Why

“You have the power to change the world”

Nancy Duarte opened a presentation with this comment and I have chosen to use it too. It feels like an impossible statement doesn’t it! But if you look with inquisitive eyes you can see in nature singular items coming together and connecting to form a larger mass like bubbles and rhizome plants. I came across a theory from the chemist Ilya Prigogine talking about life, change and culture in an organic sense. I felt it resonated with my enquiry – 

“Human life systems are constantly changing and are irreversible cultures.
 We can only move forward as reverting back is not an option.
Making small changes all over a space creates islands of change which in time
take up the mass space forcing them to connect and form a new network of change.” 

I hope to make small islands/pockets of change in various communities and hope that those islands grow and connect forming large bodies of harmonious diverse communities.

Food plays a big part in all cultures. The preparation and sharing of food forms a commonality in a groups and leads to validation allowing openness and communication to flow. I grew up following my sikh culture. This incited my curiosity about lifestyles in other cultures’ homes. Watching food programmes gave me a window into the world and cultures. Food in my culture was so important from daily eating to ceremonious feasts. I also noticed that it was a way of holding on to cultural identity in a new land. I wanted to put together these three areas of interest to me and see where it would lead. I took the words Food, Culture and Storytelling to investigate my enquiry into whether food does assist in breaking down barriers to promote sharing. 

Why this is important? Trusting relationships are the glue that hold people together. Our one-to-one connections with each other are the foundation for change and building relationships with people from different cultures. Culture is a complex concept with many different definitions. In a study on ‘What is Culture?” at Warwick Unversity, one of the quotes defining Culture was: 

“the set of attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by a group of people,
but different for each individual, communicated from one generation to the next.” 
Matsumoto 1996: 16.

Blending of spices in our food creates an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of cultures. Spice has a long-standing social history, it is wonderfully symbolic of traditions, taste and different cultures. By celebrating diversity, cultures and old traditions, it a great approach to bring people together through spice and share their stories, before they are lost.

“How do you learn about people’s cultures?”, “How do we build relationship with people from other cultures?“ These questions were key and even more crucially important during the current time. I devised my own culture framework applicable to my study (click here). My workshops/interviews captured the passion for food memories and I gained so many shared memories. In the group sessions conversations were rife making cultural comparisons between the group. The feedback was that it was “interesting”, “satisfying”.

As the world is changing so is the shape of power. Looking into where my research would be of value I found that the Mayor of London and local councils were supporting social initiatives to improve relations in diverse communities along with International organisations like the Department for International Development (DFID). I came across a paper about how ‘Soft Power’ in a country is recognised in politics as having more economic value than weaponry. It is a countries reputation of good cultural mixing that makes it attractive to business and people.

“ We live in a world of ‘complex interdependence,’ – a world in which security and force matter less and countries are connected by soft power can gain influence.”
Keohane and Nye (1988: 81–94)2.

I cannot claim that my Food-Connect initiative can be the only solution for creating a harmonious diverse community. All I hope to do is to provide a forum with a common interest that facilitates conversation between cultures. Hoping to help break down barriers and prejudices through sharing and cultural validation.

For students I learnt that CSM had scored low on the integration satisfaction level. These two very different studies were the basis for my enquiry which I ran parallel. To get comparative data I devised a process model. The model was borne from understanding the sensitivity and dynamics in conversations in diverse groups. I worked on developing the model and taking it through various iterations to a final design that I was happy with. From each person who takes part in my sessions I always try to extract 3 things: a spice of interest, a significant recipe and a memoire. It is these three elements that I hope to put together onto my website for Food-Connect.