Journal of Sociolinguistics
Constructing a Transnational Chronotope: Indexicality of “White People Food” Among Chinese International Students
ABSTRACT Food operates as a semiotic system intertwined with language, shaping social meanings, power relations, and identity practices in transnational contexts. This paper examines the indexical field around the internet catchphrase 白人饭 (“white people food,” or WPF) as used by Chinese international students in the United States to articulate cultural encounters and negotiate identity. Drawing on interview data and online posts from 18 graduate students, I analyze how foodways function as chronotopic frameworks th …