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How might we better connect food production and consumption?

Inspiration 513 inspirations

Concepting 616 concepts

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Concept

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UPDATED: Indigenious and Multicultural Recipe Book

Celebrate QLD's multiculturalism and cultural diversity and how it links to food. Refugee and migrants are important parts of our community and contribute to our food culture (examples growing Asian greens, tropical fruits). It helps send the message of local food to communities who are typically not targeted in policy.

Indigenious and Mulicultural Recipe Book

After working with multicultural teams, food is fundamental element to create community and share culture. Our society and food scene is richer for their contribution. (example - my background is Vietnamese and I know there are people who started market gardens for herbs/vegetables often used in Asian cooking. also large Italian migration in North Queensland shapes agriculture/food production there) The annual Multicultural Festival in Brisbane, is a huge showcase of food.

The idea is a recipe book made up of contributions by our community - of notably cultural diversity, non-English speaking backgrounds, Indigenous etc.
Celebrates the often fascinating stories of people, the countries they come from, their contribution to local food (what they bought over, what they have adapted)
In addition to raising awareness about food and local production - it helps these often isolated communities feel greater belonging and integration, and celebrate and maintain their own unique traditions/foods/culture.

Concept builds

1) Recipe Book
Editions of book could be by regional location, by cultural group
2) Recipe Book (online)
A way to collect information/recipes and always update the book/ take sections people most interested in
3) Community Engagement. The recipe book is a vehicle for social activities, gatherings and other programs (tours, cooking classes, community dinner, community gardens)

CONTENTS OF BOOK (per page spread/recipe)
1) Person/ Photo of contributor (eg. Thuy (my mum!)
2) Their story to QLD (eg came to Australia as a refugees in 1979, fleeing Vietnam when 8 months pregnant. She only really learning to cook from friends when they arrived here. food she most enjoys)
3) The cultural food story of that group (eg story of Vietnamese food.culture general, and the food they have adapted/grow here and where)
4) Photo/ Recipe text
(recipe in Native Languages and English)

***each regional location has different cultural influences.

What actions would need to be taken to turn this idea into a reality?

ENGAGE EXISTING NETWORK.
There are community groups often created by cultural groups. Dept of Communities already funds Multicultural Officers in local governments (Local Area Multicultural Partnership Officer) - some Councils like Brisbane City Council have their own teams too. These people/community development areas already work closely with community groups and service providers.

ENGAGE STORIES AND TEMPLATES
Create a template (online and graphic layout) that members of community can easily insert their info and photos.

Make engagement link with other existing work or incentives, or event days
Community Leaders to nominate good people/ recipes
Allow one-on-one engagement especially requiring translation services
Allow online platform to allow others to input (eg 2nd generation migrants etc) - recognize language/ access/ media skills maybe limited in some instances.

BOOK DESIGN
Putting templates to print

BOOK DISTRIBUTION/ SPREADING THE WORD
Link to local libraries and community groups
Online - to continue to collect stories/recipes
The book distribution becomes new avenues for engagement/events/public education/ cross promo etc - this links to community gardens, food production, videos, cultural events.

Who might make a good partner for this project?

Dept of Communities
Local Governments
Support Services for migrant refugees (often includes charities)
Voluntary Community Groups (eg often by a cultural group like the Vietnamese Association)
Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor’s Multicultural Board (business development)
Universities
Food producers
Restaurants

Strategic issues with BCC Multicultural Team included topics of Intercultural Relations Project creating links between Indigenous and multicultural groups and International Students

What suggestions would you have for potential sources of funding for the development of this project?

Community funded (participants/ groups)
Dept of Communities/ Dept of Premier
Revenue from book sales
Grants (eg Federal - Diversity Australia)

Comments

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Vincent Cheng

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May 23, 2011, 01:06AM

Awesome Yen! One commonly expressed concern about going completely local, is that it will make your meals options limited & boring. Your concept really showcases both the diversity of locally available food and the community. This could work in QLD and beyond!

