In China, it has become a trend for young Chinese generation Z in their 20s to have cooking at home as a hobby. Like other countries, young people in China also move to big cities to get a job after graduating from college or high school. In the past, most of them were short of time, so most young people bought it outside or ordered it to be delivered. However, as interest in health has recently increased in China, young people want to eat healthier. The hesitation is that various ingredients and condiments are used to cook food. Traditionally used condiments in China have many in the form of oil sauce, but they are looking for condiments to replace them.The biggest reason why it is popular among Generation Z is that weibo, red, and tiktok, which are popular in China, like to share what other generations are doing. More young people want to see it and copy it. The key to home cooking is health. Young people want a healthy diet, as mentioned above. Recent trends in the food industry have also been influenced. It is sold with zero sugar and no low-calorie chemical additives. More and more people are checking whether it is a safe seasoning, and more than 60 percent of consumers use it because it is a little expensive.The second key keyword is whether food can be made more simply. As mentioned above, as many young people live alone, there are many people who do not cook because they do not have time due to work or because they do not want to be bothered. Therefore, condiments that allow you to feel the rich taste texture have recently become popular because they can reduce cooking time and difficulty of food at once. It prefers cooked food, frozen vegetables, etc. as well as all-in-one sauce. In particular, among condiments, products in packs are popular because they become broth when simply put in boiling water.
(Source from Reuters/Alamy)
The third is high quality. Young people in China also use many social media services. Weibo, red, and tiktok inside China become images or posters that are so popular that various people see and sympathize with themselves. That’s why people prefer food that looks like it would come from a fancy restaurant to simply cooked food.After making the food, they sometimes put the ingredients and condiments they used together, so many people want the package to be luxurious. Recently, because their traditional patterns have become popular in China, famous seasoning brands in China have also designed packages using traditional patterns. In addition, it is attracting the attention of young consumers by collaborating with popular animations and cartoons. In China, many young people recently want to become Wang Hong influencers. In China, they are also referred to as the photographic generation. This trend is changing what you want about food. Some young people cook and eat food in line with this trend for their health, but most people often take these pictures on social media to get sympathy or likes from others.
SOPHIA KIM
Asia Journal
