Pong
Limber Lingya Zhang
Authentic Chinese cuisine has been gradually introduced to America. Over the past decades, eating Chinese equated to sweet hybrid dishes like General Tso’s chicken and beef and broccoli served in little white take-out boxes with fortune cookies. This era is coming to an end in city centers across the United States. People are beginning to sample and acquire a taste for authentic Chinese flavors.
Although authentic Chinese cuisine is being introduced into the Western world, the great majority of Americans seem hesitant to try new and exotic dishes. There is a lack of knowledge about the culture and cuisine, and it is intimidating to interact with authentic Chinese restaurants and their poorly-translated menus.
Pong is a mobile application that, through the use of translation, augmented reality visual aids, and contextual information, assists Americans in exploring authentic Chinese cuisine. It invents a new way for people to interact with foreign food menus, sharing authentic cuisine with more people in the West. Pong aims to make the ordering experience more accessible and visually-pleasant, to promote authentic food exploration, and to improve the reputation of Chinese cuisine in America.