Hosted at Serendipity Arts Festival 2024
Facilitated by Afshan Mariam, Educator

Our earliest tastes stay with us, shaping not only our palates but also how we remember, feel, and connect with the world around us. Early Edibles: Tasting the World was an interactive workshop designed to help participants tap into those intimate, often-forgotten memories of their first edible encounters.

Through a playful and reflective process, participants revisited their “first mouth memories” — whether it was the sharp taste of a pencil end, the bittersweet lick of an ice cream stick, or the comforting final bite of roti with sugar. These formative moments were explored not just as flavours but as sensorial, emotional, and cultural touchstones.

Key highlights included:

• Guided prompts and conversations to help participants recall and articulate their earliest edible memories.

• The use of found objects and materials to create tactile, visual art pieces that captured the textures, moods, and emotions of those memories.

• Reflections on how these earliest mouthfuls shape our present-day relationships with food, memory, and belonging.

The session became a collective archive of edible memory — a reminder that food experiences are rarely just about taste, but are layered with stories, people, and places.

About Afshan Mariam:
Afshan is an educator and facilitator who works at the intersection of learning, play, and memory. Her work often explores how personal narratives and sensory experiences can be tools for reflection, creativity, and connection.