More Than Entrepreneurial Activity: The Practice of Selling Nasi Pecel that Reproduces Public Space

Abstract

Lore into traditional food has documented that the practice of preserving traditional food is as important as the traditional food itself. More than just entrepreneurial activities, everyday practices such as selling traditional food have been influential in the reproduction of public space and the identity of the city. We seek to elaborate this study further by exploring evidence from traditional food in the Global South countries. In doing so, we work with 30 nasi pecel sellers in Mataraman cities in East Java province in Indonesia to explore the practice of selling nasi pecel. Drawing on our fieldwork in the cities of Madiun, Nganjuk, Kediri, and Jombang; our research employs a qualitative approach by utilizing archives and/or documentation, FGD notes, and interviews; all these are utilized to gather foodmaps. Our findings showcase the practice of selling nasi pecel is particularly influential to reproduce public spaces in which people from different backgrounds socialize to converse on different social issues. The centrality of such social interactions within the socio-historical context of Indonesian society is also discussed in dialogue with literature in public spaces. Our engagements also demonstrate that a particular area, as well as traditional food, determines the politics of everyday life of the city and their residents. The practice of selling nasi pecel also reproduces the capital of women entrepreneurs in their legitimate businesses.