[Department of Tourism] Tourism work "produces happiness" French gastronomy walking taught us "the relationship between food and happiness"

hello everyone!My name is Takanezawa and I am a teacher in the Department of Tourism.

This may be out of the blue, but do you like eating?

Of course, I think there are very few people who don't like it.

Eating and drinking delicious food makes everyone feel happy.

Even in the field of tourism, food is an essential element.

It is not essential to sustain life.

The food we eat while traveling is a precious memory that is deeply connected to that place, and food captivates our hearts so much that ``food and drinks that can only be found there'' become the purpose of the trip. .

So, why does food fascinate us so much?

This time, I would like to introduce what I felt from my research in France.

I have recently been researching an event called ``Gastronomy Walking'' as a tourism event that utilizes food, and I conducted research in the Alsace region of France last summer and this summer.

This region is mainly famous for producing high-quality white wine, and the scenery of vineyards spreading out on the rolling hills is very beautiful, and along with the scattered small villages and towns, it is a tourist destination called the ``Alsace Wine Route.'' It becomes.

The village of Bar, along the route, is the setting for the gastronomy walk that is the subject of this research.

The gastronomy walk in the village of Bar is an 8km route that climbs the hills of vineyards from the village, passes through the forest, and then returns to the village, with six food points along the way.

At each point, a meal is served in the order of pretzel (bread with rock salt), vegetable soup, appetizer, main course, cheese, dessert, and a course meal, and you can also drink wine from a local winery to go with it. .

In other words, it is a somewhat unusual event where you can enjoy a full course outdoors while hiking through beautiful scenery.

The survey investigated the management of this event, its economic effects in the region, and the awareness of participants, but what was particularly impressive was the participants' "well-being" (state of happiness). It is the recognition of

Many of the people we spoke with said that sharing delicious food and wine in a beautiful natural environment and deepening bonds with family and friends is part of their sense of well-being.

Furthermore, several people particularly emphasized the word ``convivialité.''This has the meaning of ``enjoying food together and sharing joy.''

Through this research in France, I realized once again that this is one of the reasons why we are drawn to food.

Special, high-quality dishes and dishes unique to the region will be delicious and satisfying even if you eat them alone.However, if you have someone to share the experience with, I think it will be even more delicious and enjoyable.

Also, even if it's just a casual meal or bread from a convenience store, you can have a fun and fulfilling time with friends.

As I wrote at the beginning, tourism is inseparable from food, and many people go sightseeing in search of food, deepening their bonds with friends, and enjoying meeting and interacting with new people.

If you think about it that way, wouldn't it be fair to say that tourism is a job that brings about rich human relationships and happy lives by providing people with opportunities to share food?

"Man does not live on bread alone"

Let's all reconsider not only ``I love eating,'' but also the joy of sharing ``food'' with family and friends.