Oflactory LAB

Royal

Oflactory LAB

How do cultural boundaries manifest dietary habits?

Jianing Hu - Fashion

Shujin Dong - Animation

Linxi Liu - Service Design

Leqing Zeng - Enviromental Architecture

Project Brief

In this project, we approached the theme of caring by focusing on dietary as a main topic of discussion. Focusing on the critical question: “How olfaction can be visualised to present the differences in food culture between different language regions?” We conceived the notion to conduct an interactive workshop, it explores dietary habit and the cultural background of various communities around the world and provide insights into the relationship between food, culture, and identity. Leading participators to reflect and criticize on cultural Boundaries and Integration of dietary habits with various communities around the world with distinct cultural background.

I. Observation

The inspiration came from the notice of how culture difference affect dietary habits of us in school canteens. Some examples of special Phenomenon we observed our daily life around campous.

We decided to use FOOD as a media to build up a network of communication of different cultures and variety.

Observation

We initially discovered that the school cafeteria was relatively homogeneous in terms of the variety of food available, that many students would cook and bring in their own food, and that interactions in and out of the classroom often involved groups of students from the same country.

- The variety of food is limited.

- Students form into small communities.

Observation

Reflections

As a group with all international students, this observation might be farily objective, we are not here to give advice or change the surcture of our school arrangement. We decided to came up with a speculative project, that inspire, lead and reflect our audiences with critical thinking with FOOD.

Analysis

We decided to make a deep research into FOOD to get better understanding about the Dietary, its diversity and unqie, in relation with various group of communication across the world. We wanted to keep developing our project with a more complete knowledge, with any mistake and stereotype, because FOOD can be a tricky topic in relation to culture background.

Analysis

Dietary habits from various Culture backgrounds

Eating Habits

Dietary habits often align with religious beliefs and practices.

Utensils

The choice of utensils reflects cultural values and practices.

Food Ingredients

For example, in Chinese Sichuan cuisine, chilli and pepper are often used to add spiciness to dishes, whereas in French cuisine, wine and cream are more important to add richness and flavour to dishes.

Local Availability

The availability of ingredients in a specific region influences the development of local cuisines.

Culinary Techniques

The use of specific spices, herbs, and cooking methods contributes to the distinct flavors of a cuisine.

How dining etiquette effects intimacy and closeness of

people from East and West?

Chinese food culture is in fact a kind of emotional food concept, Chinese people are emotionally invested in food, and relatively speaking, they tend to be emotional in cooking.

Westerners, on the other hand, treat ingredients in a scientific and rational manner. They judge food by its nutritional value, looking at calories, vitamins and proteins, and try to reduce the intake of seasonings, such as salt and MSG, to make the ingredients more natural and to achieve a balance of various nutrients.

Food culture reflects people's ways of thinking and emotional attitudes. Food is a means of communication, providing people with the opportunity to enhance their emotions and exchange information.

Documentary — FOOD, INC 2008

Food, Inc. is a 2008 American documentary film directed by Robert Kenner

While not focused solely on cultural aspects, this documentary examines the industrial food production system in the United States and its impact on health, environment, and society.

It explores dietary habits and the cultural background of various communities around the world and provide insights into the relationship between food, culture, and identity.

Analysis

Key ways in which ingredients differ across cultures

- Visual Perception

The visual appearance of food is crucial in creating an initial impression. Colors, shapes, and arrangements on the plate influence our expectations and perceptions of taste.

- Olfactory Perception

The aroma of food is a significant factor in taste perception. The olfactory system plays a key role in identifying and enjoying different flavors.

- Gustatory Perception

Taste involves the identification of basic tastes—sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.

- Tactile Perception

The physical sensations experienced in the mouth.

- Auditory Perception

The sounds that food makes while cooking (sizzling, frying) and while being eaten (crunching) can add to the overall experience.

Analysis

Relationship between Olfactory and Food and language

Is the Connection between Olfaction and Language Symmetrical or Asymmetrical?

It is as difficult to access olfactory representations from language as it is to access language from an olfactory percept. Language strongly activates olfactory perceptual representations, but it is difficult to activate language from a percept.The emerging data have challenged various dogmas surrounding olfactory cognition, but one persists: that is, there is no language of smell and humans are bad at naming odors. Scholars have argued that naming odors is not ecologically relevant for humans because the function of olfactory cognition is not to identify odors; instead, odors are primarily processed incidentally and unconsciously as implicit associations with situations. Humans have a far richer capacity for olfactory language than is commonly acknowledged.

