Southeast Asian Identity and Rice

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“SEA is a region without an identity”. Discuss this statement with reference to at least 3 examples. INTRODUCTION Southeast Asia has been tricky to unite due to much diversity in the region. Nonetheless, it has not been grouped and classified as a region without basis. There are several identities that bind the region, one of which is rice. Rice has been fundamental in sustaining the region for thousands of years. As both crop and food, rice has surpassed its primary role as a food staple and developed into a symbol of the region. In this essay, I will focus on rice as an identity of Southeast Asia through the ways in which it has permeated Southeast Asian culture and influenced the region's economy. CULTURE Food Culture Rice has established itself as an essential in the food culture of Southeast Asia. It is the predominant staple food of the region and commonly found as the base component to most dishes in Southeast Asia. In 2007, eight of the top ten consumers of rice per capita in the world were recorded to be Southeast Asian nations (International Rice Research Institute, 2007). High in carbohydrates and energy content, rice has been integral in fulfilling the energy requirements of Southeast Asia. The strong identity of rice as a staple is evident in how it has seeped into the use of certain expressions. In Thailand, the term for "let's eat" is "kin kao", which literally translates to "eat rice" (Gomez, 2001). Similarly, the Hmong, an ethnic group found in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, uses the phrase "peb noj mov", which means "let us eat rice" (Albala, 2011). Theses phrases show that the significance of rice in meals has deep roots in history through the way it has embedded itself into everyday language. Its integration into language also indicates a sense of pride over rice as the identity of their food culture. Even if it lacks presence at a

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