Food is an integral element of society, a core part of our modern cities’ urban fabric and the backbone of diverse communities around London. However, the perception of food in recent times has been skewed through social media and mainstream culture.

The basis of this thesis explores the characteristics of food spaces through a shared analogy of the terms raw, medium, and well-done. The terms refer to various levels of spaces ranging from local takeaways to fine-dining restaurants and are explored through a first-hand critical investigation. These ‘third places’ (Oldenburg, 2005) offer an environment in which authentic food is eaten, cooked, and shared, but importantly, ones that serve as a cultural anchor for migrants in a diverse city such as London.

The primary research is conducted through ethnographical studies, mainly photography, research, and drawing to understand the spatial typologies of food outlets in the author’s hometown, Hounslow, a town that has a high demographic of residents of South Asian ethnicity as well as several restaurants, cafes, and community spaces.

Introduction

Food is an integral element of society, a core part of the urban fabric of our modern cities and also the backbone of diverse communities around London. However, the perception of food in recent times has been skewed and has shown that “food culture has gone mainstream” whereas the food itself “isn’t just something you eat now. You have to visually enjoy it as well.” (WIRED Brand Lab, 2022). The basis of this thesis will explore unconventional, informal, and raw micro-spaces that promote social activity through sharing, cooking, and eating food through ad-hoc potluck gatherings, community functions, or local businesses which invoke a sense of nostalgia and comfortability in immigrant residents. These third places offer an environment in which authentic food is eaten, cooked, and shared, but importantly, ensure that the community is at the heart of the space. This concept will be further examined and explored to begin to define the characteristics and differences third places have and the role they play in our modern cities. The primary research will be conducted through ethnographical studies, mainly photography, research, and drawing to understand the spatial typologies of food outlets in the author’s hometown, Hounslow, a town that has a high demographic of residents of South Asian ethnicity as well as several restaurants, cafes, and community spaces. Understanding whether these are “third places” (Oldenburg, 2005) will provide a better understanding of how food can serve as a cultural anchor for migrants in a diverse city such as London.

Undoubtedly, food is an important part of general society in India. Having a vast number of different cultures throughout the country, there are countless recipes, state-representative dishes, and types of feasts and occasions throughout the year. So, when we think of Indian food translated to suit a British palate, the food scene seems bland. The rawness has almost been distilled and diluted (as well as appropriated) to celebrate a select range of dishes which are usually from well-known cities such as Mumbai or Delhi. This isn’t just because the people bringing these dishes are from those areas, but rather due to a sub-culture in British dining that views Indian food as a takeaway option where certain combinations of food are easy to eat with your hands and enjoyed with a beer. Ironically, in smaller towns on the outskirts of London, where the majority of residents are immigrants looking for a connection to their home country, food becomes “as exclusive a human behaviour as language” (Parasecoli, 2014). For towns such as Hounslow, “a city unto itself, a cacophony of single-storey buildings, endless roads, and occasional vistas of countryside” (Nunn et al., 2022), one can argue there are more authentic versions of Indian food than ones you see in temporary pop-ups or food stalls in halls and marketplaces or even in fine dining settings. Unlike fine dining restaurants or newer outlets catering to the social eye of its customers, restaurants, takeaways and in some cases, food cooked at home by members of the community simply try to

“cope with the dislocation and disorientation they experience in their new environment by re-creating a sense of place in their domestic environment around food production, preparation, and consumption” (Parasecoli, 2014).

London’s food scene is transforming daily. According to food writer and editor, Jonathan Nunn, this “’Sohofication’ is strangling our city centres” (Nunn, 2022), where every restaurant in the city centre is becoming indistinguishable from each other. This does not strictly pertain to the food choices and menus, but also the interiors of the space. Through a series of research, comparative exercises, and mapping of the origins of food in Hounslow, we can begin to discuss why food is an important part of any city and why we should be investing more in the culinary corners of our communities rather than let food become yet another visual stimulus we scroll past on our phones. In an interview for The Guardian, Nunn also puts forward the notion that “Everything interesting that’s going on in London culturally is being produced in the outer areas” and that “the London portrayed in most restaurant reviews, Nunn says, is far from the reality of most lives” (Khan, 2022). The perception of food and dining spaces will be critiqued alongside the food itself so that the under-appreciated and hidden places important to many of us are not lost.