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Vincent Cheng's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Vincent Cheng

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September 28, 2011, 08:09PM

Hope this concept is moving forwards! In the meantime, found a related immigrant cooking & culture class social enterprise in San Francisco, I thought you all might be interested in: http://culturekitchensf.com/

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Srinivasan Sankaranarayanan

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June 01, 2011, 03:42PM

Great idea Yen!

It is lovely to involve multi cultural recipes but i love this concept mainly because it has a strong social dimension to it.

Having stories in the beginning, etc will surely make the readers engage more with food as well the people in the stories.

Very interesting idea!

Good luck with the challenge!

Cheers!
Srini

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Johan Löfström

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May 26, 2011, 10:50AM

As I filled in my evaluation i came to think about an idea : why not create combined use of the recipes? Many possible options if the cook-book is online, because you can probably get sponsors give discount coupons on some of the ingredients every week.

The Non-food-content and economic incentives can be made alternating between the seasons and perhaps other types of combinations are possible to make the cook-book more flexible and adaptable. Art and culture? show short video-clips on the side of the recipe on how to cook the dish, a traditional dance from that culture, some web links to museums and artisan groups that have beautiful pottery or textile handicrafts to look at (or visit on vacation?), show a map over the actual region and perhaps links to any foreign cities that have a big emigrant "colony" with ancestors from this region. Everything will assist each other, as a huge mix of getting people introduced to this treasure of traditional cultures.

Potential to be just as entertaining snippets, that people just browse for a few minutes as they cook and eat the home-cooked dinner. Or as a source to build links to get the most interested viewers go in depth and to make them learn everything there is to find.

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Susan

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May 26, 2011, 05:50AM

To increase online participation, maybe your readers can vote on the Top 10 recipes from the book. The Top 10 will then film their own YouTube cooking show of their special dish. This will be a series and you can create your own YouTube channel. Then there could be one more voting round of the TOP QLD Chef. This could encourage more clicks, buzz and of course, exposure to the vibrant culture of Australia! I think voting for videos within a specified time frame can increase buzz quickly, especially when there is a focused outcome. Good luck, Yen! I'm Vietnamese too and I would love to see these Australian-Vietnamese renditions on food! When will it be published? :)

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Cara O'Shell

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May 22, 2011, 04:36PM

I'd love to get more elaboration on the last part of this idea -- using the book to encourage community development. I think the book itself would definitely be a hot item, and I could see how it would come together, but what about developing community participation?

For example, I love the idea of the market gardens you mentioned that have started growing herbs/veggies used in Asian cooking, but personally it would be really helpful if there was a way I could learn how to use those herbs/veggies. Perhaps live demonstrations at markets with the book as a companion? Or online demonstrations that show how to prepare basic things?

It would be super cool if there was a version of the book published for the iPad or laptop... you could search the book for recipes and once you found one, the page could link to videos on how to make that recipe. The first video could be the "official" version from the book, either a video of a celebrity chef or a video of the person who submitted the recipe (like your mom!). Under that there could be add-ons/alternatives posted by people who have used the book and have their own take on the recipe. This could be really beneficial because sometimes people can be very creative with food and suggest substitutions that are more in season or easier to find in their local area.

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May 20, 2011, 01:39AM

Folks got behind this concept and its potential the Ideas Festival in Queensland. Areas discussed in our workshops that you might like to explore further – ongoing, online participatory contributions, addition of YouTube demos from real people and endorsement by celebrity chefs and local food champions. Bring on the builds!

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Yen 's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Yen

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May 22, 2011, 08:30AM

Are outcomes/ideas from those workshops going to be available to review?

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FlavourCrusader

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May 22, 2011, 01:50AM

I love food especially from different parts of the world. The sharing of personal and cultural stories through food - in-person, through the book and other channels - will help build connections. So tasty!

