‘Hapa’ explores stories and experiences from biracial Asian adults who identify with their cultures. By having conversations about culture and belonging through food, we can question what it means to be living in ‘two worlds’ and how that affects a beings core identity. This project is split into two books: a magazine and an accompanying recipe book.
'Hapa' Softcover Magazine
If you don’t know, ‘hapa’ is a slang word meaning a person of mixed heritage, with some roots in Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry. It’s also a term to say that your children, or your next of kin, are half-white, and it has been used as a derogatory word for someone who is half ‘white-foreigner’ with mixed-blood (or half-breeds). I use the term ‘hapa’ as a time to redefine the term and claim it back, in a sense. I want it to express belonging and self-acceptance; two halves of two different worlds is still a whole person.
'Hapa' Accompanying Recipe Book
Readers would first read an interview section from the magazine, then make a food recipe that the participant provided in the recipe book. Each recipe has a unique and beautiful story and this allows the project to be more interactive for the viewer. The book itself has many interesting recipes to attempt as well.
