Themes Of Japanese Cultures In 'Chorus Of Mushrooms'

Both Naoe and Kieko resent each other because Naoe is unable to leave behind her Japanese traditions and culture, where as Keiko refuses to remain trapped in a state of confusion between two cultures. Consequently, Keiko actively works to diminish this polarity that exists between her Japanese “self” and Canadian “self” by refuting one of her “selves.” Keiko does this by avoiding Japanese food, the Japanese language, and Naoe. Keiko’s disdain for traditional Japanese food does not help close the distance between her and Naoe, specifically because Naoe’s fixation and obsession with Japanese food is evident throughout Chorus of Mushrooms. For example, the scenes in which Naoe is relishing food that her brother Shige, and his wife have sent her,

When Naoe chews dried squid sent to her from Japan, she says that it gives her energy, and the more she chews, the tastier it is for her (Goto 14). Similarly, in another instance, Naoe is secretly eating osenbei, crisp rice crackers soaked in soy sauce, which her granddaughter, Murasaki, has sneaked into Naoe’s room (Goto 15). Thus, food is not only a means to satisfy Naoe’s hunger, but there are further connotations associated with it. In scholar Heather Latimer’s view, eating signifies a form of psychological transformation for Naoe which goes beyond “the consumption of just food.” Basically, Naoe’s connection with traditional food traces her back to her roots in Japan, where she spent her childhood. Food represents a sense of familiarity for Naoe, who’s immigration to Canada and eating “western” food has caused her to break ties with her background and to forget what she knows. Naoe’s pine for this “familiarity” is shown when she says: “Keiko is at Lucky Dollar. Buying Pork chops and steaks and macaroni and cheese. What I wouldn’t do for a nice chawanmushi!” (Goto 49). Portrayed in this scene is a sense of helplessness, which Naoe feels. Naoe’s feelings are clarified later in the novel when she says: “No offense to you, Keiko, but my tongue quivers for food of substance. The substance of memory” (Goto 141). Regardless of this,

Rather, it is about exploring the ‘possibility of finding nourishment and sustenance in a hybrid cultural/culinary identity’ through re-creating a family ritual that connects ‘cultural and the culinary’ (Beauregard 59) and sets the stage for a changed relationship between Muriel, her mother and Naoe.

In other words, Latimer believes that by acknowledging one aspect of their being (their Japanese self), does not mean that Naoe, Murasaki, and Keiko are giving up their Canadian identity. Instead, they have managed to reach an equilibrium between the two cultures, forming a new way of being for themselves.

In Chorus of Mushrooms food works as both an isolating and binding factor for Naoe, Keiko and Murasaki. While the three women struggle with an identity crisis, they realize that eating Japanese food gives their life a sense of purpose and meaning. Sharing and Consuming traditional Japanese dishes allows the women to express their multicultural identity in a more authentic way. Naoe, Keiko and Murasaki prove that despite all odds, it is possible to achieve a sense of balance between their Japanese and Canadian culture, and it conceivable to create an alternative identity for themselves, a hybrid cultural