Food Stereotype
Chia Ying Lin
We all have stereotypes. Some are big, some are small, and more often than not the nature of these stereotype depend on where we are from, and even more so where we have been. However, the truth is oftentimes hidden, and fiction instead on display. Some people will regard the stereotype as the truth. Food Stereotype examines the notion of fiction and fact by comparing the different views and stereotypes of Chinese food.
The project is organized into three books of varying formats — The Introduction, The Ingredients, The Tools — and custom fortune cookies. The books are french-folded and perfect bound to show the comparison between different views: inside each page the Chinese perspective is printed in color, while outside each page is printed the American perspective in black and white. Readers can trim the edge of the page to read the inner content, and the books are displayed on a tablecloth to let the readers interact with them. The content of the books are bilingual for both foreigners and Chinese to read. The photos in the books are printed with a custom halftone to give a sense of identity.
Overall, people use simple labels to get to know the things and use stereotypes to understand a group. However, they might get the wrong information. Therefore, this project can help people to learn and understand the truth, sometimes hidden behind fiction.