Authentic Balinese Cuisine: From Ceremonial Food to Daily Consumption ( 3 )

Warung Culture
However, since the growth of Bali's regional economy that was initially brought about by tourism, the Balinese have been able to consume their authentic food more often without needing to make it or wait for traditional festivities. This is not because they are able to afford it laboriously, but because they can now buy the food in warungs or food stalls for a relatively cheap price.
In the last decade, the number of warungs has increased in the main streets around Bali that offer special Balinese food including suckling-pig, lawar, and satay. Most of them open for breakfast, some for early dinner. Nowadays, suckling-pig warungs are available in almost every corner of the main streets in Denpasar and around Sanur, as they are along the bypass road between the Airport and Nusa Dua. Their customers are ordinary people or those who work in the nearby public and private sectors.
The town of Gianyar is also popular with its warung babi guling, both morning and late afternoon. In front of the Ubud palace, there is a well-known warung babi guling (Ibu Oka) which is always packed with people every day until early afternoon. Tour guides, drivers, domestic and foreign tourists can be witnessed sitting down crossed-leg having crispy and spicy suckling pig here. Thus, Balinese people do not have to wait six months if they want mouth-watering delicious lawar, crispy suckling pig, and tasty chicken or pork satay.
With the growth of the tourism industry and the richness of Balinese tradition, authentic Balinese cuisine has been healthily promoted through various channels. Books on Balinese food and its recipes have been published; Balinese food is also offered through various hotel and restaurant menus. Recently, there is also several Balinese cuisine cooking schools offered to visitors of the island, as have Balinese desserts that have been introduced as dishes in hotels, restaurants and cafés. Slowly but surely Balinese cuisine has become as popular among tourists visiting the island as food of other countries such as Thai, Chinese or Mexican food.
The popularity of authentic Balinese cuisine both in the tourism sector as well as amongst the Balinese community is certainly a good thing in one way, but perhaps not in another. As suckling pig has become the daily menu of many warungs, the process of making it has become the work of a 'professional' cook. Warung owners employ special staff to prepare it on daily basis. Therefore, the social activity of mèbat no longer applies in this business. This was brought about by the fact that only particular people could prepare satay, suckling pig, and lawar. When a family needs Balinese food for offerings, and a menu to serve to their guests for their traditional ceremonies such as weddings or tooth filing, they can easily order it from a special catering agent. Consequently, the mèbat activity has become a rare occasion. As it only takes place occasionally at the village or banjar level, it has slowly become an exclusive skill of a small number of people.