The Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery presents...

Today, Okinawa is one of 47 prefectures in Japan. But the people of the island emerged into world history as the Kingdom of the Ryūkyūs in the late 14th century. Populated by people coming into the island chain from throughout the East and Southeast Asian regions, Okinawans have, over centuries, developed a distinctive culture and way of life that is grounded in island environments, fed by bountiful ocean currents and subject to the forces of big powerful neighbors (especially China and Japan). A term Okinawans often use today to describe their particular culture is “champuru,” a word that derives from stir-fried dishes that are composed of a lively mix of several ingredients. “Champuru” aptly evokes not just the mix of influences from inside and outside the many-island chain, it names a value expressed through many other dimensions of Okinawan culture: openness to the outside world, sensitivity to the diversity of the environment and an embrace of cultural differences.

Teacher of Traditional Ryūkyūan cuisine, Keiko Tsukayama, our guide in this exhibit, talks about three settings in which the cuisine of the island has developed: Hospitality, Ceremony and Daily Life. Given the necessity of regularly hosting ambassadorial visitors from powerful neighbors, Ryūkyūan cuisine emerged from the development of a rich culture of hospitality (utuimuchi), in which the careful preparation of complex dishes suited to the tastes of visitors was used to express gratitude and high regard. In a society that values and regularly nurtures ancestral spirits, Okinawans have a rich cycle of ceremonies (ugan) that bring families together, eating food that is carefully prepared by the women–from grandmothers to young girls–to reaffirm the durability of human bonds. Finally, Okinawans consider food to be “medicine for life” (nuchigusui), so that one eats with a clear understanding of how one feels physically and emotionally and how food can heal and sustain balance.

Food is one of the first things we think of when we think of a culture, and one of the most enduring. This exhibit invites us to think about what food means to a culture, and what changes in the world mean to food. Chef Keiko encourages you to use this exhibit to think about how you approach food in your own life: how it can fortify both your relationships and your health.

Closing reception: February 8, 2025; 2–5pm (Registration not required)

This exhibit was sponsored by

Okinawa Memories Initiative  |  The Humanities Division  |  The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Please email epsgall@ucsc.edu for more information.

Directions and Parking The Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery is located at Cowell College. The closest parking lots can be found at Cowell and Stevenson Colleges, Lots 107, 109, 110, and 108. Slightly farther parking can be found at East Field House, Lot 103A, and Merrill College, Lot 119. Here is a map of the parking lots at UCSC. Some parking spaces can be paid for using the ParkMobile app.

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