Food has connected people across cultural and geographical distances for centuries—from trade in spices, coffee, and sugar to the meals we share while travelling.

Culture, experienced through cuisine.

Dr. Suntikul’s research examines how states and non-state actors use tourists’ encounters with national cuisines to encourage positive associations with a country. Those encounters can happen before a trip, during a visit, and after returning home.

A relationship that continues beyond a journey.

A restaurant abroad can introduce someone to a cuisine and spark an interest in travel. A visit can deepen that connection through local restaurants, markets, and culinary traditions. Back home, familiar dishes can renew the relationship.

In this account, food, tourism, and diplomacy are intertwined. Understanding one requires considering how it relates to the others.

Food becomes a way to encounter a place, its people, and its culture.

Editorial summary of the project’s research overview.

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The original paper is available below. It was also featured by the USC Center on Public Diplomacy on August 29, 2017.