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James McBennett

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May 12, 2011, 04:01PM

This photo essay below might be interesting for you, I love it! Shows images of families around the world with everything they consume in one week.

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html

On a separate note, my residential college is in London is all postgrads from various universities with few English here. Every few weeks, we have a cultural week, where people put on music, dance and food. I feel very privileged to be part of each one. I beat the Canadiens in hockey for Canada cultural week (Canada vs. the world) and enjoyed their maple syrup. Last week was Australia + NZ cultural week, we watched some Aussie rules, had a big BBQ with Austrailian beers (Cooper's brewery). There has been Indian, Israeli, Latin America, Middle East and so on recently... alot of fun!

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Yen 's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Yen

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May 16, 2011, 01:34PM

yep, i had seen that before fascinating. I think your college activity is a simple and classic example of how it can connect people. (As an Aussie...I hope you had some meat pies and Tim Tams too)

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Yen 's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Yen

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May 16, 2011, 01:34PM

yep, i had seen that before fascinating. I think your college activity is a simple and classic example of how it can connect people. (As an Aussie...I hope you had some meat pies and Tim Tams too)

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James McBennett's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

James McBennett

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May 16, 2011, 09:58PM

Unfortunately not! :(

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Noella Boudart

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May 16, 2011, 06:06PM

Hi Yan,
Great concept! As a citizen of the U.S. visiting Australia, I would be excited to buy this book as an unique souvenir or gift for friends. Tukka, or other restaurants especially promoting local cuisine could be great venues to sell this book.

I know Australia has been making special efforts to promot tourism within the past few years. The book could be a valuable compliment to those efforts. Perhaps Australia's department of Resources, Energy and Tourism would be an ideal partner for this project. http://www.ret.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

Also, here's a good site for statistics on book sales in Australia: http://www.nielsenbookscan.com.au/controller.php?page=108 (A cookbook is one of the best sellers in Australia this month!)

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Ian White

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May 16, 2011, 12:49AM

Many Australian native foods are extremely high in vitamins and minerals, not to mention being better suited to growing conditions such as poor soil, drought tolerance and so on.

I planned and catered my wedding with native foods, and learned in that process that native foods do have some great outlets already - Tukka restaurant in West End, condiment suppliers like Vic Cherikof, plus there are roo, emu, crocodile farms servicing Brisbane, but fresh native fruit and veg produce can be harder to come by.

I'd like to see native foods as an element of any community garden program, with local Traditional Owners involved in educating the community on seasonality, preparation, cultural meaning, and so on.

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Yen 's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Yen

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May 16, 2011, 01:39PM

Oh I've been meaning to eat at Tukka! Agree, this can easily link to community garden and other type activities. Northery St City Farm had a recipe book, and I think that had some indigenious plants from memory - http://www.nscf.org.au/?page_id=959

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Helen Moss

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April 14, 2011, 02:22PM

I like how you've built on my concept Yen. Cool idea. What I like about a lot of these concepts is that they are not only about food but about bringing the community together.

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Tristan Peach's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Tristan Peach

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May 16, 2011, 12:03PM

Hey nice one, Yen. Probably some of the Sudanese and Kenyan people have some good recipes that haven't yet been tried by lots of Brisbane people. Also needs lots of vegetarian/vegan recipes in there!

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Tristan Peach's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Tristan Peach

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May 16, 2011, 12:04PM

Hey nice one, Yen. Probably some of the Sudanese and Kenyan people have some good recipes that haven't yet been tried by lots of Brisbane people. Also needs lots of vegetarian/vegan recipes in there!

