Global Journey of 'Taste of Nusantara' Book Strengthens Indonesia's Gastrodiplomacy

The international journey of the book Rasa Bhayangkara Nusantara, or Taste of Nusantara: 80 Bhayangkara Menu for Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meals Program, continues to show significant progress. After reaching Europe, America, the Middle East, and Japan, the book is now officially present in South Korea as part of Indonesia’s cultural diplomacy expansion in the Asian region. The presence of this book in South Korea is a continuation of the global journey previously carried by Dirgayuza Setiawan, Presidential Special Assistant for Communication and Policy Analysis, in collaboration with Deputy Chief of National Police Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo, to various parts of the world during every international visit, including London, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Washington D.C., Jeddah, and strengthening diplomacy at the Japanese Embassy. Deputy Chief of National Police Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo emphasised that the global journey of this book is part of Indonesia’s grand diplomacy strategy. “The journey of Rasa Bhayangkara Nusantara from Europe, America, the Middle East, Japan to South Korea shows that Indonesia is capable of presenting a new approach in diplomacy—through gastrodiplomacy that combines policy, culture, and humanitarian values. We wrote this book together as a concrete contribution to strengthen Indonesia’s position in the eyes of the world,” Dedi stated firmly. This latest development is continued by Dirgayuza Setiawan, who brings the spirit of Indonesian gastrodiplomacy to South Korea through the presentation of the book related to the Free Nutritious Meals Programme (MBG). During that moment, Dirgayuza conveyed, “Today I am giving the book Taste of Nusantara and Pangan Biru MBG to the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to South Korea, Mr Cecep. Mr Cecep is an ambassador who pays great attention to the implementation of the MBG programme, especially in terms of what we can learn from the implementation of MBG in South Korea.” The book was handed over to Cecep Herawan, a senior Indonesian diplomat serving as the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to South Korea in Seoul, who is known for actively promoting the strengthening of Indonesia–South Korea cooperation, including in the fields of human resource development and public policy.