Prep, Serve, and Savor
Surali Dalal
Our relationship with food is shifting. In our increasingly busy lives, eating has been relegated to a routine act, often rushed and overlooked. But food provides more than mere sustenance—it is a reflection of who we are. Prep, Serve, and Savor explores how we engage with food—through the acts of cooking, gathering, and experiencing—revealing its role in shaping culture, identity, and connection.
As its title suggests, this thesis is composed of three projects: Prep, Serve, and Savor. “Prep” is a visual archive of intimate moments of cooking—rituals, techniques, and traditions. Through photography and storytelling, it captures the gestures that turn cooking into an act of identity and culture through the experiences of people who grew up across the globe. “Serve” manifests as saath, a potluck gathering where people come together over a shared meal, bringing home cooked dishes and sharing the stories behind them. Saath celebrates a shared culinary experience, fosters meaningful conversations and turns food into a bridge for connection and cultural exchange. “Savor” takes the form of a three part zine series that questions the way we consume food today. The series moves from documenting desk lunches, isolated eating habits to immersing the reader in the experience of slowing down and savoring food.
This project serves as a reminder to be more intentional about our relationship with food. By re-engaging with food—whether alone in the kitchen or together at the table—we reclaim it as something that shapes us, binds us, and brings us home.