by Sophie Klaus

Prior to taking Professor Reiher’s course, I had little to no experience applying qualitative fieldwork methods in a practical setting. Knowing that I would need to deepen my knowledge regarding these techniques in order to successfully tackle the research for my master’s thesis, I was therefore very grateful for the opportunity to engage directly with methods such as participant observation and various forms of interviewing in low-stakes settings. As foodscapes were an entirely new subject area for me as well, the assignments of this course offered a valuable space to practice these methods more freely and to identify what I still needed to refine before applying them to my own research. The ethnographic scavenger hunt assignment provided an especially ideal framework for this kind of methodological experimentation through giving us a predetermined route of several restaurants in and around Kantstraße as well as certain observation criteria such as the presentation of food and the level of cultural and culinary authenticity displayed by the establishments. Notably, since most of the Japanese restaurants along the assigned route were closed on the evening my classmates and I conducted our observation, we opted for the Chinese eatery route instead. This unplanned shift turned out to be enlightening in its own right, demonstrating that even when observing spaces and establishments unrelated to one’s specific research topic, valuable opportunities remain to practice and sharpen observational techniques for future fieldwork.

Starting off at Wilmersdorfer Straße subway station, our scavenger hunt first led us to Jade Palast. The spacious indoors feature an open kitchen with a decorative traditional Chinese style roof and traditional Chinese ink paintings on the walls. Large signage as well as the logo above the entrance highlight “100% handmade Chinese hand-pulled noodles” as the main focus of the menu. The relatively small amount of dishes the restaurant offers is conveniently displayed on the menu using high resolution photographs, with all options except the rice dishes featuring the name of the dish in Chinese characters, followed by an English translation. With names such as ‘Happy Curry’, the rice dishes rather stand out, coming across as more westernized and catering towards a type of customer that would rather choose more familiar options like coconut curry or sweet and sour sauce, than less known dishes such as hand-pulled noodles. Additionally, the menu clearly labeled their large variety of vegan, vegetarian and halal dishes, further extending their range of potential customers. The prices, while on the higher side, represent the general price range of Asian restaurants in the Kantstraße area.

We continued our walk down the large main street, Do De Li being the next stop on our route. The outside, except for the Chinese characters featured on the sign above the entrance, was kept rather neutral and didn’t necessarily give off the impression of a Chinese restaurant. The menu, featuring Chinese characters for some of the menu items and prices similar to Jade Palast, was quite diverse and seemed rather authentic, and again had an entire section dedicated to vegan dishes and also some westernized options such as sweet and sour sauce. The highlight of the exterior was definitely the bright pink sticker on the window stating “Tim Raue isst hier grandios!”, the restaurant possibly being featured on the German TV chef’s culinary show.

Our next destination was Aroma Restaurant, located only a few meters down the street from Do De Li. With large Chinese characters and a red and gold color scheme on the outside, followed by big round tables with rotating tops, red and gold lacquer ornaments on the walls and red lanterns on the inside, the place instantly transports the typical atmosphere of a Chinese restaurant. Again, most of the rather small number of customers seemed to be European, though I know from personal experience that Aroma is also frequently visited by many Chinese people looking for an authentic dim sum experience. Dim sum being the focal point of the menu, the variety of dishes was the largest and most diverse of all the establishments we observed throughout the evening, with all dishes being written in Chinese, English and German without exception and prices remaining similar compared to the previous restaurants.

Before heading to our final stop of the evening, we walked a bit further and took a peek into Good Friends restaurant, which compared to the previous places had a few more customers, some appearing Asian and some European. The exterior again featured big signage with Chinese characters in red and gold as well as Asian style fonts for the English name of the restaurant, with the inside however seeming rather plain and not as adorned with typical Chinese restaurant decor. Again, the menu featured both more authentic as well as more westernized options, the dish names being again listed in Chinese, English and German and only the lunch menu being exclusively in German. While this lunch menu was quite affordable, the regular dishes were by far the most expensive among all the restaurants we observed during our tour.

We ended our walk at Lon Men’s Noodle House, where we decided to have dinner for the evening. In stark contrast to all the other places we looked at, Lon Men’s was packed with customers and as the location is rather small and feels more like a bistro, we had to endure a waiting time of around 20 minutes before being seated outside. The menu prominently featured Taiwanese noodle soups as the highlight of the menu, with the warning that “All soups are spicy, but will be prepared mild upon request” written on the bottom of every single page, clearly stating that these dishes are considerably more spicy than what the typical European customer is used to. For those in need of more spice, crispy chili oil and chili paste are set on every table along with the soy sauce and salt shakers. The menu has Chinese characters as well as English and German translations for the dishes and the blue cover of the menu features a golden image of the map of Taiwan. An interesting observation was the dim sum section of the menu, where a note explaining a preparation time of around 15 minutes for the dumplings serves as direct proof for the dishes being freshly prepared for the customer.