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Yen 's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Yen

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May 16, 2011, 01:36PM

definitely. Also some new African restaurants coming up in Brisbane - which is good signs - as these things start to show the growth and transition of new cultural groups (seems to happen in generational waves)

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OpenIDEO

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May 13, 2011, 09:02AM

Way to go on making the Shortlist on the Local Food Challenge! Selecting 20 concepts out of over 600 was a tough job and we're excited to have you move through to the Refinement Phase. You can get a low-down on how the phase works over on Field Notes: http://bit.ly/refine_lowdown

Basically over the next 10 days we'd like you to further fine-tune your idea. You might explore opportunities and challenges to implementation, visualise further, expand on engagement strategies or connect various dots and details that would assist bringing your concept into fruition.

If you hit the Update This button on the right of your post, you'll see we've added 5 new fields to help you refine: Concept Builds, Actions, Project Partners, Funding Sources and Virtual Team. Check them out and feel free to keep updating your post throughout the phase – based on feedback and collaboration with fellow OpenIDEATORS and your own ideating goodness!

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Arjan Tupan

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April 14, 2011, 08:35PM

Great idea! Love the celebration of different communities. And as Kate suggested, having an added online platform where people can share their stories and recipes (in video) would be a nice build.
To make it a truly Australian thing, why not include the English-speaking part of the community? Make it a real reflection of all the cool things Australia has to offer.

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Kate Robertson's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Kate Robertson

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April 15, 2011, 05:37AM

Definitely think English-speaking/caucasian population should be included. That is Australia, right?!

Perhaps each page could have recipes, but also an opportunity for recipe submitters to offer greater insight into their culture/heritage through a couple of sentences or answers to questions...would definitely peak someone's appetite (no pun intended!) to learn more. They could talk food, agriculture, and other unrelated topics, but making sure they include the cultural element.

And, gives the chef some good reading material why their food is cooking...

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Yen 's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Yen

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May 02, 2011, 07:44AM

yep to clarify - definitely was imagining English speaking countries/migrants etc. @ Kate - I also like the idea of exploring agricultural traditions from other countries (eg rice paddies iconically asian and culturally/climatically specific)

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Hubertine 's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Hubertine

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May 02, 2011, 12:14PM

Hi Yen, social media could possibly play a role in this concept as well... Especially in regards to your last comment on bringing in agricultural traditions from other countries. Maybe an Ipad Recipe Book with short videos of the rice paddies, traditional ways of cooking and homemade/authentic stories could add to an intercultural and interactive 2.0-Recipe-book-experience?

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Liz Ogbu

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April 15, 2011, 06:38AM

Great idea Yen! I do agree with the previous suggestions regarding broadening it out to all backgrounds, but think the idea is strong overall.

Food is important to so many communities and representative of a lot of cultural history that it's great to think about it as a tool for communication and integration. I was wondering if beyond the cookbook and annual festival, there might be regular community dinners. Not only could you bring these diverse groups together in real time, but rotating the "cultural teachers" could empower each of these groups about what they could contribute to the larger community and that community's understanding of each group's value.

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Kate Robertson

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April 14, 2011, 07:33PM

Hi Yen,

I appreciate culture and the importance food plays in many countries. I also appreciate tangible products such as a cook book. My question, however, is how will you market the recipe book? Who would you define as the target market and how would you build awareness? Are young people in Australia excited about cultural diversity? Is there any way to build in social media to the concept?

Cheers to Australia, had a great, 6-month experience there!

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Delia Kulukundis's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Delia Kulukundis

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April 14, 2011, 09:20PM

How about advertising the recipe book on paper bags, a la this concept:
http://openideo.com/open/localfood/concepting/brown-paper-bag-portfolio/
and feature one of the recipes on the bag.

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Quyen Nguyen's reply to Vincent Cheng's comment

Quyen Nguyen

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April 14, 2011, 11:55PM

I love this integration of different cultures and communities! I find that many ppl are curious, even if just mildly of the different flavors and delights, but they may not have had the opportunity nor exposure.

I think Kate brings up a good point about marketing this recipe book - this curious group need to be targeted and that's a challenge as the curiosity can often be clouded by fear of the unknown. Tapping into that curiosity base is key and something as simple as the paper bag ads can serve as the hook.

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