Neurogastronomy : "When I was in Surabaya as a Gastronomy Tourist"

Paper Abstract: Neurogastronomy studies the interaction between the nervous system and gastronomy, focusing on taste perception (mouth, tongue, nose, nervous system, and brain as spontaneous responses), sensory responses (organoleptic: taste, aroma, texture, menu display, serving temperature), and brain mechanisms involved in food, including emotions (satisfaction, pleasure, comfort, rejection), memory (spatial-temporal: memory of events and locations), and the environment encountered during gastro-tourism activities as a tourist. The goal of neurogastronomy through tourism is to provide guidance in food selection, culinary experiences, visiting culturally influential locations, and dietary health by self-tasting a variety of spontaneously selected foods or drinks recommended by various media and sources obtained prior to travel. This research method utilizes autoethnography with oneself as a human instrument to explore sensory experiences during gastro tourism as a gastronomic tourist in Surabaya, with a background characteristic of being a Sundanese ethnic tourist with different taste preferences from Surabaya food. The study was conducted before the pandemic, and additional data were obtained using modified psychological sensory preference questions and photographic documentation as memory clues. The result of this study is a gastro travel guide based on various information gathered as a tourist in Surabaya, detailing neurogastronomic findings in visual form.