ABSTRACT

This chapter is based on fieldwork conducted in 2013 in two neighbourhoods, Gejayan/Colombo and Karangmalan, in the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Warung activities may generally be seen as being characterised by a fairly low resource base that is especially labour-intensive, usually drawing upon strong family involvement. Tens of thousands of warung-like restaurants are to be found in Yogyakarta, and these small and micro-scaled enterprises together form a rich cultural, economic and social phenomenon. The food sold in warungs is typically Indonesian and generally closely bound to the local cuisine. The strong pace of urbanisation and the uprising of dozens of urban entrepreneurs are overwhelming political and legal institutions. Local culture stays intact because the warung restaurants quite effectively guard the fundaments of an Indonesian food culture, warding off external global fast food or ready-go food formulas. Warung restaurants are an integral part of the social fabric of life in Yogyakarta for the working poor.