan and Chinese cooking, not only for feeding customers, but also for nurturing them.
Locally sourced ingredients such as salad, avocado, beans, quinoa, mushroom, and pumpkin are incorporated in dishes that are cooked for family members because every customer in the restaurant is regarded as family. The cooking process is not easy to imagine but paramount, almost ritualistic. The people behind the restaurant recounted tales of customers tasting their dishes and “feeling the energy that the dishes were cooked for family members.” When served a French-style mushroom dish, a French chef told the staff that it was beyond expectation!
Furthermore, Pure Vegan underscores the importance of maintaining a team culture, having achieved this in three ways: Firstly, everybody feels at home. Working in the restaurant is like being with your family. Secondly, they learn from each other and encourage each other. Last but not least, the workplace is regarded as a healing center, providing them with beneficial energy. Sara Gao opened her heart to the public and admitted how lost she felt in the past. However, having a vegan diet and working at Pure Vegan meant adopting a new way of living. From that moment she felt reconnected to life, having the purpose of welcoming customers from all over the world to a vegan diet. The destination of this journey? “Wellbeing”, Sara shared.
Concluding remarks
Featuring “The Voices from the Research Field”, this event shed light on the diverse settings and communities among which ethnographers engage. It highlighted that those involved in fieldwork are not just subjects but active participants and contributors to the knowledge production in their respective domains. Such encounters and dynamics between the researcher and the “researched” revealed the complexity of ethnography, not only as a research method but also as a methodology. The event culminated in participants tasting the delicious and healthy plant-based drinks and sweets made by the restaurant. Students were shocked by how fresh they all tasted. The people behind Pure Vegan seem to be right: a dish can feel like the ones eaten at home, even if that home is thousands of kilometers away. This event showcased the beauty of anthropology. It truly engaged participants and immersed them in the world of the restaurant. DKUers should look forward to experiencing more from the voices in the research field of social science, particularly through ethnographic projects such as “Consuming Food, Consuming Ethics”!
Written by: Eric Eberly, Class of 2028
Edited by: Sajida Tuxun
Photo by: Pure Vegan, Sajida Tuxun
