| This thesis is a multimedia project examining the connections between homesickness, food and identity. The photography investigates my experiences learning to cook the traditional meals made for me by my grandmother growing up in the thousands of miles away in Shenzhen, China. These images, recipes as well as three short magazine-style stories are gathered on a website designed specifically for the multimedia project. Viewers are invited to photograph and contribute their own dishes connected to identity. An accompanying documentary film broadens the narrative to include food culture among Chinese students in Washington, D.C. At the center of the film are two graduate students who come to understand the role of food in keeping them connected to family and their identities. We see them deal with their homesickness as they try to prepare for the Spring Festival dinner. |
