Chowking: A Taste of the Filipino Consumerism on Chinese Cuisine

Copyright © 2009 by Chester B Cabalza. All Rights Reserved. (Abstract)

It was during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) when the Philippines-China friendship reached its peak. In one of the accounts of Sino-Sulu relations narrated in the Ming Annals, it was recorded that the Sultan of Sulu, Paduak Patara, visited China in 1417 CE (Common Era) where he was royally received by the Chinese emperor. But the sultan was stricken ill and died in the city of Dezhou at Shandong province. The benevolent emperor honoured the Muslim king with the title of Kong Ting (brother) and ordered the construction of a handsome mausoleum to mark the tomb of a Filipino monarch.

Undeniably speaking, today’s Philippine foods have been highly infused by the Chinese cuisine aside from Spanish and more local gastronomic influences. One of the popular Philippine-based chains that pioneered the Asian quick-service restaurant which combines western fast-food style of service with Chinese food is Chowking (超群). Founded in 1985, Chowking predominantly sells noodle soups, dimsum and rice toppings. However, at the start of the 21st century on January 1, 2000, Chowking was bought out and became an entirely-owned subsidiary of Jolibee Foods Corporation, the Philippines’ biggest fast food chain.

The subjective reality of Chowking which represents connectivity of Philippine consumerism to the Chinese market, stirred by the assimilation of the influential Tsinoy (Filipino-Chinese) community in the country which proves the warm reception of Chinese foods and products in the Philippines. Hence, Susan Sontag’s “Subjective Reality” offers the description of the usefulness of culture in the capitalist society’s image that allows aestheticizing of the commodity which can subjectify or objectify culture.

This paper addresses the argument that Chowking, a popular Philippine brand produced, distributed, circulated and consumed over three decades already by Filipino consumers is now absorbed in the Philippines’ national consciousness cemented by the slogan “Laking Chowking” (I grew up with Chowking), under the mixture of highly-influenced Cantonese/Hokkien and Filipino cuisines, which is freely integrated in the country’s cultural economy, and affirms its presence in the growing fast-food chains in the Philippines but substantively designated as Pop Culture China.

It also reflects the success stories of Chinese Diaspora in the Philippines and the Tsinoys (Filipino-Chinese) as catalysts of change in the mainstream Philippine culture and society. Added by today’s dramatic increase of China’s Soft Power Diplomacy in the region through the infusion of Chinese Pop Culture has positively paved a way on how Filipino people perceive the Chinese people reflected through the Philippine’s own Chowking restaurants and the Tsinoy community.

With the tremendous mobility brought about by globalization where immense flood of capital, foods, ideas, labour, profits and technology are rapidly moving across the four bounds of the earth. Today, Chowking has steadily been expanding its network within the Philippines having now 400 stores nationwide and began exploring offshore markets such as in the United States, the Middle East and Indonesia.