The Relation Between Humans and Animals in Food Tourism
Résumé
Foie gras is today one of the most contested foods. The animal welfare and rights movement disputes this product which is concurrently considered as part of heritage and embedded in tourism attractions. Technical anthropologists argue that the inclusion of animal in food involves the processes of moving the animal away, legitimising the killings and masking the animal origin of the food. However, these processes are challenged by the structural changes of society such as urbanisation and industrialisation which have also led to awareness of animal treatment and sensitiveness. Another outcome of these social developments is mobility and tourism is therefore an important metaphor of the contemporary social life. Food tourism has developed as a strategic standpoint to analyse food model dynamics. In regard to this perspective, we can question how the link between eater and animal is influenced by tourism experiences in rural territories. This study emphasises the role of the different types of rural relations in the construction of the sensibilities toward force-feeding and their adjustement during a rural experience: the tourism stay. Results show that the influence of the tourists’ experience in the change of opinion about force-feeding varies according to the respondents’ level of socialisation with the rural area, particularly the influence of the tourists’ experience in the rural areas. For city- dwellers, local tourism experience and visits to animal farms contribute to the contemporary construction of the imageries and sensibilities toward farm animals. This paper concludes with implications for (i) individuals working in the production and valorisation of the foie gras sector and in the territorial development and tourism industry in rural areas; (ii) academic research on animal and food studies; and (iii)for hospitality and tourism educators and researchers.