Hosted at Serendipity Arts Festival 2024
Part of the Cultures of our Food Futures Curation by Edible Issues

What happens when strategy meets sustenance? Food × Play was a lively, interactive zone within Cultures of our Food Futures, featuring food-themed games designed to entertain, educate, and provoke conversation about the challenges and joys of our contemporary food systems.

From mapping wild edibles in Indian cities to navigating the complexities of climate-resilient agriculture, these games offered participants a playful yet thoughtful way to engage with pressing questions of food, environment, and culture.

Games featured included:

• Map the Wild:
  A beautifully illustrated board game exploring the world of wild edible and medicinal plants of India. Players learned to identify, map, and harvest responsibly while understanding the ecological and cultural significance of foraged foods.

• Feeding 9 Billion:
  A strategy game where players navigate the difficult decisions facing future societies in a climate-altered, resource-constrained world. The game challenged participants to manage food security, equity, and sustainability while balancing the needs of people and the planet.

• Masala Lab:
  A game inspired by Krish Ashok’s book Masala Lab, where players experimented with flavour pairings, culinary science, and kitchen chemistry to create virtual dishes. A light-hearted introduction to the science of Indian cooking and the art of improvisation.

Beyond entertainment, these games offered a feast of ideas — providing new ways to spark conversations about climate change, biodiversity, culinary heritage, and food justice through the accessible language of play.