https://www.scmp.com/rss/505614/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The Chile Pepper in China: A Cultural Biography, by Brian R. Dott, Columbia University Press, 3.5/5 stars A common saying in China goes: “The Sichuanese are not afraid of hot chillies; no degree of heat will frighten off the people of Guizhou; but those Hunanese are terrified of food that isn’t hot!” This might suggest that the chilli pepper is native to China. But in The Chile Pepper in China, historian Brian Dott seeks to show how “foreign” chillies were introduced and explores how vital they... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3084327/history-chilli-pepper-chinese-culture-poor-mans-spice-symbol?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3084327/history-chilli-pepper-chinese-culture-poor-mans-spice-symbol?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2020 02:40:07 +0000 Whiter: Asian-American Women on Skin Color and Colorism, edited by Nikki Khanna, NYU Press, 3.5 stars Pale skin is valued in Asia, where cosmetics to whiten skin are widely advertised. To many Americans, and Asian-Americans, however, the promotion of skin-whitening products appears to be racist and “colourist”. Whiter is an anthology of essays by Asian-American women on skin colour and “colourism”, edited by Nikki Khanna, a sociologist whose previous work has focused on biracial identity. She... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3080423/skin-whitening-prejudice-against-dark-skin-and-how-class?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3080423/skin-whitening-prejudice-against-dark-skin-and-how-class?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2020 04:15:11 +0000