Pepi Ng
NYC-based creative technologist,
designer and community organizer
Protest Food
A three-part community-based project about how food can be used as an accessible medium of resistance today.
The three parts are: (1) Workshop, (2) Book and (3) Online Archive
Above: Video explaining PROTEST FOOD
0. Impetus and Inspiration
(a) Thoughts on Food
I created PROTEST FOOD as part of my undergraduate senior thesis project from Parsons School of Design, Design and Technology program. I’ve always been interested in food’s role in providing joy, sustenance, preserving cultural heritage, building community, and resistance movements.
Throughout my life, I find myself gravitating towards activities for the purpose of finding out more about food and its relation to different aspects of society: Growing up in Singapore and Malaysia, food plays a really important role in preserving cultural heritage. During the year of COVID Lockdown, I set up my own online bakery. I went on a two-week Workaway trip to a sustainable farm in Vermont to learn more about regenerative agriculture. In my undergraduate degree, together with my friend Angie Li, we founded a community-based mutual-aid student organization called Frugalicious Mamas, where we facilitated the sharing of food and resources within and outside the university.
Food finds a footing in so many parts of one’s personal, social, emotional and political life- from getting to know someone new over a cup of coffee, to cooking or having dinners with loved ones, to offering food in festivals and rituals, to understanding cultures from the way they cook, to sharing food in ground-up initiatives and political organizing, to mutual-aid kitchens and community fridges, to hunger strikes, to food being cooked and shared during protests, uprisings and revolutions.
Food is a topic of contention because it is necessary for survival. Food is often used as a weapon or control over a population. Food has also been commercialised as a commodity, to drive profit (and exploitation) by greedy large corporations. Access to healthy food and food education is monetized and is weaponized along the lines of race, gender, and class.
At the same time, food has also historically been a subtle vehicle for political expression, often carrying messages of dissent when direct action is risky or repressed. We have seen many communities reclaiming food traditions and customs to heal, connect and resist cultural erasures.
Volunteers giving out Amdo Bhaley, Traditional Tibetan Bread, at Tibetan Uprising Day Protest in NYC, 2025.
(b) Thoughts on Political Dissent and Protest
I grew up in Singapore, where dissent is rarely seen. Protests are illegal unless organizers obtain government permission—and even then, demonstrations are confined to a single park, effectively undermining the disruptive power that protest is meant to have. All media is owned by government-linked companies. Legal restrictions also exist around discussing topics such as race and religion, and the government has the authority to remove any content deemed a “threat to social, racial, or religious harmony”. This has created a panoptican culture where residents censor themselves in fear of community disapproval and scrutiny from authoirities.
I started to reflect on whether dissent in Singapore might find expression through more discreet or indirect means—forms of resistance that are subtle yet still meaningful and accessible to more people.
A small, peaceful protest for trans rights outside the Ministry of Education in Singapore, 2021. Three of these individuals were arrested for “taking part in a public assembly without a permit”.
bii. State repression is a constant, global issue.
Talking about state repression in the United States has never been more relevant than as of right now (2025). There has been a massive crackdown on peaceful protests and any form of dissent under the Trump administration. According to law tracker, with just 3 months in office, the Trump administration has already introduced forty-one anti-protest bills in 22 states. The Trump administration has also deliberately ordered the removal of words to describe communities and identities from public-facing websites or school curricula.
Amidst nationwide university protests and encampments advocating against genocide of the Palestinian people, on March 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights threatened to withhold federal funding to 60 universities if they do not comply with the president’s political agenda of restricting Pro-Palestinian activism and free speech on campus, in the name of “anti-semitism”. As of 15 April 2025, the Trump Administration has threatened to withhold $400 million worth of federal funding from Columbia University (Columbia decided to submit to Trump’s political agenda) and $2.2 billion from Harvard University (Harvard resisted Trump’s demands).
At the same time, we have seen many anti-zionist Jews and Jewish students being arrested for protesting the genocide- We have watched videos of masked and plain-clothed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) abduct and threaten to deport greencard holders and Columbia University students Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi (who was attending his naturalization interview in Vermont), as well as Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk for speaking out against the genocide.
Advocacy for the Palestinian cause is not the only issue facing state repression. The Trump administration is wiping identities away, deliberately divesting from Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) frameworks and initiatives aimed to uplift marginalized voices and communities, limiting academic freedom, moving to impeach federal judges seen to be blocking Trump's agenda.
The list goes overwhelmingly long.
