Learnings

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Social Food Experience in Food Halls

In this section, we will share with you our learnings and their application, as it relates to various dimensions of social engagement and different social food experiences.

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Social Engagement

The Concept of Social Capital

Social Engagement

The Social Concept of Shared Culture

Social Engagement

The Social Concept of Integration

Social Engagement

The Social Concept of Interaction

Social Engagement

The Social Concept of Familiarity

Social Engagement

Here, we will share with you the variety of food experience which can bring people together, and hopefully help build your community in the process. The list of food experience is endless, but we will focus on some which we feel you, as community organizers and planners, can help engage the community with.

Social Food Experience

Social Engagement

Social Food Experience in Food Halls

Food Halls

Food halls are covered structures where a variety of prepared food, artisan food to either eat in or bring home, fresh produce, and other food-related products like recipe books and cooking utensils, are offered by vendors, in relatively small stalls. Common dining areas are provided in these food halls, to enable the shoppers to partake of their meals. In some of the bigger food halls, there is a sprinkling of family owned diners or small restaurants, which provide both meals and seating spaces around their stalls. Food halls, as opposed to food courts, offer specialty cuisine, representing traditional recipes of the area (e.g. Cajun, Southern, regional Thai, ethnic Singaporean, etc.), different ethnicities (Vietnamese, Thai, Ethiopian), and modern fusion (e.g. young chefs who combine cuisines (e.g. Cajun-Vietnamese, etc.). In most food halls, there is also a strong presence of butchers and charcuterie stalls, a variety of fresh and frozen seafood, specialty cheese & oil vendors, and wine and craft beer providers. Larger food halls have fresh produce stalls either within the covered areas or in outdoor shed extension areas. Larger and older public markets usually have both food halls and farmers market as important components.

Farmers Market

Farmers markets center around providing a space where fresh produce and locally produced arts and crafts are offered for the community. In keeping with the goals of fresh and local, there is usually a limited geographical area identified for sourcing of the produce and the selection of the vendors. Most farmers markets are not open year-round. Rather, their operations revolve around seasonal availability of produce and also the ability of the farmers and local entrepreneurs to personally man their booths, which usually mean once or twice a week as opposed to the 7 days a week operation of a food hall. Larger and older public markets usually have both food halls and farmers market as important components.

Street Food

There are a variety of ways by which street food is experienced in a community. In most non-Western countries, street food is provided by itinerant vendors, who station themselves in high pedestrian traffic areas only during certain times of the day. There is usually little or no government licensing for these vendors. In the U.S., most street food are provided by food carts (hotdog, etc.) and recently specialty food trucks, which are licensed and regulated by the local government. There are also certain areas where street food can be enjoyed, from stalls located in front of and connected with regular restaurants and food outlets. Generally, the idea behind “street food” is that it can be eaten while walking down the street and without the traditional need for dining tables. Larger public markets may have street food available in the fringes of the covered market structure.

Food Festivals

Food festivals are usually held, in connection with celebration of certain events, culture, and tradition of a particular place and/or as a fund-raising event. Examples of these include the Charleston Food + Wine Festival, The Boston Seafood Festival, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, the Maine Lobster Festival, the Georgia Peach Festival, and the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California. In a local community, ethnic minorities usually host a food festival to celebrate their cuisine and traditions. These events include other activities such as dance, music, and crafts fair. Food festivals can also include multiple cuisines, celebrating the variety of ethnicity, food, and tradition in a particular community.

Social Meals

Social meals are a relatively new configuration of the food experience. Some of the social entrepreneurs who have introduced social meals have a simpler goal of just getting people to come together for meals, to have conversations, and to get to know each other. This is especially applicable in larger cities where there is larger amount of diversity. Some other social entrepreneurs have used social meals to further different causes. For some, it is to celebrate and save traditional recipes, ways of cooking and sourcing food locally. For others, it is to get people together over meals, to talk about ways by which they can address other social issues. Larger social meal events have been produced, in coordination with other creative placemaking efforts such as art, music, and performance events.

Social Food Experience in Food Halls

Food Halls, Definition

Food halls are covered structures where a variety of prepared food, artisan food (to either eat in or bring home), fresh produce, and other food-related products like recipe books and cooking utensils, are offered by vendors, in relatively small stalls.

To learn more background information, click on the links provided Here:

Definitions & Differences • Why Are We Losing Our Public Markets? • Why Focus on Food Halls?

Common dining areas are provided in these food halls, to enable the shoppers to partake of their meals.

In some of the bigger food halls, there is a sprinkling of family owned diners or small restaurants, which provide both meals and seating spaces around their stalls.

Food halls, as opposed to food courts, offer specialty cuisine, representing traditional recipes of the area (e.g. Cajun, Southern, regional Thai, ethnic Singaporean, etc.), different ethnicities (Vietnamese, Thai, Ethiopian), and modern fusion (e.g. young chefs who combine cuisines (e.g. Cajun-Vietnamese, etc.).

In most food halls, there is also a strong presence of butchers and charcuterie stalls, a variety of fresh and frozen seafood, specialty cheese & oil vendors, and wine and craft beer providers. Larger food halls have fresh produce stalls either within the covered areas or in outdoor shed extension areas. Larger and older public markets usually have both food halls and farmers market as important components.

This section will focus on how food halls can encourage social engagement in a community, using the Framework for Designing a Social Food Experience.

Food Hall Examples

We are using food halls which we have personally visited and experienced as examples. We thus hope to add a personal dimension to the discussion. To find articles which discuss these food halls, click on the links provided below: