Food, Emotion and the Environment: A study of the food habits of Indonesian immigrants in Scotland and the associated environmental impact.

Abstract

Immigrant communities’ relationships with their home foods are intricate and are often embodied with an emotional experience of the departed home. The determination of the Indonesian community in preserving the habit of consuming Indonesian food, which is often imported, and their reluctance to adopt a more sustainable diet, such as a diet consisting mainly of local seasonal produce, leads this research to question whether there are powerful motivations behind this persistence. This research found this is partly due to the close link between the consumption of Indonesian food and the preservation of Indonesian identity and memories of the departed home, meaning certain dishes are often recreated and consumed to either relive the embodied experiences or express their ethnicity, or both at the same time. The community shows how ethnicity plays a major role in food choices and preferences, as well as their perception of local cuisines and produces. The emotional bond of immigrants with their home is a significant aspect to consider in the pursuit of sustainable Scotland, and this study displays the ineffectiveness of campaigns such as Eat in Season among the immigrant communities and suggests a more empathetic approach.