@article{oai:icu.repo.nii.ac.jp:00005077,
 author = {Kitaoji, Sara},
 issue = {52},
 journal = {人文科学研究 : キリスト教と文化},
 month = {Dec},
 note = {What do we mean by “progress”? And does our incessant pursuit of 
progress harm our relationship with nature and our fellow creatures, both 
human and non-human animals, on this planet? This paper explores these 
questions through an analysis of “Chūmon no ōi ryōriten” (“The Restaurant 
of Many Orders,” 1924), a short story by Miyazawa Kenji. 
Written in the modern literary genre of dōwa, this humorous tale 
features two arrogant young gentlemen from Tokyo who get more than 
they bargained for when they go hunting deep in the mountains. Despite 
its initial rejection by the literary establishment, “Chūmon no ōi ryōriten” 
was rediscovered after World War II, perhaps owing to the resonance 
of its themes as Japan was seeking to reconfigure its place in the global 
community.
Focusing on the metaphors of food and consumption, I explore this 
story’s parody of Japan’s “progress” in the early twentieth century, 
including its critique of the ideological tensions between traditional values 
and capitalist imperatives, modernization/Westernization as a form of 
cultural capital, the links between meat and militarization, and the impact 
of urbanization on the planet. Its “eat or be eaten” theme also bears fruitful 
comparison with works by the Brothers Grimm, Lewis Carroll, and Richard 
Connell.
What distinguishes “Chūmon no ōi ryōriten,” however, is its lack 
of a human-centric focus, as the reader is not led to identify with the 
human protagonists but, rather, becomes attuned to the voices and 
interconnectedness of the natural world. By questioning the modern myth 
of progress and positing a more sustainable, holistic, and compassionate 
relationship for humanity with nature, this story continues to resonate with 
some of the most pressing ecological, social, political, and ethical concerns 
of our time.},
 pages = {123--146},
 title = {Turning the Tables on Humanity},
 year = {2020}
}