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THE SECRET INGRIDIENT

Reviews

An immersive,

humanity-illuminating food experience

"Irish stew with mashed potatoes tastes like coming home to a warm house after a cold, wet, winter day"

-LISA, 28 AUSTIN TX

The Secret Ingredient is an immersive experience that examines the power of food as a tool for cultivating cultural appreciation between international immigrants who have made a home in Texas. This intimate two-person experience is an experimental encounter between two strangers who share a meal from their respective cultures.

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Building bridges of human connection

“No matter what, we must eat to live” (Harjo).

Audiences from the same cultural background find connections with each other through cultural cuisine, shared common memories and cultural identity, and establish a community in Texas where they can share the taste of their hometown. In addition, audiences from different cultural backgrounds can use food as a starting point for building relationships with others. By sharing stories and introducing the cuisine of their respective hometowns to each other, food becomes a bridge of connection. Sharing food is part of the essential human experience, as Joy Harjo says in the poem “Perhaps the World Ends Here,” “No matter what, we must eat to live” (Harjo).

As international immigrants, workers, or students in Texas, this audience’s culture is a minority in the state. When this audience finds a strong sense of identity with their own culture through culinary representations, they attain a sense of cultural validation that empowers them to speak on behalf of their home culture. They can find pride in their evaluation and knowledge of the hometown cuisine they find in Texas.

Members of the community of international immigrants living in Texas are hungry for more than just delicious food. They seek real connections, not only with people from within their culture, but with people from throughout the globe whose experiences may align with their own, or who also may be seeking meaningful connections across cultures.