Balancing the inheritance and innovation of local cooking skills: A case study on home economics extension agents as cultural intermediaries

This research examines the role of major actors involved in the transformation of local cooking skills in Taiwan over the past two decades. To achieve this aim, this research considers home economics extension agents in Taipei County and Yilan County as examples of cultural intermediaries in modern Taiwan and conducts telephone and in-depth interviews. In the cultural economy of modern Taiwan, local cultural intermediaries can effectively introduce culinary cultural capital into rural areas. Since the 1990s, the model of regional development has gradually shifted to that of "endogenous rural development" in Taiwan. Furthermore, the social, political, and aesthetic qualities associated with local cuisine and common foods have evolved to a considerable level of importance in modern Taiwan. Because of this, cooking skills have gradually become a major interest in rural communities in Taiwan. The purpose of the research is to explore how home economics extension agents acting as local cultural intermediaries can introduce cooking skills into rural areas and reestablish traditional culinary practices while introducing new ones.