Other Milk

In the early twentieth century, China was stigmatized as the “Land of Famine.” Meanwhile in Europe and the United States, scientists and industrialists seized upon the soybean as a miracle plant that could help build modern economies and healthy nations. Soybeans, protein-packed and domestically grown, were a common food in China, and soybean milk (doujiang) was poised for reinvention for the modern age. Scientific soybean milk became a symbol of national growth and development on Chinese terms, and its competition with cow’s milk reflected China’s relationship to global modernity and imperialism.The Other Milk explores the curious paths that led to the notion of the deficient Chinese diet and to soybean milk as the way to guarantee food security for the masses. Jia-Chen Fu’s in-depth examination of the intertwined relationships between diet, health, and nation illuminates the multiple forces that have been essential in the formation of nutrition science in China.

An excellent book for scholars interested in soy in particular, but also for those interested in food in general. It clearly traces the links between soybean milk production, nutrition scientists, and social issues to create new meanings and understanding about food, the body, and nationhood., The Other Milk presents a case study on the drink as a modern, science- and nation-building enterprise for these nutrition activists., [A] fascinating intellectual history of soy in China from the early 1920s to the late 1930s. The key strength of the book is Fu’s success at challenging the dominant narrative of a ubiquitous nature of soy as an undeniable good for all., The Other Milk: Reinventing Soy in Republican China presents a prototype of the transition between animal and plant milk, albeit one that occurred in the other direction, and arguably more in aspiration than in reality. The Other Milk traces early twentieth century China’s newfound interest in soy milk (doujiang), a simple product of ground soybeans, and familiar feature of Chinese breakfasts., [A] great read for historians of modern China and anyone who is curious about how diets are shaped by historical actors...The book is a generous contribution to the fields of Asian Studies and Food Studies, sharing the previously underexamined history of soy milk as an attempt to elevate Chinese nationhood via nutrition.

Jia-Chen Fu is assistant professor of Chinese at Emory University.