This document is a research proposal submitted by Teoh Jun Xiang exploring the relationship between food and community. The research question examines the interrelationship between food and the community, and how they influence one another. The proposal plans to observe how food is prepared, served, and consumed in a community to understand how it brings people together and expresses the relationship between people and their environment. The goal is to comprehend how food enriches community feelings and allows the social aspects of food to be identified. Methodologies proposed include on-site observations, note-taking, photo-taking, and literature reviews. The expected outcomes are a research paper explaining the detailed relationship between food and community, and a photobook presenting findings.

1. Programme: Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Architecture
Module: Food and Culture (CLS60203)
Project: Assignment 1A- Research Proposal
Name: Teoh Jun Xiang (Student ID: 0322099)
Tutor: Mr. Nicholas Ng
Research topic: Food and community
Research question: What is the interrelationship between food and the community?
Food itself is powerful. It brings people together, shapes their memories, and
empowers their communities. As food has many symbolic meanings, it not only expresses but
also establishes the relationship between people and the environment they live in. Therefore,
food is an important aspect of a community, making them inseparable from one another. As
such, the research on food and the community is an interesting topic that I would like to explore.
Through the execution of this project, I hope to understand the interrelationship
between the food available in a particular environment and the community, and how they
influence one another. I would love to visit the places where the food is prepared and served,
and witness the behaviours and characteristics portrayed by individuals as they consume the
food. By doing so, the community’s appreciation towards a particular type of food could be
recorded and analysed, and a deeper understanding involving the intimate connection
between food and its consumers can be formulated. Furthermore, the environment where food
is prepared, served and consumed should also be taken into consideration as well.
In addition to that, I hope to comprehend how food brings about the sense of
community in a context. It is apparent that food plays an essential role in community building.

2. When food is consumed and desired by a group of people, a shared interest is formed, which
in turn draws more people together. As such, I would like to observe how food enriches the
feelings of the people within the community, and how the sense of community allows the
sociality of food to be identified.
The reason for focusing on this particular topic is because food and community are
inseparable. How food empowers the community and brings about a sense of connection
among individuals is often intriguing and complex. The subject matter is very much evident in
our everyday lives, yet, it is difficult to be comprehended and to be explained in mere words
as it differs from context to context. As such, it is extremely important to find an understanding
on the subject matter and to document it, thus raising an awareness on it.
Methodologies that can be implemented for this research include on-site observations
and note-taking. The act of observing and recording allows one to instantaneously document
information perceived by our naked eyes, which will eventually be used as evidences for our
justifications later on. Furthermore, photo-taking and video-taking are also essential methods
of recording as they are able to capture the interaction between individuals, the food as well
as the environment they are in. Once these still and motion images are shown, audiences will
immediately be able to relate themselves with the situation and ambience on site, thereby
understanding the said research topic. Literature reviews on topics related to food and
community are also useful as it allows one to relate the critical analysis and evaluation of these
works to the topic being investigated, thereby providing a more comprehensive understanding
on the research matter.
In a nutshell, the expected outcome of this research is a research writing which aims
to explain in detail the relationship between food and the community it serves. A photobook
could also be produced to explain the findings through a series of photographic images,
detailing different aspects of the interrelationship between food and community.

3. References
Chau, B.L. (January 7, 2017). What Food Tells Us About Culture. Retrieved from
https://freelymagazine.com/2017/01/07/what-food-tells-us-about-culture/
Giordano, Z. (April 30, 2017). Pull up a chair: The power of food in building community.
Retrieved from https://sponsored.boston.com/the-pinehills/the-power-of-food-in-building-
community
Ma, G. (December, 2015). Food, eating behavior, and culture in Chinese society. Retrieved
from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352618115000657
Muhlke, C. (October 8, 2010). Growing Together. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/magazine/10FOB-WWLN-t.html
Net Industries. (2018). Food - Food And Culture. Retrieved from
http://family.jrank.org/pages/639/Food-Food-Culture.html
University of Southern California. (2018). Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper:
5. The Literature Review. Retrieved from
http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/literaturereview
WorldLink. (2018). Perspectives: Food and Community. Retrieved from
http://www.nourishlife.org/2011/03/food-and-community/