FoodTalks: À Table with RECAA and Friends

Ressources ethnoculturelles contre l’abus envers les aîné(e)s (RECAA), in partnership with ACT, has developed a food blog project: Food Talks, À table with RECAA and friends. RECAA is an activist organization that strives to develop agency within a contemporary “food culture”. As this food culture is deployed as much online as it is on the ground, the project includes not only the cooking and sharing of food and recipes, but also photographing, publishing and writing about food. The project has unfolded through four main types of activities: cooking sessions and food forums that invite conversation, participation and inclusion; intergenerational digital skills workshops that focus on the skills required to write blog posts (photography, audio and writing workshops); the production and publication of blog posts and printed promotional cards; cooking and eating events with partners to favour discussion and raise awareness through community about RECAA’s concerns and mandate.

For 12 years, RECAA has been addressing issues of elder abuse through various modes of artistic expression. As it was part of their weekly routine to gather together to eat after their practice, they realized how these meals have been central to strengthening their community and their connections across generations, cultures and ideas. This food blog project has brought a new mode of expression for the group as they have never formalized or documented the conversations that emerged during these gatherings moments. It is also an opportunity to learn new technical skills that offer them the tools to reach a wider online audience.