In this food utopia which I envisioned, the utmost important
stage would be food waste management. Together with the raw materials
production, I perceived these two ends of the food spectrum to be the dictator of
this project. By tackling these two ends of the food cycle, the energy by-product
of food waste management could ultimately be used to fuel the rest of the food
stages. Also, by introducing the concept of urban farming in the context of
shop houses, the individual street hawkers would be able to sustain their own
production of raw materials required for their businesses. Transparent would be the word used to
describe this food utopia, its ultimate objective is to enable the public to be
more aware of the broad spectrum of food stages, and to be more involved in
different stages of food production. To
witness the evolvement of these two stages of food cycle would therefore mark
the beginning of a gastronomical journey of Yaowarat.
The importance of recycling should not be underestimated, as
recyclable wastes such as scrap metals could ultimately be transformed into
usable forms for the production of future food carts. Through this distinct
form of recycling, the notion of customizability could be introduced in the
next generation of food carts, by integrating it with creative technologies
such as 3D printing. By making 3D printing accessible to street hawkers, it
will perhaps nurture creativity amongst individual street hawkers to craft
their own unique food cart. Crafting one’s food cart is equivalent to promoting
one’s businesses as a form of marketing strategy, as well as contributing to
the formation of street hawker’s identity.
In order to craft a gastronomic theme significant to
Yaowarat, I intend to abstract the nomadic essence of street food culture and
inject it into Yaowarat. Transient and temporal are its characteristics, which
allow them to constantly move from one location to the next. The intention is
to link Yaowarat to other parts of Bangkok known for its food prowess, such as
Khao San and Sukhumvit. In order to facilitate this constant movement between
different areas as means of expansion of one’s business, I proposed the
possibility of renting shop house spaces for the storage purposes and the
extension of kitchen spaces. This idea of expansion of one’s business space
harnesses the notion of individual conglomeration.
Competition between street hawkers to show off individual
business would be inevitable. However, if there is a common platform to exhibit
individual products, it would prove beneficial to the street hawkers, as it
signifies the possibility of community sharing and exchanging of ideas.
Introduction of food expositions would thus not only be advantageous for street
hawkers to showcase their food products, but it will also amplify public’s
experience of a spectacular gastronomical Yaowarat.
