A Journey of Taste: Food as a Link Between Emotion and Memory

A Journey of Flavour: Food as a Link Between Emotion and Memory

The word ‘food’ is probably familiar to all of us, of course because  food is a basic necessity for the survival of all humankind. Food is not only a need to satisfy hunger, but can also be an art and a hallmark of an ethnic group, a region or even a country. Food as art can be found in several aspects, such as the beauty of its form (appearance), its distinctive aroma, its nutritional content, and its taste. These need attention so that food can become a perfect art. Food as the identity or hallmark of a region or country can also be seen in the dominant flavour that is its own signature, the appearance of the food, and its authenticity. Food is also a symbol of the blending of human cultures. This makes food a warm greeting of togetherness, and also a souvenir or gift brought back from a trip, often called “oleh-oleh”.

Today food is very varied, from traditional to modern dishes. However, attention must be paid to hygienic preparation and to the ingredients in the food. In this modern, highly advanced era, food ingredients are no longer obtained only in traditional and natural ways; many food ingredients can be obtained scientifically from various chemicals. It is true that not all chemicals are dangerous, and some are even greatly needed by the bodies of living things, but this still needs attention because many selfish people misuse materials that could be said to be unfit for consumption, or even dangerous, as food ingredients. Why is this so? Because in this fast and easy era, chemicals are easier to obtain, last longer in use, and can even speed up the growth of crops to be harvested. It is indeed permitted to make plant fertiliser or preservatives for food, but use that is too frequent or excessive can damage the human body's systems and even the environment. It can be said that it is very hard for us to tell apart good, still-authentic food with its true flavour from food that is less good for the body.

Cases of misuse of materials unfit for consumption as food ingredients, particularly in Indonesia, are still often heard, as reported by databoks.katadata.co.id: “The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) found 266 cases of crime related to processed food products throughout 2023. Of the total cases found, the majority, or 63.5%, involved products without a distribution permit. Then 22.6% of cases involved processed food products past their expiry date, and 13.9% involved products containing hazardous ingredients”. Why can this happen? Because people are very often blinded by high profits and do not care about the quality of the food.  Sometimes people think only about profits that benefit themselves, without caring about the diversity of values of the living things around them. This can happen because of a lack of education and knowledge, or because of the low quality of human resources in that country. Such problems occur very often and must be watched for in Indonesia, especially in the culinary world, where the production process and the ingredients used in the food must be carefully checked. In this matter, honesty and awareness are of course essential.

Food is a basic human need at all times, so it of course requires proper and correct processing in order to taste delicious and benefit the human body. Food is often the main dish at a banquet during a gathering; it is also described as the art of varied cuisine that adds to consumers' appeal or appetite in terms of appearance, nutritional content, and taste. Food is the hallmark of a region or country, and so it is often the main target of tourists visiting a place to taste a dish typical of that area, which is also commonly called ‘culinary tourism’.

Food (cuisine) in Indonesia is of course very diverse and abundant in kinds. This is because Indonesia is known for its fertile land and therefore has many diverse spices, which gives the typical foods of every region strong flavours from spices. Indonesia has even become one of the main targets of food lovers from many countries around the world. This is of course because of the diverse and distinctive flavours in each region of Indonesia, and also the prices, which are still very affordable and economical. It is not only foreign food lovers; domestic food lovers are no less keen to visit and taste the typical foods of various regions of Indonesia. Culinary tourism is not only for tasting yourself when visiting the region, but the food can also be turned into oleh-oleh and souvenirs for the people at home. Moreover, in today's technological era, consumers can easily order food using their mobile phones. This of course greatly eases buying and selling, but not all dishes can be ordered by mobile phone (technology) or online, because some traditional specialities cannot last long enough if shipped over several days. This is because some traditional foods do not want to add preservatives, as it is feared they would change the authentic flavour of the food. Behind the high appeal of Indonesian cuisine, safe and high-quality ingredients are of course the top priority, so that the food not only tastes delicious but also benefits the human body.

The culinary world will always be a favourite in life, because food is a basic need of humankind at all times, and the distinctive flavour and authenticity of the food must also be maintained. By using food ingredients that are high-quality and safe for the human body, food will become a source of good for the human body and the environment. Quoting the philosopher Arne Naess, in his theory of deep ecology he said ‘all living things have their own value; do not destroy the wealth and diversity of the values of other living things’. This of course leads us toward objective awareness, and toward becoming people who think not only of their own gain but also of the well-being of those around them. Likewise in the culinary world, producers must prioritise good, high-quality ingredients, so that they benefit consumers' bodies and the environment is not polluted by hazardous materials, because people often only raise their standards rather than maintain their quality. As humans we must be aware of the importance of the nutritional content of food for the human body. Mr Ir. Soesarsono Wijandi once said, “as long as people still eat, the food and beverage business will never die”.