GASTRODIPLOMACY AS SOFT POWER TOOL TO ENCHANCE NATIONAL BRANDING: THAILAND OF KITCHEN OF THE WORLD PROJECT IN INDONESIA (2015-2017)

Abstract

Gastrodiplomacy is part of public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy, which is a subtle way to increase appreciation, build mutual understanding and improve the image of the nation. Gastrodiplomacy is one element in cultural diplomacy through the introduction of eating culture. The richness of the food of a nation becomes the attraction of the nation in the international eyes. In the food tradition of a nation there are values of the personality of the nation passed down from generation to generation. The culinary experience offers the foreign public an informal way of interacting with different cultures in a more intimate way through taste. With the new culinary experience, they are expected to get to know other cultures .I start by giving a historical overview of how Thai food has become internationalized and has reached a global audience in cosmopolitan cities around the globe. Based on empirical observation of Thai restaurants in Jakarta, I explore the processes Thai cuisine has undergone when it enters transnational space and serves a global clientele. My field research reveals that Thai restaurants in a Jakarta highlight the authenticity of the Thai taste while at the same time adapting to local food customs. Although creative adaptation by ethnic restaurants in metropolitan cities might have led us to imagine endless fusion and hybridity of cultural forms, I would like to point out that there is no ‘pure culture’ to mix. Selected forms of Thai food along various class lines and among regional diversity are constructed as “Thai cuisine” and promoted internationally especially in Indonesia. This process reflects internal hierarchy behind the formation of “Thai-ness” among Thais as well as the influence of the international market in which Thai culture is selling. The rising popularity of Thai food at the global level boosts national pride among Thais who often take “national image” seriously. Reified “Thai-ness” has been endorsed by the state in promoting the country’s culinary industry and recently in the internationalization of Thai food where, again, Thai culture has been marketed in Indonesia.