Chanpon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chanpon is a Japanese word meaning a mixture of disparate things. One common usage is in Nagasaki chanpon which is a noodle dish developed in the international port city of Nagasaki, where a mixture of ingredients such as fish, vegetable, and meat are tossed together as a topping.
Among the international community in Tokyo, the word chanpon is used to describe the blending of Japanese and English (as in it's so oishii ne.), distinct from more mainstream forms of bilingualism, which involve switching between one or the other language.
Chanpon is a celebration of the space at the intersection of cultures, where multiple viewpoints are embraced without necessarily resolving into a coherent whole. Chanpon identity means being able to navigate and embrace different cultural styles simultaneously; it means not only direct experience with multiple cultures, but being able to blend them into a unique and tasty combination. Chanpon culture is a third culture that is not wholly defined by any mainstream national cultures, but can function as a bridge between them and a source of inspiration, innovation, and cross-cultural understanding.