All of the waiters and kitchen staff are of Asian ethnicity and communicated quickly and efficiently in Chinese. Despite the restaurant’s busy atmosphere, they appeared energetic and friendly, taking time for small talk with customers. Outside, a simple red sign displays the restaurant’s Chinese and English names. Inside, guests are greeted by a bustling open kitchen and an impressive wall collage featuring the owner, staff, and several visiting celebrities. The collage reflects the restaurant’s long history as a family business and the pride its staff take in their work. We learned more about its history from one of the waiters, the son of the current owner, who was happy to share his family’s story. He explained that the restaurant was opened 18 years ago by two Taiwanese immigrants and remains in the hands of relatives of the original owners. Most employees are Taiwanese, and Chinese language skills are highly valued during hiring to ensure smooth communication within the team. The restaurant relies heavily on international tourists but also attracts many Taiwanese and German customers from Berlin. The waiter emphasized their commitment to an authentic Taiwanese culinary experience, while acknowledging that some traditional flavors, particularly fatty soups and high levels of spice, are less popular with European customers. As a result, they adapt certain dishes, for example by using leaner meats. Similarly, although my noodle soup was deep red and appeared very spicy, the broth was surprisingly mild.

Although this exercise did neither directly address my own personal research interest nor match the theme for our group project for this course (where we plan to examine matcha and its growing popularity in the West), the observational skills honed during this walk, such as attending to spatial layout, menu design, staff interaction and customer demographics, will directly inform how my classmates and I approach our comparative study of matcha establishments in Berlin. In particular, this evening highlighted how authenticity is communicated not only through food itself, but through language choices on menus, interior design, and the narratives restaurant staff offer about their businesses. These are precisely the kinds of cues we will need to identify and interpret as we continue exploring how culinary and cultural authenticity are constructed and marketed across Berlin’s Japanese foodscape.

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Sophie Klaus is a student in the Master’s program in Japanese Studies at Freie Universität.

by Carla Hupp

On a hot June day in Berlin, when the temperature reached 27 degrees and the sun was shining, we visited a Japanese café. The streets of Charlottenburg were filled with people riding bikes, walking, and seeking shade under the trees swaying in the breeze. As we walked down one of the streets lined with typical Berliner Altbau buildings, we saw our destination: a green sign with a picture of a white turtle and the Japanese word for turtle, „KAME,“ which is the name of the Japanese café we were visiting that day. Although we were not close enough to look inside, we could already see that different plants or small trees were placed in front of the café. They created a border between the sidewalk and the small, round tables and stools that offered outdoor seating, as there was no terrace. As we got closer, we saw that the doors and windows were wide open, blurring the line between indoor and outdoor spaces. One person was sitting outside, and two people were drinking matcha lattes in a spot next to the entrance.

As we entered the mid-sized café through the main entrance we immediately found ourselves standing in front of the counter. A wide variety of cakes and pastries was displayed on the counter, while the chalkboard behind it, decorated with hand-drawn illustrations of outer space, presented the available drink options. Although we could see another customer eating the matcha tiramisu, it seemed to be sold out, so we chose from the available baked cheesecakes, which came in “matcha,” “yuzu,” and “sesame” flavors. Other options included a slice of “Uji mousse” cake and “miso caramel choco,” but we decided on the sesame cheesecake. While my companion sat down near the counter at one of the ten glass-and-plastic tables, which were arranged to accommodate two people each, I tried to decide on a drink. Beneath the chalkboard menu stood an array of small teapots, each in a different color and decorated with a different pattern, although they came in only two different sizes. While the teapots seemed to follow a typical European design, the drink menu included, in addition to the usual coffee variations, a range of Japanese green teas such as sencha, hōjicha, genmaicha, and the now well-known matcha, available either as a latte or on its own. The café also offered savory dishes, including onigiri, rice bowls, curry rice, and miso soup. After a few seconds of indecision, the only person working in the café that day came out from the kitchen, stood behind the counter, and gave me a friendly look.

