Cultural Aspects of Food Glocalization: AI-Based Pattern Detection in Perception, Practice, and Representation = 문화적 측면에서 본 식품 현지화: AI 기반 인식·실천·표상 패턴 분석

국문 초록 (Abstract)

식품 현지화(food glocalization)는 식품이 국경을 넘어 이동하는 과정에서 특정 문화적 맥락 속에서 재해석되는 현상으로, 현대 식품 글로벌화의 중요한 특징으로 자리 잡고 있다. 기존 연구는 주로 소비자 선호도나 기업 차원의 시장 전략에 초점을 맞추어 식품 현지화를 정적인 시장 성과의 결과로 다루는 경향이 있었다. 이로 인해 식품의 의미가 문화적 맥락 속에서 어떻게 분화되고 안정화되는지에 대한 실증적 분석은 충분히 이루어지지 못했다. 특히 식품 수출 산업에서 현지화가 실패하는 경우는 제품 품질 문제보다 일상적 식품 사용에 내재된 문화적 가정을 간과한 데서 비롯된다. 문화권별 소비 방식의 차이를 간과해 안전 사고나 시장 실패로 이어진 사례들은, 시장 진입 전에 문화적 차이를 분석할 방법이 필요하다는 점을 뒷받침한다.
본 논문은 이러한 한계를 극복하고자 식품 현지화를 문화적 의미 형성의 과정으로서 경험적으로 관찰 가능한 현상으로 개념화한다. 특히, 식품 글로벌화의 경로가 디아스포라 또는 국가 주도 확산 중심에서 디지털 매개 순환으로 전환되면서 초국적 미디어 플랫폼을 통해 식품 의미가 지속적으로 생산·유통·재구성되는 양상에 주목한다. 사후적인 시장 성과 해석이 아니라 식품의 ‘재현지화(re-localization)’ 과정 자체에 분석의 초점을 두어, 수출된 식품이 지각, 실천, 가치 체계 속에서 어떻게 지역적으로 재배치되는지를 검토한다. 이러한 관점은 사후적 해석이나 즉흥적인 문화적 직관에 의존하는 대신, 식품 의미 구조가 불일치하는 경우 사전에 진단할 수 있는 분석적 기반을 제공한다. AI 기반 패턴 탐지를 통해 본 논문은 식품 현지화를 체계적으로 분석하고 예측 가능한 과정으로 새롭게 개념화한다.
이를 위해 본 논문은 식품 의미의 역동을 문화 간 맥락에서 추적하기 위한 분석 틀로서 지각–실천–표상(Perception–Practice–Representation, PPR) 프레임워크를 제안한다. 문화를 배경 변수나 제약 조건으로 간주하는 기존 접근과 달리, 본 연구는 문화를 실증 분석의 핵심 대상으로 설정한다. AI 기반 패턴 탐지를 관찰 방법론으로 활용하여 소비자 담론, 요리 레시피, 제도화된 제품 표기 등 대규모 디지털 데이터 속에 반복적으로 나타나는 의미 구성 양상을 식별한다. 자연어처리와 컴퓨터 비전 기법을 통해, 식품 의미가 문화적 환경 속에서 어떻게 재현지화되는지를 경험적으로 분석하고, 일상적인 식품 관련 데이터에 내재된 잠재적 의미 구조를 도출한다.
네 가지 실증 연구는 PPR 프레임워크를 소비자 담론, 레시피 데이터, 제품 표기 자료에 적용하여 문화적 맥락에 따른 식품 의미 형성과 변형 과정을 분석한다. 한국과 일본의 팥에 대한 온라인 담론 분석은 오랫동안 공유되어 온 상징적 의미가 건강, 의례, 일상 사용의 맥락에서 각기 다른 현대적 의미로 재구성되는 과정을 보여준다. 일본 유자 레시피 분석은 일상적 조리 실천에서 반복되는 재료 조합과 조리 방식을 바탕으로, 계절성과 감각적 지향이 어떻게 구조화되는지를 밝힌다. 삼계탕 비교 분석은 한국 음식이 인근 국가 시장으로 확산되면서 재료 구성과 풍미 강조가 변화하고, 지역적으로 중요한 가치가 조리 실천에 반영되는 방식을 보여준다. 마지막으로 미국 영유아 이유식 전면표시 분석은 인증 마크와 제품 문구가 해당 시장에서 중요하게 여겨지는 가치와 소비자 기대를 반영함으로써, 시장 진입 전 문화적 특성을 파악할 수 있음을 보여준다.
