How to make spring rolls and other Vietnamese cultural traits (2011)

Food is often the first way we connect with other cultures. It is a conduit, allowing us to relate to those who are different from us. As one of the first Vietnamese migrants in Adelaide, my mother engaged with the community through food. I was often sent to school with a box of spring rolls, her way of fostering relationships with those educating her children.

This work aims to push further my mother's ideas of engagement through food.  By offering the viewer a chance to learn how to make spring rolls, it aims to engage them with other aspects of Vietnamese culture and history. From ancient history to ethnic tensions, personal memories to family politics, this work attempts to induce cultural exchange beyond that of a spring roll.