Local responses to globalized food cultures (Warungs in Semarang)
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2024-06-21
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en
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Food and culture are inevitably intertwined as it is through food that cultural traditions, values, and beliefs are reflected. Besides that, food is also a social-cultural act that brings people together in a sense of community (Dhruvip, 2023). That is why food is “agreed to contribute to and mirror national and local identities” (Henderson et al., 2012, p.850). Food, therefore, provides an interesting lens to understand local cultures. In Indonesia, food traditions exist in abundance and are commonly presented in small informal Warungs, which are cultural places that are “typically Indonesian and generally closely bound to the local cuisine”, and can be found on almost every street corner in Indonesia (Wijaya, 2019; Smith & de Boer 2017, p. 113). Through the process of globalization, however, the world has become increasingly connected and there is an increasing exchange of cultural symbols among people around the world, to such an extent that it leads to changes in local popular culture and identities. One aspect of this has become the availability, exchange, interest, and fusion of different non-native foods and food practices from around the globe, exposing local cultures to ‘modern’ cuisines and food practices from all over the world (Richards, 2007; Dreher et al., 2008; Henderson et al., 2011).
The aim of this bachelor thesis was to further understand the relationship between local cultures and globalization. Since food is an important aspect of local traditions, especially in Indonesia, this research specifically tried to further identify how Warung owners themselves have tried to engage their cultural practices with increasing exposure to global food traditions. If Warung owners have adapted their food traditions to globalized influences or intentionally not and to further investigate what these choices were based on. In that way, the study tried to shed light on the bottom-up view of local Warung owners and their active response to increasing globalization. The goal of this research therefore was:
To make a theoretical contribution into the relation between cultural globalization and local traditions by outlining perspectives and responses of local Warung owners in Semarang, Indonesia, to globally interconnected foods and food traditions
In order to reach the research goal, 11 Warungs were observed and Warung-owners were interviewed in the region of Tembalang located in the city of Semarang. The 11 Warungs consisted of five traditional Warungs and six Warungs that offered a fusion of global and local foods. Besides that, a focus group was held with Food Technology professionals and students of the Unika Soegijpranta BSB University.
From my research it emerges that the Warung-sector has undergone several changes. These include technological changes and the increased availability of foreign foods. Nevertheless, due to the perspectives and innovative responses of the Warung owners, these influences form no threat to the local practices and traditions. Globalization is instead transformed into an opportunity to either strengthen and proliferate the local, or to come up with new traditions, in the form that allows fusions while protecting the uniqueness of different traditions. The local Warung owners in Semarang have therefore shown that globalization is not something that they can or want to prevent or resist, but that they can actively ‘rework’ the effects of globalization to benefit themselves and their community (Kloek, 2016). The faithfulness of the tongue of the Indonesians together with the innovative response of Warung owners allows the local and global to coexist in the region of Semarang, both on a plate and in the food traditions in general. Therefore, this study has shown that the local is everything but a silent victim forcefully overwhelmed by the influence of globalization (Kloek, 2016). Nevertheless, the constant consolidation and strengthening of the Warung and a parental role in society are crucial, for the valuation of the traditions, and therefore the Warungs to remain. Furthermore, this study investigated the role of the Indonesian government, which could possibly in the future provide a more active role in the facilitation of local traditions.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen