Week No. 7 of 16

Proposal Sharing (Dr. Hadjiyanni is at IDEC)

We had no readings assigned for this week. Instead, we used the class time to go around the room, share our semester project proposals and then get feedback from the other students. Because I've been still struggling somewhat to identify the "problem" that I can design a solution for, I came to class with very rough ideas of what I aim to do. Having narrowed it down to food, I explained how food is a pivotal point for Mexican immigrants to Minnesota to reconnect with home--through flavors, smells, textures, colors, familiar food brands, through the shopping experience in the Mexican mercados, through the cooking techniques that are employed (the physical process of cooking), and also through the eating and sharing and gathering with others—not to mention celebrations—that center around food.

In the urban exploration, food emerged as a very available, visible point of cultural connection with Mexico, along with Internet and phone card sales, Money transferring services, and music and television. Often all of these things were lumped together around food, either in restaurants offering live music or TVs tuned to Spanish-language channels, or in mercados that offer various remittance/phone/Internet services in addition to groceries.

As an identified problem (needing clarification through further research and probably, in-person interviews/surveys), I am positing that the need to connect with home (Mexico) is often fulfilled through food—because of its immediacy, relative availability, and relative authenticity (flavors can cross borders). Additionally, food functions to support individuals both physically as sustenance for the body, but also emotionally, as comfort for the soul. I also recall reading at some point that smell is our most acute human sense, and the most powerfully linked to memory. Of course, taste is highly dependent upon our sense of smell, which is why kids plug their noses when forced to eat something distasteful...without our sense of smell, taste loses much of its "flavor". But I digress...Food is powerful, taste and smell in particular are powerful. Eating releases aroma, but cooking even moreso. Also, the physical act (bodily performance) of cooking (and all its related micro-activities, from buying the ingredients to washing the dishes) can become a ritualized act of community, identity building, and reconnection with Mexico and "home".

For some, however, I am hypothesizing that they do not cook—perhaps they don't know how, they never learned, traditional roles in Mexico had the women preparing the food (perceptions of what is "macho", men are often here alone, ingredients may not be available, "White" grocery stores seem intimidating, etc.

Other potential problems, therefore: What are the single men here eating? Are they getting balanced meals or subsisting on frozen/fast foods? How are they sustaining their emotional well-being? Would they like to know how to cook some basic foods? Also, for the many Mexican/Latino people living outside the Twin Cities metro area (where access to restaurants, mercados, and other points of "connection" are easy to find, how are the rural immigrants getting by? What are the unique challenges they face?

Given the variety of potential problems, my next step needs to be a narrowing down to a single problem. This is likely going to require talking to people, probably mostly single men, since I believe most women already know how to cook Mexican food (if they are immigrants---not speaking to 2nd generation or later).

Depending on the identified problem, my solution will emerge. Some of the potential solutions I have suggested to the class and in my proposal that relate to the potential problems include: a cooking demonstration on DVD, since visual communication and images reinforce the instructions, and many people have TVs and DVD players even if they don't have computers and Internet, and even if they do not know how to read. Another design idea to encourage male cooking in the home (already many men cook in restaurants as jobs), to design aprons, kitchen towels, and oven mitts that have masculine aesthetics, and possibly soccer team emblems.

In class, we had some good discussion, sharing, and feedback around the idea of working with rural grocery stores to enhance understanding and availability of Mexican cuisine, both to rural immigrants and to rural Whites. Designing a graphic end cap for a grocer's display could group together and promote certain ingredients for sale, while take-away recipe cards (bilingual or heavily illustrated) work across cultures to instruct in recipe preparation. For example, a display in the produce section can promote an easy and authentic guacamole recipe.

Small town grocers struggle to provide "new" items to customers because of the high cost of purchasing in smaller amounts. By promoting and advertising to both Mexican and non-Mexican customers, the chance of meeting the necessary cost margins for the grocer is increased, making the store more likely to provide Mexican ingredients in a rural setting, and making it easier for Mexicans to connect through food without having to drive to the Cities.