Analysis

Lexicons with Basic Smell Terms Are Common across LanguagesContrary to the claim that sizable inventories of basic smell terms are unlikely to be found in the world’s languages, field studies have documented considerable smell vocabularies across the globe. Jahai (Malaysia), for example, has 12 basic smell terms, which have been characterized as ‘abstract’, that is, their semantics is not limited to a specific source. Smell vocabularies have previously been considered a characteristic of small languages with few speakers (of the existing 6500 languages, the median number of speakers is less than 1000).

Relationship between Olfactory and Food and language

The cooking schools of different countries or different regions within the same country usually have their own special seasonings as symbols. For example, asafoetida is traditionally used only in some areas of India, while yuzu pepper is traditionally only found in the Kyushu region of Japan.

The most common seasoning in most regions and cultures around the world is salt , however the sources of salt vary, such as sea salt from sea water, rock salt from salt mines , or salt substitutes from plants. (Such as Luo's salt bark wood ). Different seasonings can be used in different regions or cultures to achieve similar results, such as green onions in East Asian culture versus onions in European culture , and vinegar in ancient China versus sour grape juice in ancient Western cultures . The use of the same seasoning can be completely different in different regions. For example, cinnamon spices are mainly used to season meat in Southeast Asia (and some Italian dishes), but in European and American cultures, they are more commonly added to desserts and drinks to add flavor; In addition, ginger is often used to remove fishy smell or as a spice in Asian cuisine and is often used with onions and garlic . However, in the West, it is more commonly made into sweets or added to drinks, such as gingerbread, ginger ale, etc.

EAT LOVE BUDAPEST | WORKSHOP

‘eat love budapest’ is a multisensory performance project and experience, bringing together two strangers for the intimate act of sharing food and being fed. the project emphasizes the individuality and beauty inherent in the life of each person, including the nameless ones we may pass each day on the subway or sidewalk, and those whom we may group together as being all alike based on their nationality or appearance, as romani people have historically frequently suffered in various countries.

https://www.designboom.com/design/eat-love-budapest-by-marije-vogelzang/

Meals or tastings in red light, 2003-2013

These meals or tastings come from my numerous experiences of red light workshops to design and manufacture Permeables. They result from the observation of the surprising effects of this light on our eating behavior: it abolishes other colors and we note that if we cannot identify the original colors of a food and we do not recognize any plus the visual form, then our sensation of taste is significantly disturbed, disturbed. The absence of prior recognition by the eye surprises and confuses the sense of taste. Lunch, dinner in red light reveal to us the determining part of sight in this sensitive relationship. On the other hand, the red light diffuses a relaxing sensation among its visitors and establishes a unique conviviality. It is both an adventure of particular conviviality and a taste adventure.

https://www.reseaux-artistes.fr/travaux/les-repas-ou-degustations-en-lumiere-rouge/

Analysis

We established channels of communication via Microsoft Teams, Emails, Figma and Whatsapp group chat.

Figma and Pinterest became an excellent way to share ideas, references and work and it was useful to understand the groups styles and areas of interests.

We built up a network of Brainstorm Diagram using Figma.

Link to Figma: https://www.figma.com/file/pCL9ZsxtHt7UrDhcaUAJek/Blank-Across-RCA-Caring?type=whiteboard&node-id=241159&t=levQNUcYNDfHy15U-0

I.

IV.

We drew inspiration from observing students gathering in the cafeteria for meals, and through in-depth research into various aspects such as dietary habits, dining etiquette, and significant differences in ingredients across different countries, we derived some insightful perspectives.

Firstly, by using food ingredients as the primary material for map drawing, the workshop aims to guide participants in gaining a deeper understanding of dietary differences between cultures. This creative approach not only provides people with a more intuitive perception of other cultures' cuisines but also offers participants an opportunity to explore different culinary cultures. Consequently, they are more likely to transcend superficial cultural differences, understand commonalities among different communities, and discover possibilities for integration.

Secondly, by researching the relationship between olfaction, food, and language, we can enable participants to perceive the cultural emotions behind food more profoundly. Olfaction, being a powerful emotional trigger, can evoke profound cognitions of specific cultures and memories. Through olfactory experiences, the workshop will provide a more intuitive, immersive means to help participants establish a deeper understanding of different cultural cuisines, thereby promoting an understanding of cultural integration.

