Handshake Home
The Handshake Home is a conceptual restaurant which encourages conversation between Indian/ Nepali immigrants and local Portuguese residents. Customers are invited to play an interactive card game that uses food to initiate communication.
Why? Post-recession, Portugal experienced a brain and labor drain. This led the government to ease up their policy and invite immigrants to fill this void. In a win – win situation, immigrants used this opportunity as a way into Europe and get access to the coveted ‘Red Passport’. However, will their outsider status change with their citizenship? Can we create an inclusive society?
What? Circling back in time, during colonisation, Portuguese recipes got integrated within India and the application of spices got standardised in Portugal. Now these lines have blurred and evolved. This project asks the question, 'Where does your food come from?' and explores the cross cultural influences between the countries.
How? Players are presented with a menu (for reference) with Portuguese and Indian food with strong Portuguese influences. With a description of the dish's history and cultural significance. Along with this, they are provided with a set of ingredient cards. Players then begin swapping cards and discussing the ingredients to create a dish of their choice. The game ends when the player is satisfied with their recipe.