이러한 결과는 식품 현지화를 시장 성과의 사후적 추론 대상이 아니라, 체계적으로 관찰·비교·평가 가능한 과정으로 재위치시킨다. 본 논문은 디지털 매개 환경에서 식품 의미가 지각, 실천, 표상이라는 세 차원을 통해 지속적으로 재현지화되는 과정을 보여준다. 이를 통해 식품 글로벌화 연구가 의미 형성 과정을 경험적·비교문화적으로 분석하는 방향으로 전환될 수 있음을 제안한다. 나아가 AI 기반 패턴 탐지와 문화 분석을 결합하면 글로벌 식품 시장 진입 시 문화적 차이를 사전에 파악하고 대응할 수 있는 새로운 방법을 제공한다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Food glocalization has become an increasingly significant dimension of contemporary food globalization, as foods circulate across borders and are reinterpreted within specific cultural contexts. Prior research has largely emphasized consumer preferences or firm-level market strategies, treating food glocalization as a series of static market outcomes rather than as a dynamic process of cultural meaning formation. Consequently, empirical attention to how food meanings are differentiated or stabilized across cultures has remained limited. In the food export industry, localization failures frequently arise not from deficiencies in product quality, but from unexamined cultural assumptions about everyday food use. Cases in which differences in consumption practices led to safety risks or market rejection underscore the need for an analytical approach capable of diagnosing cultural misalignment prior to market entry.
This dissertation addresses this gap by conceptualizing food glocalization as an empirically observable process of meaning formation. It builds on the shift from diaspora-driven and state-led diffusion toward digitally mediated circulation, in which food meanings are continuously produced and reconfigured through transnational media platforms. By redirecting analytical focus from post hoc market outcomes to food “re-localization,” this study examines how exported foods become embedded within local systems of perception, practice, and value. This perspective enables ex-ante diagnosis of cultural misalignment by identifying discrepancies in food meaning structures before market entry, rather than relying on post hoc interpretation or ad hoc cultural intuition. Through AI-based pattern detection, this dissertation reframes food glocalization as a process that can be systematically examined and anticipated.
To operationalize this perspective, the dissertation proposes the Perception–Practice–Representation (PPR) framework as an analytical lens for tracing food meaning dynamics across cultural contexts. Rather than treating culture as a background constraint, this study positions it as the primary object of empirical analysis. AI-based pattern detection is employed as an observational methodology to identify recurrent configurations of meaning within large-scale digital data traces, including consumer discourse, culinary recipes, and institutionalized product representations. By integrating natural language processing and computer vision techniques, the approach supports empirical analysis of how food meanings are re-localized across cultural environments, uncovering latent semantic structures embedded in everyday food-related data.
Four empirical studies apply the Perception–Practice–Representation (PPR) framework to consumer discourse, recipe data, and product labeling to examine how food meanings are formed and transformed across cultural contexts. Analyses of adzuki beans in Korea and Japan show how interpretive patterns in consumer discourse rework long-standing symbolic associations into contemporary meanings related to health, ritual, and everyday use. An analysis of yuzu recipes in Japan reveals how routine culinary practices pattern seasonality and sensory orientation through repeated combinations of ingredients and preparation methods. Cross-cultural analyses of samgyetang show how a Korean dish is reconfigured as it circulates into nearby national markets, with shifts in ingredient composition and flavor emphasis indicating locally salient values. Finally, analysis of front-of-package labels in U.S. infant food products reveals how institutionalized certifications and claims reflect locally salient values and consumer expectations prior to market entry.
Together, these findings reposition food glocalization as a process that can be systematically observed and compared rather than inferred retrospectively from market success or failure. By demonstrating how food meanings are re-localized across perception, practice, and representation within digitally mediated environments, this dissertation advances a methodological shift toward empirical, cross-cultural analysis of meaning formation and establishes a foundation for anticipatory, evidence-based approaches to cultural adaptation in global food circulation.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Chapter 1. Food glocalization as cultural meaning dynamics: framework and research design １
• 1.1. Background and motivation ２
• 1.1.1. Global circulation of food and K-food expansion ２
• 1.1.2. From diffusion to glocalization ４
• 1.1.3. Limitations of culturally insensitive global food circulation ５
• 1.2. Rethinking food glocalization under changing globalization pathways ６
• 1.2.1. Conventional approaches to food glocalization ６
• 1.2.2. Changing pathways of food globalization ８
• 1.2.3. Repositioning food glocalization: the present study １１
