Food & Love, about the project and how to participate

There are many beliefs and quotes that link food and love:

The way to the heart is through the stomach.

The heart of the home is the kitchen.

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well." - Virginia Woolf

...and many many more.

I have no intention of picking those apart, but to take it as an excuse to investigate how our memories of love and food are often related. 

Scientific studies also show the similarities in the neurological response to food and love as a result of our need for nutrition and affection for our survival. But there is also the aspect of experience and memory, which is more relevant in this context. Our childhood memories of smells and tastes are unforgettable. Often we like the taste of a certain food just for the memory it awakens, but we would not like it if we tasted it for the first time as an adult. A study by Kurt Gray, Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina, explains how intention affects the experience. In "The Power of Good Intentions: Perceived Benevolence Soothes Pain, Increases Pleasure, and Improves Taste" we can read about how participants of the study perceived a snack as sweeter and more enjoyable when it came with a message ‘‘I picked this just for you. Hope it makes you happy!’’ compared to ‘‘Whatever. I don’t care. I just picked randomly.’’ This is why grandma's cookies taste better than store-bought cookies, even if she is not the best baker and why it feels so good to get homemade soup when you are sick. Caring for others and to be cared for defines us as social beings. The simple fact of creating and enjoying something together provides us with deep memories of affection as it is not the spoken words, but the felt emotions that we directly link to the tastes and smells. 

With these thoughts in mind I want to start a project, offering a space for everyone to share their personal stories of food and love and of course the recipe, so we can all make the dishes in our homes. The stories will be illustrated (by me) and shared on this blog and the writers/collaborators will get their personal art print of their illustrated recipes sent to them. I will share the process in my blog and social media for you to follow along, and we will see where the project takes us!

How to participate:

1. Write down a recipe.

2. Write down the story behind it.

  (why is it important to you? What does it remind you of? How does it make you feel? Who do you cook it for or did someone cook it for you?) 

  Feel free to share as much or as little as you like. 

3. Sent it to my email soephely@gmail.com

   - attach pictures if you have some - these will not be published but used as a reference for the illustration

   - Your Name to sign the story, your Instagram handle to tag you (optional), an address to send you the print. 

4. Your story and your recipe will be published on social media with the corresponding illustration. You will get the art print sent to your indicated address! 

A few things to keep in mind:

Participating is free and you can send me your stories in English, German or Spanish.

By participating you are granting me the rights of publication of your story and recipe.

You will receive your Artprint sent to you for you to keep and you are welcome to share the illustration on social media always mentioning where it comes from. If you tag my Instagram or link my website this can help an artist a lot. However, printing, selling and reproducing my artwork, or the content of other authors of this blog is not allowed. If you have any questions about this, don’t hesitate to contact me!

Let's do it! I hope you love it as much as I do! 

With love,

Sophia Katharina @soephely