Peri-urban kitchenspaces and their value as territories of cultural resistance to neoliberal culinary modernity

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present a reflection on the importance of urban peripheries and their inhabitants in finding alternatives and counterbalances for the production, acquisition, and transformation of food into nutritious, healthy, culturally relevant, economical, and accessible meals, as well as for its local distribution, in response to the growing invasion of ultra-processed products that have arrived en masse with the expansion of cities over the past five decades in Mexico. This discussion is based on a case study from the periphery of the Querétaro Metropolitan Area. To this end, the article first presents a broad overview of the current context in which food production is taking place; that is, the development of agribusiness and the food industry (ultra-processed products). Subsequently, reference is made to urban expansion and the role it plays in transforming traditional foodways and kitchenspaces; it also shows how inhabitants who have experienced the rapid transformation of productive landscapes implement a series of strategies and nourish relationships that allow them to experiment, incorporate, reject, and continue (albeit in a somewhat limited manner) their local cuisine. Finally, the article concludes with considerations of the potential offered by peri-urban areas and the knowledge of their inhabitants in confronting the invasion of ultra-processed products. It also outlines some of the key actors whose participation is essential in transforming the way cities are currently expanding, while simultaneously erasing other possible ways of life.