Additionally, by studying representative condiments from different countries and related workshop design cases, we can gain valuable lessons from successful experiences. This provides a beneficial reference framework for the workshop, making it more practically feasible and appealing. Through participatory interactive methods, the workshop can more effectively guide participants in contemplating the challenges and opportunities associated with cultural integration, igniting their desire for a positive exploration of global culinary cultures.

In summary, our workshop design is not just a simple map-drawing activity; it is a process that leads participants to reflect deeply on cultural boundaries, dietary habits, and cultural integration. It guides participants to approach cultural differences with more openness and tolerance.

Workshop Brief

Workshop Instructions:

Leading participators to reflect and criticize on cultural Boundaries and Integration of dietary habits with various communities around the world with distinct cultural background.

Materials:

Vinegar, soy sauce, Ganjang, Mustard, Miso,Fish sauce, ketchup, Mexican chili powder, Marmite, bechamel, Tunisia, Vegemite, Map with special selection of regions.

Safety Precautions:

Please be careful while smelling pungent seasons.

Procedure:

Step 1: Observe seasons in cups, you may smell, taste, touch them.

Step 2: Please smear and paint seasons on the map which indicate each regions within the borders.

Step 3: You may cooperate with other’s smearing to create exciting patterns.

Step 4: Feel free to chat with each other, as we are providing an opportunity for all of us to communicate and exchange our unique dietary culture features and habits.

Results:

Observe the map, especially take a closer look at the boundaries of countries, Observe how different seasons interface with each other. Are they integrating, rejecting, bonding or competing with others?

Workshop Preparation - Experiment

We selected 15 spices across the world and made them into smell experiment samples based on the research.

Workshop Process Records

Participants were first invited to smell the odour samples

Observation:

participants would first look for odours from their own cultural region in the odour samples, and they became visibly hesitant when they were invited to assign odours representative of other regions

Participants then applied their chosen seasoning to the area they thought would produce that odour.

Final Output

Q: What steps can be taken to foster a more inclusive and culturally sensitive approach to global dietary integration?

A: Advocating for multicultural dining habits and respecting meal customs when enjoying food from various regions can be achieved through promoting cultural education, organizing cross-cultural events, and endorsing international dialogues that emphasize respect and understanding.

Q: Can you think of examples where cultural boundaries around food have resulted in exclusion or discrimination?

A: Cultural boundaries in food may lead to discrimination against certain foods, where specific groups might face social exclusion and prejudice due to their dietary choices.

Q: How do cultural boundaries manifest in the context of dietary habits, and what impact do they have on individuals and communities?

A: Utensils, the degree of food preparation (e.g., doneness), cooking methods, and dining etiquette impact individual identity and community interaction, fostering a sense of shared cultural experiences among people.

Q: To what extent do individuals associate their cultural identity with the dietary choices they make?

A: Personal cultural identity is closely tied to dietary choices, reflected in the preservation of traditional foods and participation in cultural celebrations.

Q: How this workshop influence and inspired you with new aspect of cultural Boundaries and Integration of dietary habits?

A: Attending this workshop expanded my comprehension of cultural boundaries and the integration of dietary habits, prompting profound reflections on the contributions of diverse cultures.

A: This workshop, by using spices to create maps, provided me with an understanding of the concept of cultural boundaries and diverse culinary cultures in different regions.

A: This workshop has inspired a broader understanding of the implications of cultural boundaries and the fusion of dietary habits, emphasizing the importance of cross-cultural communication.

Learning Outcome

On the map, we can see that the current "food culture boundary" is composed of olfactory perception of different workshop participants, which becomes a collection of group memories of olfactory parts of different food cultures, achieving the purpose of using workshop as a communication between food culture differences. At the same time, we further consider that this current olfactory map is frozen in the regional boundaries of current food culture. In the process of the gradual development of human food culture in the future, when we re-frame the selection of olfactory map reflecting food culture, the boundaries may change. These boundary changes will visualize the reorganization and evolution of food culture in different regions, which will provide evidence for studying the development of food culture.

Envisioning a future with Boundless possibilities

In the future, biodiversity loss, freshwater shortages, soil degradation, and a wetter and stormier climate are increasingly threatening global food security over time, and our current menu is disappearing. When food is being disrupted, it means that the cultural attributes represented by the current ingredients will also be changed, restructured. We believe that food can represent a certain culture.

This is because it has a history, which means it is passed from one generation to the next and may evolve over time. We'll be holding the same workshop ten or fifty or a hundred years from now. These maps will become part of the food culture archive, which will reflect the changes in food culture.