​Spice it Up!  How the Chile Pepper Flavored Chinese Culture
Brian R. Dott, PhD
Associate Professor of History, Whitman College 
​5 December, 2020          
​9:30 am - 11:00 am, PST (US & Canada)
“If you are even afraid of chillies in your bowl, how will you dare to attack your enemies?”
                                                                                                                                     - Mao Zedong
Join First Saturday PDX as Dr. Brian Dott from Whitman College examines the many ways the chile changed Chinese culture. Chinese cuisine without chile peppers seems unimaginable, yet there were no chile peppers in China before the 1570s. Introduced from the Americas, chiles initially struggled to gain a foothold in China, but now they are so common that many Chinese assume that they are native. Part of the chile's success in China arose from Chinese recognizing its versatility. Chiles became integrated into traditional Chinese medicine, garden aesthetics, and literary references, as well as cuisine. In addition, its versatility also allowed Chinese from different regions to emphasize varying aspects of the chile, leading to regionalization.  Dr. Dott's presentation will also emphasize the intersection between food and gender, tracing the chile as a symbol for both male virility and female passion - the chile even changed the meaning of the term spicy (là).
​About the speaker:
Brian Dott received a Master’s degree in Chinese Studies from the University of Michigan and his PhD in Chinese History from the University of Pittsburgh. He teaches in the History Department and Asian & Middle Eastern Studies Program at Whitman College. His passion is studying changes in Chinese cultural practices from 1500 to the present, and is author of The Chile Pepper in China: A Cultural Biography (Columbia University Press, 2020). His previous book examines different groups of pilgrims to one of China’s most sacred mountains: Identity Reflections: Pilgrimages to Mount Tai in Late Imperial China (Harvard University Asia Center, 2004).
Recommended Source of Ingredients:                                                                                                                               
The Mala Market
Video of this presentation can be seen here
Join us after the webinar from 11 - 11:30am in our First Saturday Tea PDX House to further the discussion and online social time.  Bring your cup of tea! 
​(Separate  access link for this will be provided in your single registration for this event - just LEAVE the webinar and use the Tea House access link in your registration confirmation email)

​This presentation is offered via Zoom Webinar:
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Our program series is co-sponsored by Portland State University's Institute for Asian Studies and the Northwest China Council, and is free and open to the public.