Redai dili (Jul 2023)
Perception Differences and Influencing Factors of Trans-Local Minority Food Culture Authenticity in China: A Case Study of Enshi Tujia Restaurant in Wuhan
Abstract
With expanding globalization and the "cultural turn" in geographic research, the mobile phenomenon of the trans-local production of food culture has received increasing attention from society and academia. Trans-local ethnic theme restaurants are important carriers of food culture, and customer perception has always been a research hotspot for catering enterprises. However, there are few studies on the differences in customer perceptions of the authenticity of trans-local ethnic theme restaurants and the factors affecting them in multi-ethnic countries. To explore the differences in customer perceptions and influencing factors of the originality of food culture in trans-local ethnic minority theme restaurants, this study employed the theoretical framework of the originality of food culture, taking the Enshi Tujia restaurant in Wuhan as the research object, combining online text information and questionnaire surveys, and applying the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) methods to validate the theoretical framework of the originality of food culture in trans-local ethnic minority theme restaurants. Moerover, it used the Potential Conflict Index (PCI) method to analyze the overall level and internal differences of customers' perceptions regarding originality of trans-local ethnic minority food cultures. Specific factors affecting the differences in customers' perceptions were explored using the one-way nonparametric test and the optimal scale regression analysis. The results of the study are as follows: (1) The customers' perception levels of food and environmental authenticity in the Enshi Tujia restaurant in Wuhan were 0.60, but the customers' perception level of service authenticity was -0.06. The PCI values of food and environmental authenticity were 0.09 and 0.08, respectively, but the PCI values of service authenticity was 0.35. (2) Significant factors contributing to the differences in customers' perceptions of the originality of the dietary culture, such as expectations and information access, were: the overall level and internal differences in customer perceptions of food culture were not significant. Significant factors of customer perception differences, with importance indexes of 0.566 and 0.270, respectively, were found. Education was a significant factor leading to customer perception differences in food and service authenticity, with importance indexes of 0.081 and 0.141, respectively. Stimuli such as the degree of understanding of Enshi and the experience of traveling there lead to significant differences in the perception of food authenticity, with importance indexes of 0.144 and 0136. Recent dining time and income indicated that customers' perception of environmental authenticity and service authenticity differ significantly, with importance indices of 0.178 and 0.256, respectively, whereas cultural background factors such as the place of origin did not have a significant impact on the difference in customers' perceptions of the food culture authenticity. The study conclusions as follows: (1) Customers' perception of food authenticity and environmental authenticity of ethnic minority themed restaurants was high with small internal differences, while the perception of service authenticity was low with large internal differences. (2) Expectations and information acquisition channels are important factors leading to significant differences in customers' perceptions, but the influence of cultural background factors such as place of origin, degree of understanding of Enshi, and experience of traveling there is relatively limited. (3) Trans-local ethnic minority theme restaurants are micro spaces for the exchange and fusion of food culture in the source place and food culture there, which can satisfy the diversified dietary consumption needs of different customers, such as local and foreign ethnic minority customers. Trans-local production of ethnic minority theme restaurants is conducive to promoting the formation and development of a unified multi-ethnic state in China. This study expands the scale of research on the originality of food culture, enriches the theoretical content of the perception of the originality of food culture, and provides case references and a theoretical basis for the trans-local production and operation of ethnic minority themed restaurants.
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