CUGR Proposal Draft Nick B-G

Abstract

I am going to create either an application or website that connects the public with Latino cuisine. The app or site will have a GPS section that shows the user where Latino restaurants are within their vicinity. The user will also be able to leave a review and comets on the restaurants. There will also be a recipe section where people can pick out different recipes from different Latino countries. I am going to design my own logos for the app or website on illustrator. I also want to make each of the flags in the “where are you from?” section a button that will tell the app or site where the user is from and then suggest food from their country or others if they want to explore other dishes. I want the user to also be able to see how foods are made differently in different countries through this. I also really need to figure out how to add the GPS feature so that the app or site so it can tell you where the restaurants are near the users location. I will also add a contact section that would bring the user to the app or websites Facebook or email. I think that this app could help people become closer with their cultures back home through the food. I also think this could help improve peoples mental health by eating really good food. I also believe this could help people eat healthier in a fun way. Emotionally the app or website will improve peoples emotional health when they are eating tasty healthy food and will give a sense of community to those who left their families back in south America. I want the app to grab the users attention long enough for them to read through a recipe, look at the ingredients and leave a review of what they made. All of the information on the app or website will be appropriate within the context of Latino food and it should all make sense to the user because it will be very strait forward. People will intend to make good Latino food and this app will guide their actions to complete that goal. People will be using this app to connect with their heritage back home or to explore new cultures through food. This app should be a good way to authentically connect with these cultures. This app will be a good way to navigate through these different cultures that helps the user develop more shared understanding on the food

The problem

I believe that that peoples relationship with their culture is lacking when they leave their country to come to the United Sates. I think that this would be vary hard for most people, especially my father. I have never seen my dad react in the way he does when we go out to an Ecuadorian restaurant. He gets so happy and nostalgic that it makes me feel so good to go out and do these things with him. I  also think that it brings me and my younger brother closer to our culture in Ecuador when we do stuff like go out to an Ecuadorian restaurant. It impacts our whole family, so bringing this feeling to people would really be amazing for me because i know how much of an impact it brings. I think people need to be closer with their roots and their culture because it gives you a better sense of self and improves your mental health. I believe that i am very qualified to meet these challenges in my community because i experience this feeling of distance and loneliness from my family in south America every day. I think that the food is also much healthier that has a lot of benefits to bring around the United States. I want to further my research on the impact that food from your home culture has on your mental health when you’re missing your homeland and family.

Article about the impact on food and your brain:

Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food

link between food and mental health:

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/09/food-mental-health

can what you eat effect your mental health:

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20150820/food-mental-health#1

Other solutions

the website https://www.bingingwithbabish.com/#top is a website dedicated to creating food from fiction. for instance their recipes include “white castle sliders inspired by harold and cumar”, “double glazed apple fritters inspired by the regular show” and “baked ziti inspired by the sopranos”. All of these recipes were shown on some sort of TV show or movie and that were then turned into reality by Andrew Rea is one part chef, one part filmmaker, and a generous dash of irreverent YouTube personality. Self-taught both behind and in front of the camera, his cooking show, Binging with Babish, is enjoyed by millions of burgeoning chefs and foodies around the globe. His passion for teaching and experimenting in the kitchen is rivaled only by his love of film and television, both of which he endeavors to share from his Harlem, NY kitchen. Along with his cooking videos he adds the recipe underneath and also adds all of the ingredients that would be needed to replicate his dishes. This has given me very good ideas on what I want my website to look like after I figure everything out for it. He also added a “like” and a “share” option at the bottom of each of the recipes so people can share them around and show love for them by rating them with a like or dislike. This is another aspect i will need to have in my website for my food. He has hundreds of recipes in his recipe section and i think that is a little much for peoeple to scroll through. He has a search bar so you can look up what you like but i think it would be a better idea to have a drop down menu with a few food categories that lead to different recipes. All and all i think that he has a great website and its designed very well so i will be able to use some of the good design to help develop mine but i also see places he need to improve that i will make on my site.

https://sethlui.com/ this is another website that I will refer to while designing mine. I like this websites approach at having good recipes on the site along with a nightlife section that shows you what kinds of drinks and nightlife is in the area. it shows drink and food prices that I really like along with the name of the place of where to get them and hours of operation. I really like how they added more than just food and recipes to their site and i may use this for some inspiration on my website. This website also goes into a lot more detail about the history of their food and why they put it on their site so now I am more inspired to share that information on mine also. I just need to figure out how to do that without showing too much information so the user is overwhelmed.

https://aforkandapencil.com/ is another recipe website that i was able to find that focuses on bringing joy tho home cooks that want to make something amazing for the people they love. they have a newsletter you can sign up for via email that I think would be great for my site to also have. I also like their section that is titled Week night Winners because they are quick and easy recipes that you can make in under 30 minutes. I really enjoy this section because i had a similar on eon my app prototype but i wan to bring that to my website. I want to further my research on but they have a lot I can learn about the design of my website from,

Your solution

I want the users of my website to feel better about themselves, where they are from, and their relationship with their culture. I think that this will improve peoples mental health through the design of my website and with the good cultural food that they are going to be making. I expect the user to make an amazing dish based off the instructions provided and this will in tern improve how they are feeling about themselves and their culture.

Tasks

Needs

I will need help figuring out the coding language a little bit but i do have a good amount of experience. I will need to research online how to make the tweaks I want to or get some help from a tutor or pier. I will also need to ask my dad and Latino family and friends to check out the website as i develop it to see how i can improve it and make it more user friendly. I do not think i will need any spacial hardware or software besides the website i will be making mine on. i will need to figure out the legal agreements with the websites i get some of my recipes from.