Collab Weather Station Hot-Cold Pause Sensations

{experiencing temperature through food}

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The dichotomy of hot versus cold as per the Ayurvedic concept is vastly different from the Western understanding of food. Ayurveda is the science of life which aims to offer a holistic well being of the body and mind.

I have been exploring the ritual of making and serving food through narratives based on my cultural heritage, memory, and upbringing. Creating a welcoming space to gather groups of friends or strangers around the table to share a meal is rewarding to me. I perceive this space as organic, vibrant, and sacred. Gestures, pauses, conversations, laughter, and slurps — these sensual experiences are fascinating and blissful.

Design researchers and educators Margo Halverson, Mark Zurolo, and Peter Hall presented their project Collaboration Weather Station at Pre/Post/Ness graphic design residency hosted by DesignInquiry in Vinalhaven, Main. They asked other participants to explore and propose new understandings of weather, and provided prompts as catalysts (mine was a jar of pickles). Pickles are fermented in brine and preserved to be consumed later. I love mango pickle and frequently make lemon pickle at home which is usually served with Parata or Curd rice. Fermented foods improve gut health and may cause body temperature variations. This thinking and analogy helped us to investigate ingredients that heats or cools the body.

Margo Halverson and I partnered to present Hot-Cold Pause Sensations project based on Ayurvedic concept of temperature in relation to food and body. Food has heating or cooling effect on our body which affects our metabolism and digestion. I prepared two dishes that heats and cools the body — Rice Shavigge (noodles) with colored peppers and dill for hot, and Rice water based Buttermilk with lime and cilantro for cold. I used rice as the primary ingredient continuing my exploration of the grain as a staple ingredient. We invited audiences to pause and experience the heat and cooling sensations of food as they enjoyed their pre-dinner meal at 16:00. We asked participants to write one sentence of an extreme memory of taste, and used their text to create a poem to accomplish Margo’s prompt (a book of poems).

Participants : Andrew Shea, Andy Campbell, Charles Melcher, Holly Willis, Jimmy Luu, Kimmie Parker, Margo Halverson, Mark Zurolo, Tricia Treacy.

+ DesignInquiry : International organization for experimental graphic design research