Home 4. Bringing Southeast Asia to the Southeastern United States
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

4. Bringing Southeast Asia to the Southeastern United States

View more publications by Cornell University Press
To Publisher Page
From Farm to Canal Street
This chapter is in the book From Farm to Canal Street
73 CHAPTER 4 Bringing Southeast Asia to the Southeastern United States Chinatown markets in New York City have been diversifying to refl ect the de-mands of new Asian immigrants coming to the United States. It is a mistake to think of Chinatown as a place that caters to only Chinese tastes; Southeast Asian products are an important part of Chinatown’s off erings. In Manhattan’s Chinatown there are markets that off er the fl avors of Th ai, Vietnamese, Fili-pino, Laotian, Malaysian, and Cambodian cuisines. Th ere is a veritable South-east Asian mélange in Chinatown, and tiny farms and homegardens in the tropical, southernmost part of the Floridian peninsula fi ll consumers’ prefer-ences for the fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables of Southeast Asia. Th e diversity of demand in Chinatown’s markets has led to the development of new distribution networks for agricultural commodities as well as new types of agriculture. In Homestead, Florida, the manifestation of these two intersect-ing trends is visible across the agricultural landscape. Southeast Asian immi-grants have been moving from their fi rst homes in the United States to southern Florida in order to pursue agricultural livelihoods. Th ey are producing spe-cialty herbs, vegetables, and fruits traditional to Laotian, Th ai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Filipino, and other Southeast Asian diets. Farmers from Southeast Asia now living in Florida have been tapping into the distribution networks of South Florida that deliver produce to Chinatowns of the East Coast and Mid-west. But the farmers have not only brought new crops to South Florida; they have also brought new styles of farming. Most interesting is a style of commer-cial “homegarden.” Homegarden farmers in Florida manage crop diversity as an economic strategy. Th e analysis of this type of agriculture is particularly salient for sev-eral reasons. First, it represents a striking contradiction to the generally held idea that small-scale, biodiverse farming systems such as homegardens are not
© 2017 Cornell University Press, Ithaca

73 CHAPTER 4 Bringing Southeast Asia to the Southeastern United States Chinatown markets in New York City have been diversifying to refl ect the de-mands of new Asian immigrants coming to the United States. It is a mistake to think of Chinatown as a place that caters to only Chinese tastes; Southeast Asian products are an important part of Chinatown’s off erings. In Manhattan’s Chinatown there are markets that off er the fl avors of Th ai, Vietnamese, Fili-pino, Laotian, Malaysian, and Cambodian cuisines. Th ere is a veritable South-east Asian mélange in Chinatown, and tiny farms and homegardens in the tropical, southernmost part of the Floridian peninsula fi ll consumers’ prefer-ences for the fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables of Southeast Asia. Th e diversity of demand in Chinatown’s markets has led to the development of new distribution networks for agricultural commodities as well as new types of agriculture. In Homestead, Florida, the manifestation of these two intersect-ing trends is visible across the agricultural landscape. Southeast Asian immi-grants have been moving from their fi rst homes in the United States to southern Florida in order to pursue agricultural livelihoods. Th ey are producing spe-cialty herbs, vegetables, and fruits traditional to Laotian, Th ai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Filipino, and other Southeast Asian diets. Farmers from Southeast Asia now living in Florida have been tapping into the distribution networks of South Florida that deliver produce to Chinatowns of the East Coast and Mid-west. But the farmers have not only brought new crops to South Florida; they have also brought new styles of farming. Most interesting is a style of commer-cial “homegarden.” Homegarden farmers in Florida manage crop diversity as an economic strategy. Th e analysis of this type of agriculture is particularly salient for sev-eral reasons. First, it represents a striking contradiction to the generally held idea that small-scale, biodiverse farming systems such as homegardens are not
© 2017 Cornell University Press, Ithaca

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Preface ix
  4. Introduction: Situating Manhattan’s Chinatown 1
  5. 1. Greengrocers and Street Vendors 17
  6. 2. The Social Network of Trade 37
  7. 3. Okeechobee Bok Choy 50
  8. 4. Bringing Southeast Asia to the Southeastern United States 73
  9. 5. Growing Asian Vegetables in Honduras 97
  10. 6. Chinese Food in American Culture 120
  11. 7. Chinatown’s Food Network and New York City Policies 141
  12. Conclusion: Diversity and Dynamism in Global Markets 154
  13. Appendix A: Produce Vendors in Chinatown 161
  14. Appendix B: Fresh Fruit, Vegetables, and Herbs Sold in Chinatown 165
  15. Appendix C: Food Plants Found in Southeast Asian Homegardens in Miami-Dade County, Florida 174
  16. Appendix D: Research Methods 178
  17. Notes 185
  18. References 191
  19. Index 201
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501701238-006

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Preface ix
  4. Introduction: Situating Manhattan’s Chinatown 1
  5. 1. Greengrocers and Street Vendors 17
  6. 2. The Social Network of Trade 37
  7. 3. Okeechobee Bok Choy 50
  8. 4. Bringing Southeast Asia to the Southeastern United States 73
  9. 5. Growing Asian Vegetables in Honduras 97
  10. 6. Chinese Food in American Culture 120
  11. 7. Chinatown’s Food Network and New York City Policies 141
  12. Conclusion: Diversity and Dynamism in Global Markets 154
  13. Appendix A: Produce Vendors in Chinatown 161
  14. Appendix B: Fresh Fruit, Vegetables, and Herbs Sold in Chinatown 165
  15. Appendix C: Food Plants Found in Southeast Asian Homegardens in Miami-Dade County, Florida 174
  16. Appendix D: Research Methods 178
  17. Notes 185
  18. References 191
  19. Index 201
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 21.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.7591/9781501701238-006/html?licenseType=restricted&srsltid=AfmBOop1E4auVYlpxIXe7FpYzlAlTbTWFqGPoWQtxekKsHCobWgvLsL-
Scroll to top button