Tsukemono (Japanese pickles) typically involved fermentation and highly localized vegetable varieties, but has undergone significant changes since the late 19th century. The story of tsukemono enriches our understanding of the modern antibiotic turn and the contemporary probiotic modulations. Antibiocene (Kirchhelle 2023) or disturbance in microbiome both at human and ecosystemic levels, is resulting in serious health and environmental crises. In response, fermented foods and fermentation are becoming not only a space for healthy eating but for critical reflections on modern antibiotic relations. I introduce the concept of awai or in-betweenness to capture the embodied and co-constitutive relations with microbes. The concept offers an insight into place-based repertoire to tackle the challenges of the Antibiocene that takes stock of existing linguistic and cultural heritages.

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Science and Technology in Asia Seminar Series co-sponsored by the Reischauer Institute