Of course, state repression is not something new, nor is it something only limited to the United States. China’s 2024 National Security Act criminalises any form of political dissent against the Chinese government from Hong Kong; Myanmar’s junta has been expanding its use of deadly force and repressive measures to squelch all dissent; Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad jailed dissenters and used chemical weapons to displace local Syrians in opposition-held territories; Nazi Germany persecuted anyone who were considered “undesirable” and “enemy of the state”.
I had the privilege of working as an organizer for New Student Workers Union at The New School - an undergraduate student workers union seeking official recognition. I was new to political organizing, and did not understand a lot of the language used in organizing meetings and bargaining sessions with the university. While I learnt these skills on the job, I realized that political organizing can seem intimidating, or inaccessible, for those who are new to such spaces.
At the same time, political dissent and organizing should be for every one- this is how we can build a better future together. I started thinking about how we can make political organizing accessible for all.
(c) How Food Plays a Role in Dissent
Since food is something that everyone of all cultures and identities need, and can relate to, I wanted to explore how food can be used as an accessible and universal entry point into resistance and cultural preservation.
1. Protest Mooncake Workshop
This workshop was inspired by the “Anti-Extradition mooncakes” that emerged from the 2019 Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Protests. Bakers and bakeries would create mooncakes with messages of solidarity and encouragement stamped on them. I thought that this was a poignant example of how food could be used as a simple and accessible way to show resistance in one’s daily life.
Consumers were able to physically, and metaphorically, consume, digest and internalise the protest messages on the mooncakes. I also love how discreet the mooncakes are in expressing resistance- once they are eaten, there will no longer be any evidence of them. This is particularly important in repressive regimes, where dissent is discouraged, clamped down or criminalized.
I wanted to bring a similar experience to my peers, by allowing them to try making their very own “protest mooncakes” as well.
b) How it works
c) Processs
Mooncake Stamps
3D printing
Prototypes
Making mooncake dough
d) The Workshop
2. Protest Food Book
This was my first time creating a book! It was a very long , but extremely rewarding process.
I first researched into different organizations, non-profits, individuals and ground-up initiatives around the world that works in the intersection of food and politics. I then reached out to them, asking if they would be willing to chat with me about the work that they do.
Most of them did not respond, but some of them did, which I am really grateful for.
(b) Field work
It would also be a shame to not engage with my local community here in New York City. As part of my field work, I volunteered at different organizations, attended several events and protests and talked to some friends learn more about how different communities are expressing resistance.
I live in a neighbourhood where there are many Nepalese and Tibetan street vendors, and I conversated casually with many of them, and ate so many momos.
(b) Talking to different organizations, individuals
I scheduled to talk to as many organizations and individuals as possible. The goal of these conversations were to understand the work that they do in relation to food and politics, the challenges they face along the way, and the values that guide them along the way. I interviewed 12 individuals and organizations altogether. Each conversation was unique and insightful, and always left me feeling like I had so much more to learn.
A few of the conversations also inspired me to pick up certain food-related skills or hobbies. For instance, after speaking to Felicity Spector from Bake for Ukraine, I tried making my own Ukrainian Sourdough, also known as Palyanytsya!
Here are some screenshots of the Zoom conversations I had with some of the representatives from each organization.
Transcription took a lot longer than I expected- especially since I had twelve, one-hour-long interviews to transcribe. But it was definitely necessary to better understand and analyse the content of my conversations with the various organizations.
I began writing about each organization and their work, while cross-referencing secondary sources of information. Writing has never been my strongest skill, so this process was quite challenging for me. I am especially grateful to my professor, Jesse Harding, for his editing support!
After I am done with a text that I am happy with, I would send it to the respective organization for them to read, review and provide feedback. I wanted whatever I wrote to accurately represent the work they do.
Designing was another part of the process I completely under-estimated. I wanted the book to be as accessible for all as possible, so I made sure to use easy-to-read fonts and font-size and large image-to-text ratio. An extremely time-consuming part of the process was finding images for each story- either from the organization themself, or via copyright-free sites.
I spent hours in the Design Lab in my school printing, cutting, folding and binding many copies of the book. I really enjoyed the hands-on craft of book-binding and learning from the different book and zine-makers around me.
(f) Final product
You can view and download the pdf version of my book here
3. Protest Food Online Archive
4. Final thoughts
- Limitations
- NYC and SG
Lack of connections outside these spaces
Do not have the most knowledge in certain areas.
- Want to continue iterating!