Toward a healthy home: investigating food flow and the shift in domestic spatial practice during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the shift in domestic spatial practice triggered by the flow of food during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, it argues that the change of food flow due to the need for physical distancing throughout the pandemic resulted in the changing patterns of everyday practice concerning consumption, sourcing, and preparation. Such changes could be observed in the spatial arrangement of the domestic sphere, where the food flow is intertwined with cleaning protocols. This paper studies domestic food flow and its spatial arrangement during the first month of physical distancing in Greater Jakarta, a region with the most confirmed case of COVID-19 in Indonesia. Mappings of the food flow are constructed based on interviews with 15 urban domestic households and complemented by the photographs of domestic food practices. The interrupted and prolonged flow of food generated three patterns of circulation and localization of dirt in certain areas of the house: the clean, the dirty, and the in-between, including the re-appropriation of outdoor space. The understanding of these patterns highlights the importance of spatial practice when dealing with new health threats, thereby expanding the idea of a healthy home.