Informing Culture by Growing Plants

Culture doesn’t just inform technology and design. Technology and design also increasingly inform culture.

— Sara Wachter-Boettcher, Technically Wrong

I was born in Redwood City to Korean American parents who had immigrated as elementary students. I grew up in Silicon Valley speaking only English and stammering through awkward encounters with peers who were more-Korean than me. “No, it’s okay you thought I was Chinese — oh, but I don’t speak Korean.” Cue crestfallen or scornful expressions of disappointment. My thesis is born out of my desire to belong to my Korean heritage — for my Korean heritage to belong to me.

I found my sense of belonging at 20 years of age through a Korean perilla leaf seedling. I love eating 깻잎 (kkaennip), but I loved my seedling in a way that was markedly different. I gave it a name (Piwi) and obsessed over keeping it alive in chilly San Francisco weather. I re-planted it twice so that it would grow into a small bush. It was ownership. Piwi was mine.

My thesis project is about teaching kids about culture through growing plants. When you walk into a grocery store like Safeway or Trader Joe’s, it’s a representation of produce through an American lens. When I walk into a Korean market, that food is my food — the food my ancestors sustained themselves on. Asian American kids grow up with a cultural mix of foods, especially in the Silicon Valley. But what would it mean for them to personally reconnect to their own culture (and learn about other cultures) through the food that is culturally tied to a people?

“Culture” is one of the most encompassing words. We use it in a general sense all the time, but trying to break it down into parts is easier said than done. Culture is in a constant loop of influence with technology and design; the same is true with culture and food. My thesis is inspired by my personal journey as a Korean American, but I’m not restricting myself to Korean culture and sub-cultures. As a result, I need to realize that what I create will be used by non-Koreans or non-Asians who are coming to the experience with biases already deeply rooted in their minds. How do I ensure that I be as respectful as I can to cultures I’m still learning about, and prompt others to model respect in the same way regardless of how far removed they are from a culture or heritage? How do I tackle biases in parents and naiveté in children to educate people and foster feelings of appreciation and understanding?

I’m glad to have read Sara Wachter-Boettcher’s Technically Wrong before graduating in May (sketchnotes here), in the midst of putting together prototypes for my Thesis. I recognize that my brain is conspiring against me, the biases and knowledge that I embrace threatening to blind me into being my own worst enemy. I recognize my challenge in catering to entire families. I’m scared and excited. I’m worried and determined. Wish me luck!