Through an ethnography of regional/ethnic restaurants and their staff in Chicago, this study explores how regional cuisines are adapting their culinary traditions, conventions, and perceptions to accommodate customers who abstain from eating animal products. The purpose of this endeavor is to shine a light on the relationship between culture and food, specifically how the latter is significant for ethnic and community identity and how diverse groups navigate the increasing prevalence of plant-based dietary philosophies in the United States. Although vegetarianism, veganism, and avoidance of other animal products have long histories in philosophy and religion, the contemporary movement’s size and influence play a significant role in shaping the cuisines that it embraces. This research contributes to the anthropological study of food and cuisine by adding to the extant cultural study of plant-based diets and how these diets interact with societies at large. Furthermore, this study reemphasizes the importance of authenticity, identity, and acceptance of change within the realms of food and immigrant communities. In particular, its findings are important in illuminating how different immigrant communities in the US negotiate a balance between traditional recipes and the growth of plant-based consumer demand.
Hayden Bidinger (Wed,) studied this question.