Between red & yellow
2025
Between red & yellow was created by artists from different backgrounds, who used research, storytelling, and workshops to explore how food connects to migration and cultural identity. For Chinese international students, working with tomato and egg stir-fry an everyday home dish that is rarely seen in London’s Chinese restaurants was both comforting and thought-provoking. It showed how home-cooked food carries nostalgia, but also how immigrant cuisines are transformed, commercialized, or even erased in new cultural contexts.
2025
Between red & yellow was created by artists from different backgrounds, who used research, storytelling, and workshops to explore how food connects to migration and cultural identity. For Chinese international students, working with tomato and egg stir-fry an everyday home dish that is rarely seen in London’s Chinese restaurants was both comforting and thought-provoking. It showed how home-cooked food carries nostalgia, but also how immigrant cuisines are transformed, commercialized, or even erased in new cultural contexts.
Mapping of Scrambled eggs with tomatoes in London
Workshop
This workshop used tomato and egg stir-fry as a starting point to explore memory, emotion, and culture. Participants reflected on how their own ways of cooking the dish are shaped by personal and family histories, and what emotional connections they associate with it—especially comfort and nostalgia for their hometowns. Through visual storytelling and drawing, they turned these feelings and stories into images, using graphics to express shared memories and broader cultural narratives around food. By sharing their drawings and stories, the group gained a deeper understanding of the dish’s significance and its role in cultural identity.
Interview
To survive in today’s market, immigrant restaurants must constantly adjust and modify their original dishes to align with local dining trends.
To survive in today’s market, immigrant restaurants must constantly adjust and modify their original dishes to align with local dining trends.
“Because we are running a business, Western customers often struggle to understand certain flavors in our dishes. To keep customers coming and sustain our restaurant, we have no choice but to adjust our recipes to cater to local tastes. Otherwise, no one would eat here. Some dishes today only retain their original names, while what’s inside has become completely different.”
KeywordsTRADITIONAL FOOD / CULTURE / IDENTITY / KNOWLEDGE / RECALLING
Project Time Across RCA 2025