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Literature on Intergenerational Families
Intergenerational parent-child relationships within immigrant families are often influenced by cultural, linguistic, and generational gaps, particularly among first-generation Asian American parents and their second-generation children. Harris and Chen (2022) found that second-generation immigrant adolescents acculturate more rapidly compared to first-generation, and intergenerational dissonance is a recurring theme in these relationships, where children’s navigation of the dominant American cultural values and their parents’ heritage creates tensions in communication and expectations. This study also found statistically significant evidence that second-generation immigrant status is positively associated with intergenerational conflict and a negative association with family cohesion and parental control. Additionally, family mealtimes that include food preparation, food/table setting, serving, and eating has been found to increase family strength and unity and positively benefit children’s socialization, health, and nutrition (Hamilton & Hamilton, 2009). These findings support the design of a multilingual, activity-based cookbook that incorporates culturally significant practices alongside interactive features like conversation prompts, a rating system, and storytelling sections, fostering relational harmony and heritage preservation among Asian American families.
Motive Behind the Cookbook
This cookbook is designed to bridge the gap between intergenerational first-generation parents and their pre-teen children. From research literature, my personal experience, and the lived experiences of those around me, these sources have demonstrated the significance of family mealtimes in fostering connection. After much thought, I decided to narrow my audience to specifically Asian American immigrant families because food is an integral part of the culture that brings people together throughout numerous Asian countries. Food is also often part of an immigrant family’s identity that accompanies them to their new home and provides comfort in times of loneliness and adjustment – which is also part of my family’s story after we moved to the United States. It was the one thing that always brought our family together and offered daily opportunities to gather and spend quality time despite the lack of conversations. As immigrant parents and children navigate how to balance two cultures, I hope this cookbook provides small pockets of opportunities for them to spend time together preparing a meal, eating together, and creating new memories that cultivate a stronger bond and connection.
Features of the Cookbook and Design Choices
- Recipe with conversation prompts integrated within the steps
– As parents and children naturally follow the instructions, hopefully, they answer the conversation prompts integrated within. - Section to include individual family recipes
– Want to be mindful that these recipes are not the only ones out there. - Rating system
– Fun and interactive element. - Storytelling
– Allows parents to share about their lives and stories that humanize them from parent to person. - Scrapbook
– A fun way to document the experience, can be digital or physical.
The Process
It took many trials and errors to realize what I genuinely cared about and how important it is to design with and for a purpose I am passionate about. In my excitement at the beginning of the semester, looking back now, I realized I unconsciously tried to start a project that would help me learn a new tool rather than focusing on the who, what, and why of deciding on that topic. I first wanted to create an e-learning course for immigrant parents who lacked knowledge on the importance of early parent-child interactions and/or navigating the education system in the US. However, after a few weeks of tinkering and having multiple conversations, I realized I am much more passionate about the parent-child connection. I thought about how I could design to foster this relationship. While reflecting on my personal experiences, I remembered how significant food/cooking was in my family, and once I landed at this intersection, everything seemed to fall into place. Through the process, I learned how to re-iterate, make mistakes, drop an idea, and continue working toward a new goal. once I landed on this intersection of food and parent-child connection, it felt like things were naturally falling into place, and I especially started to enjoy the process much more.
* Note to Reader:
Due to my cultural background, this prototype only includes one Korean recipe in Korean, but it is designed to include various Asian American cultures and languages!
References:
Hamilton, S. K., & Hamilton Wilson, J. (2009). Family Mealtimes. ICAN: Infant, Child, & Adolescent Nutrition, 1(6), 346–350. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941406409353188
Harris, K. M., & Chen, P. (2022). The acculturation gap of parent–child relationships in immigrant families: A national study. Family Relations, 72(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12760
