Food as culture : the Duozhu cold noodle of “no sauce make noise” restaurant as a representative intangible cultural heritage of Duozhu town, China

Abstract

The research focus and scope for this dissertation is the century-old Mao Yew Hoi San (“No Sauce Make Noise” 冇油开声, referring to the customer’s loud request for more sauce to the noodle) restaurant, in Duozhu town, Huidong County, Guangdong Province with a concentration. The restaurant is famous for Duozhu cold noodle (多祝冷粉, Duozhu being the name of the town), a food item that is one of the most famous Hakka characteristic snacks in Duozhu town, Huidong County, Guangdong Province (广东省惠东县多祝镇). In 2019, the production technique of the Duozhu cold noodle was recognized as intangible cultural heritage (ICH), county level. However, there is an issue. The recognition is limited on the knowledge and the skill of making the noodle, which is object-oriented. In the case of the Duozhu cold noodle, it is the noodle master and the restaurant that serve the noodle that play the important role of connecting the noodle to the customers. By this, the noodle does not become an intangible cultural heritage by itself – it is the people who make the noodle, sell the noodle, eat the noodle, appreciate the noodle, and value the noodle so much that they give it an intangible cultural heritage recognition. Hence, there is an urgency to document and interpret people-oriented content into the intangible cultural heritage recognition to understand its cultural significance and document its origins and histories, thereby, identifying challenges and opportunities to sustain this cultural practice, and to enrich the content of intangible cultural heritage certification in China as an attempt. This dissertation will examine the Duozhu cold noodle as an intangible cultural heritage through a people-oriented approach, by focusing on the people associated with the noodle to show the relationship between the people and the noodle. In addition, the relationship between the tangible and intangible aspects of the restaurant will be presented to depict a complete picture of this people-oriented approach towards an intangible cultural heritage that is closely associated with the everyday lives of the common people.