Eating Local as Public Art

Abstract

In this paper, we bring together two unrelated strains of recent literature on eating local, which have respectively evidenced its socio-political and artistic values. Our argument contends that eating local can, in some instances, be regarded as a form of public art. Our study improves our understanding and appreciation of the complex web of culinary values linked to eating local, in particular the entanglement between its aesthetic, political, and cultural significance. We first review three extant definitions of eating local (§ 2), which we then employ to discuss the three specific forms of public art that eating local can occasion (§ 3), namely: memorial art, social protest art, and art that enhances. Finally, we present the links between the three approaches to local food and the three forms of public art (§ 4), providing a heuristic framework for both scholars and stakeholders.