Indigenous woman foraging in Taipei with skyscrapers in background

Wild at Heart: The Hidden Labor Behind Taipei's Indigenous Food Boom

Lena Kashyap in Culture & Society December 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover the untold story of risky labor and cultural complexities shaping the indigenous food movement in Taipei, revealing the challenges and resilience of its communities."

In recent years, Taiwan has witnessed a surge of interest in indigenous Austronesian foodways. This "indigenous food boom" often celebrates the cultural significance and health benefits of these traditions, yet it overlooks a critical aspect: the labor involved in sustaining them, especially within urban environments like Taipei.

For urban indigenous communities, maintaining their foodways is fraught with challenges. Access to land is limited, forcing them to navigate complex issues of property rights and legality. This article, based on ethnographic fieldwork in Taipei, delves into the hidden labor behind the indigenous food boom, highlighting the risks and resilience of those involved.

We'll uncover the "risky labor" inherent in this movement, from the gendered challenges of foraging on contested land to the intellectual property concerns surrounding the sharing of indigenous knowledge with a broader audience. This exploration will shed light on the often-unseen complexities of preserving cultural identity in a rapidly changing urban landscape.

The Two Faces of Risky Labor in Taipei's Food Scene

Indigenous woman foraging in Taipei with skyscrapers in background

The term "risky labor," as defined by Tomonori Sugimoto, encompasses two key challenges faced by Taipei's urban indigenous population involved in the food movement:

One aspect of risky labor is the gendered labor required for acquiring wild plants and traditional food items. Limited land availability often forces indigenous women to forage and cultivate resources on state or private property, leading to significant risks and potential dangers.

Encroachment: Foraging on state or private land without permission puts individuals at risk of legal repercussions and confrontations with landowners or security personnel.
Gendered Burden: This labor disproportionately falls on women within the community, highlighting existing inequalities.
Environmental Hazards: Unfamiliar or polluted environments pose health risks to foragers.

The other form of risky labor is intellectual. As urban indigenous individuals increasingly share their knowledge of foodways, this knowledge is at risk of appropriation by non-indigenous individuals. Without proper acknowledgment and compensation, the intellectual labor of native informants is threatened.

Beyond the Plate: Towards a Just and Sustainable Indigenous Food Movement

The indigenous food boom in Taipei presents an opportunity to celebrate cultural heritage and promote healthy eating. However, it's crucial to move beyond surface-level appreciation and acknowledge the often-hidden labor that sustains this movement.

By recognizing the challenges faced by urban indigenous communities, we can advocate for policies that support their access to land, protect their intellectual property, and ensure fair compensation for their contributions.

Let's shift our focus from simply consuming indigenous foodways to understanding the political economy behind them. This includes how and where resources are acquired, who is involved in the process, how they are compensated, and how this knowledge is shared. Only then can we collectively address the systemic inequalities that threaten the sustainability and cultural integrity of Taipei's indigenous food movement.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1525/gfc.2018.18.2.46, Alternate LINK

Title: “Someone Else'S Land Is Our Garden!”: Risky Labor In Taipei'S Indigenous Food Boom

Subject: General Medicine

Journal: Gastronomica

Publisher: University of California Press

Authors: Tomonori Sugimoto

Published: 2018-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What are the two main types of "risky labor" that Taipei's urban indigenous population encounters within the food movement?

The "risky labor", as Tomonori Sugimoto defines it, has two major components. First, the physical risks indigenous women face when foraging on state or private land without permission to maintain foodways, including potential legal repercussions and environmental hazards. Second, the intellectual risk of cultural appropriation when indigenous knowledge of foodways is shared without proper acknowledgment or compensation.

What specific challenges do Taipei's urban indigenous communities face in maintaining their foodways within a rapidly changing city environment?

Taipei's urban indigenous communities face several challenges. Limited land access forces them to engage in unauthorized foraging on state or private property, creating legal and safety risks. Furthermore, sharing their indigenous knowledge opens them up to the risk of cultural appropriation without recognition or compensation. These challenges highlight the difficulties of preserving cultural identity within a rapidly developing urban environment.

What risks do indigenous women face when foraging for wild plants and traditional food items on contested land?

Foraging on state or private land without authorization can lead to confrontations with landowners or security personnel, as well as potential legal penalties for encroachment. Additionally, unfamiliar or polluted environments pose health risks to those gathering wild plants and food items. These dangers underscore the precarity faced by indigenous individuals striving to maintain their traditional foodways.

How can Taipei move beyond surface-level appreciation to create a just and sustainable indigenous food movement?

To ensure the indigenous food movement is just and sustainable, it is vital to acknowledge and address the hidden labor involved. This includes providing fair compensation and recognition for intellectual contributions, respecting indigenous property rights, and supporting safe and sustainable foraging practices. Moving beyond superficial appreciation is essential to supporting the communities behind the food boom.

What are the potential implications when indigenous knowledge of foodways is shared without proper acknowledgment or compensation?

The sharing of indigenous knowledge without proper acknowledgment or compensation threatens the intellectual labor of native informants, potentially leading to cultural appropriation. If indigenous communities are not recognized for their unique knowledge it devalues their contribution to society. Non-indigenous individuals must work together with indigenous communities to safeguard this information.