Grains of Confluence: From Shared Plates to the Stories Behind.
2024-ongoing
Recipe Book, Video, Workshop
"Grains of Confluence: From Shared Plates to the Stories Behind" is an ongoing
project that uses fried rice to reflect on food as a vessel for cultural memory,
identity, and the idea of borders. This seemingly ordinary dish, with its versatility
and adaptability, holds deep personal memories and collective narratives across
different cultural contexts.
The project began with my father's unique recipe for Meigan Cai and Apple
Fried Rice, intertwined with my experiences as an immigrant in the Netherlands.
By collecting recipes, photographing kitchens, and conducting participatory
workshops, I capture the diverse ways people make fried rice and the intimate
stories attached to it. These stories reveal connections to family, migration, and
cultural identity, showing how fried rice crosses borders and becomes a bridge for
cultural storytelling.
In the workshops, participants bring ingredients tied to their memories or cultural
roots to create their personalized fried rice, sharing stories along the way. Fried
rice becomes a symbolic base, its rice and eggs embracing other ingredients and
emotions, creating a space for cultural dialogue.
The booklet Grains of Confluence currently features 12 participants' recipes and
stories, with plans to expand through future workshops and kitchen interviews.
This project records personal and cultural histories while critically reflecting
on food transformation and cultural homogenization, offering a platform for
connection and mutual understanding.