Food and Tourism: Towards an Understanding of Sustainable Culture

Abstract Studies of the social significance of food and eating have mostly been left to social anthropologists and social historians. Often it has not appeared as part of the cultural environment that is offered as a tourist package. If a culture is to prove sustainable in the face of tourism, then traditional and ethnic foods must be preserved along with other art forms. This pilot study shows that in a tourist area of Bali (a) visitors are not necessarily being offered what they want, and (b) traditional food is not being preserved.