Second Servings

Project Type: Research

Collaborators: TRUST

Second Servings is a playful exploration of tableware, a manifestation of contemporary Asian American culture, and the role it plays in producing shared dining experiences. This project is a collaborative effort between us and TRUST to curate a body of research on the Asian American dining experience that directly engage with professionals working in the restaurant industry in New York.

We are investigating the following: table roles, a library of tableware shapes and sizes, the motion path of plates and bowls, traditions and the effect that cultural familiarity has on the dining experience across utility, design, business, and health.

via @micahlexier: “Two gag ‘Diet Spoons’. The one on the left is commercially manufactured in Japan and comes beautifully packaged and the one on the right looks to be homemade.”

Taking inspiration from the Japanese tradition of Magewappa, bentwood housewares, the Bent Box by @visibility_office is constructed from a single strip of beechwood wrapped around a flat base.

Surreal cutlery by Amsterdam-based studio, Steinbeisser

Published in 1900 by French car tire manufacturers and brothers Édouard and André Michelin, the original Michelin Guide was produced to promote motor travel in France, which at the time had less that 3,000 cars on the road. Th

Detail shots of ‘Worlds Unleashed and then Connecting’ a 2015 interactive digital installation by teamLab that utilizes a sophisticated system of overhead cameras and AI-based software that automatically augments the projected visuals bas

via @sophieloujacobsen: Teapot by Naum Slutzky, at the Bauhaus metal workshop in 1928

Chinese acrobats from the 70’s and 80’s balancing glassware, via @thenongrak

Limited edition Hello Kitty Kikkoman soy sauce, released in 2018

"For anything humans use in their day to day life, they need design and it is a clear and concrete proof of the fundamental human right to live." - Kenji Ekuan, designer of the Kikkoman soy sauce bottle. Swipe to read writer Kevin McGillivr

Drawings of an outdoor dining layout for the second site build-out in Assembly for Chinatown by @aplusaplusa

via @sagecollective: Yi’xin Tea-pot (zisha) with #ShiDabin inscription, 1980-1987. The teapot is modelled as if wrapped in a cloth and the cover is the cloth's knot.

Diagram of various espresso-based drinks by London's Coffee Culture

The successor to their helix-shaped ‘Rassen’ chopsticks, the Kamiai chopsticks by Japanese studio Nendo offers a new self-nesting solution that includes the use of small, embedded magnets and continues the theme of conjoining the individu

Japan-based fashion designer @dimda_ incorporates luxury patterns and iconography with a playful approach on silhouettes and form, resulting in truly novel creations such as a Chanel donut-holder belt, a Dior cup noodle carrier, and more.

The Moon Glass by TALE Design is a bowl-style cup designed for drinking makgeolli, a Korean rice wine.

Known for their luxury leather bags and expert craftsmanship, @tsuchiya_kaban’s latest product, the watermelon bag, is a novel and playful twist on their usual offering. Part of their “Fun of Carrying” initiative, the watermelon bag

Research, Product Design, A+A+AAAA AAAJanuary 1, 20202020, Ongoing