Join us Saturday, February 14th for “Bali: Food of the Gods” with Vivienne Kruger!

Balinese food is singular among the leading cuisines of the world as it is dedicated to the gods and fueled by an array of fresh spices inextricably bound to the island’s Bali-Hindu religion, culture, and community life. Kruger’s book, Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali bears witness to Bali’s time-honored, enduring, authentic village cuisine. The extraordinary, renowned beauty of Bali is mirrored in its spectacular, god-driven ceremonial feasts and the preparation of these foods is steeped in divine rituals, exactitude, and religious perfectionism for food offerings on the island of the gods.

About the speaker:
Dr. Vivienne Kruger hails from New York City and is a social and cultural historian with a Ph.D. in American history from Columbia University. Kruger took a tour from Jakarta to Bali in 1993 where she fell in love with the exotic “island of the gods” at first sight. She has since enjoyed a twenty-year-long literary, spiritual, and cultural love affair with the volcanic island. Kruger served as a special research consultant for E! Entertainment Television’s “Wild On Bali” television program (1998-1999) and developed story ideas, interpreted local Balinese culture, and provided background information on religious rites, traditions, and travel attractions. She wrote travel articles for Bali and Beyond Magazine and wrote, edited, and produced a monthly newspaper food column for the Bali Advertiser on Balinese culture and cuisine. She lived in Bali for two years (2007-2008) and launched an international export business buying and selling luxury goods produced in the villages of Bali.

A reception with themed refreshments will follow the talk at approximately 11:30.

Free and open to the public.