• 1.3. PPR framework: an analytical lens for food glocalization １３
• 1.3.1. Why a multi-dimensional framework is needed １６
• 1.3.2. Perception: literature and limits １８
• 1.3.3. Practice: culinary practices and everyday enactment ２０
• 1.3.4. Representation: labels, images, and institutionalized meanings ２３
• 1.4. Research design: operationalizing the PPR framework ２５
• 1.4.1. Analytical unit: food as a culturally mediated consumer–market interaction. ２５
• 1.4.2. Methods: data–dimension mapping under the PPR framework ２７
• 1.4.3. AI-based pattern detection as an observational research approach ２９
• 1.4.4. Research positioning and nature of the study ３１
• 1.5. References ３３
• Chapter 2. Perception: cultural meanings of adzuki beans in Korean and Japanese consumer discourse ３８
• Abstract ３９
• 2.1. Introduction ４０
• 2.2. Literature review ４３
• 2.3. Methods ４６
• 2.3.1. Data source and collection ４６
• 2.3.2. Preprocessing and cleaning ４７
• 2.3.3. Topic modeling using LDA ４７
• 2.3.4. Statistical analysis ４９
• 2.3.5. Research workflow diagram ４９
• 2.4. Results ５０
• 2.4.1. Topic distribution and cultural patterns in adzuki bean discourse across Korean and Japanese Q&A platforms ５０
• 2.4.2. Comparative analysis of adzuki bean discourse patterns ５４
• 2.4.2.1. Health and food: therapeutic uses vs. culinary practices ５５
• 2.4.2.2. Tradition and culture: household rituals vs. regional consumption ５８
• 2.4.2.3. Linguistic habits: moral abstractions vs. sensory terms ６３
• 2.5. Discussions ６６
• 2.5.1. Health perceptions of adzuki beans in Korea and Japan: functional foods vs. sensory pleasures ６６
• 2.5.2. Symbolic perceptions of adzuki beans in Korea and Japan: family rites vs. regional consumption ６９
• 2.5.3. Linguistic perceptions of adzuki beans in Korea and Japan: moral proverbs vs. sensory descriptors ７１
• 2.5.4. Methodological reflections on LDA topic modeling and consumer discourse ７４
• 2.6. Conclusion ７６
• 2.7. References ７９
• Chapter 3. Practice: patterns of yuza use in Japanese recipes ８４
• Abstract ８５
• 3.1. Introduction ８６
• 3.2. Methods ８８
• 3.2.1. Data collection ８８
• 3.2.1.1. Collection of yuza recipe data ８８
• 3.2.1.2. Collection of recipe data by food type ８９
• 3.2.2. Data analysis ９０
• 3.2.2.1. Analysis of yuza ingredient types ９０
• 3.2.2.2. Analysis by food type ９１
• 3.3. Results ９１
• 3.3.1. Frequency and classification of yuza-related ingredients ９１
• 3.3.2. Seasonal trend analysis of yuza ingredient utilization ９７
• 3.4. Discussions １００
• 3.4.1. Cross-cultural differences in yuza utilization １００
• 3.4.2. Seasonal patterns and implications for product diversification １０２
• 3.4.3. Culinary contexts and functional roles of yuza Across food categories １０４
• 3.4.4. Text-mining approaches in food culture research １０６
• 3.4.5. Food culture research through recipe analysis １０８
• 3.5. Conclusion １１０
• 3.6. References １１２
• Chapter 4. Practice: localized meanings of samgyetang across east asian food cultures through recipe analysis １１５
• Abstract １１６
• 4.1. Introduction １１８
• 4.2. Methods １２１
• 4.2.1. Data collection from Korean, Chinese, and Japanese online recipe sites １２１
• 4.2.2. Preprocessing of collected recipe data １２２
• 4.2.3. Ingredient analysis in Korean, Chinese, and Japanese culinary recipes １２６
• 4.3. Results １２７
• 4.3.1. Comparison of samgyetang recipes among Korea, China, and Japan １２７
• 4.3.2. Ingredient composition and frequency by country １２９
• 4.3.3. Market basket analysis of major ingredients １３２
• 4.3.4. Comparison with similar chicken soups variants in China and Japan １３５
• 4.4. Discussions １３８
• 4.4.1. Data scope and reliability of online recipe analysis １３８
• 4.4.2. Cross-cultural interpretation of ingredient patterns １３９
• 4.4.2.1. Cross-cultural interpretation of ingredient patterns １３９
• 4.4.2.2. Ingredient selection reflecting national patterns １４１
• 4.4.2.3. Flavoring preferences and culinary orientation １４２
• 4.4.3. Discussion on ingredient association １４３
• 4.4.3.1. Interpretation of basket analysis results １４３
• 4.4.3.2. Implications for export-oriented product desing １４４
• 4.4.4. Adaptation of samgyetang and its local variants in China and Japan １４５
• 4.5. Conclusion １４７
• 4.6. References １５０
• Chapter 5. Representation: food meanings on front-of-package information of infant foods in the United States １５３
• Abstract １５４
• 5.1. Introduction １５５
• 5.2. Methods １５７
• 5.2.1. FOP data collection １５７
• 5.2.2. Development of an AI-based certification detector １５８
• 5.2.3. Data extraction and analysis １６１
• 5.3. Results １６５
• 5.3.1. Certification marks usage in infant food products １６５
• 5.3.2. Nutrition and health information on infant foods １６８
• 5.4. Discussions １７３
• 5.4.1. Validation of AI-based monitoring for FOP information １７３
• 5.4.2. Interpretation of nutrient and health information １７４
• 5.4.3. Advantages of AI-based automated monitoring １７６
• 5.4.4. Challenges and prospects of AI-based FOP analysis １７７
• 5.5. Conclusion １７８
• 5.6. References １７９
• Chapter 6. Conclusions １８４
• 6.1. What this dissertation set out to do １８５
• 6.2. Key findings on how food meanings are re-localized across cultural dimensions １８６
• 6.3. What these findings mean for food glocalization research １８７
• 6.4. Implications for future research １８９
• 6.5. Concluding statement １９０