Centre for South East Asian Cuisine

My project is a response towards the global impression of British food being bland, soggy and unappealing. It explores several issues such as Supermarket Monopolisation and Culinary Diversity in a traditional market town setting that ultimately shapes the British food we are familiar with today.

As an oversea student, coming from a food capital that is Hong Kong, I was unsettled by the scene of methodically organised supermarkets, microwave dinners, countless chain restaurants and all the other things that takes away the joy and excitement behind food. The culinary potential of Britain for its quality of produce is weighed down by the lack of culinary diversity that ultimately limits the imagination and passion of British people for food.

The proposal is located in the center of Stroud, with proximity to the train station and markets. It offers much needed diversity in food with four different Southeast Asian cuisines to expand food experiences available to the people of Stroud. It is a place for the community to linger after their meals and engage themselves in the activities the place has to offer, such as Mahjong, a traditional Chinese board game played with tiles and gardening in the communal gardens. Through these activities, are opportunities for the local people of Stroud to bond with each other and with people of other cultural backgrounds, namely Southeast Asians that have travelled from neighboring towns such as Bristol to stroud for a taste of home. This is a scheme that will hopefully inject energy back into this eerily lit site and transform it into the most exciting part of Stroud. More importantly, I hope it can rejuvenate the local’s passion for food, inspire new discovery and appreciation for British produce.

I thoroughly enjoyed the project as I could combine my interest of food with architecture and tackle a controversial yet amusing stereotype of British food.