ABSTRACT

Immigrants use food blogs to construct and maintain their ethnic identities. During the pandemic in spring of 2020, the Indian food blog Bongmom’s Cookbook, which showcases food from the Kolkata region of India, was my go-to for coping with the sense of uncertainty in the world. The blog and Facebook posts used humor to document meals and family life during the pandemic, while avoiding more difficult topics surrounding the pandemic. Using Bongmom’s blog as an example, this paper argues that the topic of food is fraught with politics. On the one hand, the blog fulfills readers’ emotional needs by helping them connect with their homeland and providing a space for self-care during a crisis, but on the other hand, the absence of discussion on issues such as economic inequality, healthcare, unfair immigration practices, and institutional racism highlights the economic and social divides within the immigrant community.

摘要

移民使用美食博客来构建和维护他们的种族身份。在 2020 年春季的大流行期间，展示印度加尔各答地区食物的印度美食博客 Bongmom's Cookbook 是我应对世界不确定感的首选。博客和 Facebook 帖子使用幽默来记录大流行期间的膳食和家庭生活，同时避免围绕大流行的更棘手的话题。本文以邦妈妈的博客为例，认为食物这个话题充满了政治色彩。一方面，博客通过帮助他们与家乡联系并在危机期间提供自我照顾的空间来满足读者的情感需求，但另一方面，缺乏对经济不平等、医疗保健、不公平的移民做法，