As it was a hot day, I ordered two iced matcha lattes and the cheesecake, paid up front, and sat down after the staff member told us that he would bring our order to the table. Once seated, I took a look around. There were about three other customers inside, finishing their cakes and beverages, but overall, the café was not very busy for a Monday afternoon at 5 p.m. Every few seconds, a pleasant breeze of cool air reached us from one of the two fans, one standing behind the counter and the other positioned closer to our table. Low-volume house music played from a JBL speaker behind the counter, while the afternoon sun illuminated the room. Occasionally, a new customer came in and ordered something; however, most customers took their orders outside to sit there. Whenever a car drove past, we could hear a brief whoosh, but the café never became particularly noisy. Even though the staff member was working by himself that afternoon, he seemed relaxed while remaining constantly busy preparing food and drinks, walking between the kitchen, the counter, and the tables outside. When we received our cake, I took a picture of it. This made him pause while placing our matcha lattes on the table, allowing me to take the picture without feeling rushed. He patiently waited for me to finish and then smilingly put down our drinks. As I drank my iced matcha latte, I noticed the wall decorations: an abstract line painting in black ink on white walls that extended across an entire wall. A little farther inside the café, we also spotted a “Japanese corner,” which consisted of a Japanese painting of a cherry blossom tree and a framed fan decorated with Japanese calligraphy. Additionally, customers could sit on a slightly elevated platform, on cushions placed on the floor around a low, traditional Japanese table.

Since we had planned to visit a different Japanese restaurant on the same day, we took

in as much of the atmosphere as possible. But as I sat at the café and ate my cake in the summery breeze, I couldn’t help but think how much fun homework for university can be. ご馳走様でした！

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Carla Hupp is a student in the MA program Global East Asia at the Freie Universität Berlin.

by Katja Perepetschajev

When most people think of East Asian food in Berlin, they think of Kantstraße, a street filled with East Asian restaurants, street food stalls, and grocery stores. As part of the class “Research Workshop: Berlin’s Japanese Foodscape,“ we conducted an ethnographic scavenger hunt. We went from restaurant to restaurant, observing and interviewing people. Since most students are in the Global East Asia Master’s program, there were multiple scavenger hunt routes we could choose from: two Japanese eatery routes, one Chinese route, and one South Korean route. Corinna and I chose the South Korean eateries route because we are the only students in the class focusing on Korean studies. We completed this research exercise together on a Friday at noon. We visited five eateries.

Our first stop was Chibo, a restaurant that sells Korean chicken and bowls. The shop name outside was written in hangeul, the Korean alphabet and as soon as we stepped inside, the menu was very visible above the counter. During a quick conversation with one employee he told us that the Bestseller is DakDak Bowl. Just a few steps away is another franchise called mmAAH! Compared to the other restaurants on the route it was by far the biggest, with a lot of seating options outside and inside. As soon as we  entered the store there was K-Pop Music playing, LED Lights and Tv Screens showing the menu and ads for Melona, a popular South Korean icecream. The ordering process was also very simple and similar to South Korea, where you enter the shop, order and pay via an order terminal then pick up your order at the counter once it is ready. The menu mostly consists of Korean Fast Food, like Chicken and Mandu, Korean Dumplings. Just by watching the store from outside we sensed a big inspiration from the Korean Wave Hallyu, which was displayed in the interior and menu.

The next stop was Han BBQ, a well-known place for authentic Korean Barbecue. Unfortunately, we the restaurant was closed at noon. However, there was an employee that kindly answered our questions while preparing for opening. She told us that the most ordered dish is Samgyeopsal, Korean pork belly which is served with multiple other ingredients for lettuce wraps at a table-top grill. The interior was very similar to other South Korean Barbeque places. Most tables have a table-top grill, chairs that open so one can store the clothes and jackets inside to reduce smelly clothes after grilling and Korean posters on the walls. Next up was 44 CHKN, a small shop specializing in Korean fried chicken, which also has another location in Berlin. While the menu consists mostly of Chicken dishes, it was also possible to get most dishes in a vegan version for one extra Euro. The employee told us that most customers are between 15 and 25 years old and that the restaurant is especially popular among families.

Lastly, we ended our scavenger hunt at Son Kitchen, an open window shop where outside seating or take away is possible. Son Kitchen also has multiple Branches in Berlin with different concepts. The menu showed a variety of Korean Street food dishes and Fusion dishes. Through a conversation with a staff member, we found out that most customers are either office workers who come to gram lunch or people who live in the neighborhood. The Bestseller of this location is Beef Bibimbap, as there is no difference in price for Bibimbap for the main topping. Corinna and I decided to order Tofu Bibimbap and vegetarian Kimchee Tacos (as written on the menu). The food was ready fast and it was very convenient for takeaway.

All in all, this was an interesting experience and exercise for on-site research in Berlin. I was able to learn a lot for my own future research and am thankful that I got this opportunity. A big thank you to the kind employees that spontaneously answered my questions and made this scavenger hunt as informative and educational as possible.

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Katja Perepetschajev is a student in the MA program Global East Asia at the Freie Universität Berlin.