Can the act of sharing a table, even remotely, provide culinary experiences of different cultures?*
Experiencing new food cultures during travels is often mentioned as one of the charms of exploring different places. In this globalized world, we now have easy access to various restaurants in local communities, providing opportunities for direct cultural exchange through food. However, there are still limitations to experiencing an overall dining culture in this way. In response to this, this proposes the remote reproduction of the practice of table sharing—an endeavor wherein two or more groups of strangers converge to share a restaurant table.
Table sharing is commonplace in East Asia, especially in crowded urban conditions. In Germany, it predominantly occurs in informal or festive settings, such as beer halls, and is rarely observed in regular restaurants. It not only fosters a friendly atmosphere but also efficiently manages restaurant space. The cultural nuances of table sharing are diverse based on the culture. In the United States, minimal interaction with strangers when sharing a table, while in some African cultures and German, exchanging words is considered polite. Table sharing, therefore, is not only an unfamiliar concept but also deeply rooted in various cultural lifestyles.
In this project, we suggest using a digital window to facilitate remote table sharing between restaurant patrons from different countries. For instance, patrons at a Korean BBQ restaurant in the United States could virtually share a table with counterparts at a similar establishment in Korea. This aims to digitally replicate table-sharing practices on-site, thereby enriching the remote experience of food cultures.
Three digital display forms are suggested:
This research explores innovative cross-cultural interactions by digitally replicating table sharing. The proposed digital windows facilitate shared dining experiences, transcending physical boundaries.