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
- Arsip Solidaritas (Solidarity Archives) Exhibition and Panel Discussion (Nov 2025)
- Student Research Award at The New School (Jan 2025)
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’ve been interested in learning 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 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 having dinners with loved ones, to offering food in festivals and rituals, to mutual-aid kitchens and community fridges, to hunger strikes, to food being shared during protests and uprisings.
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 been commercialised as a commodity, to drive profit (and exploitation) by greedy large corporations. Access to healthy food and food education is weaponized along the lines of race, gender, and class.
At the same time, food has also 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. Even then, demonstrations are confined to a small park, undermining the disruptive power that protests is meant to have. All media is owned by government-linked companies and the government has the authority to remove any content deemed a “threat to social, racial, or religious harmony”. This has created a 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.
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 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.
Recently, 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, 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 meetings and bargaining sessions. While I learnt these skills on the job, I realized that political organizing can seem intimidating for those who are new to such spaces.
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 entry point into resistance and cultural preservation.
I wanted to make my project accessible for different audiences with different capacities. I thus created three parts to this project: (1) Protest Mooncake Workshop, (2) Protest Food Book and (3) Protest Food Online Archive. Participants can choose to engage in whichever part they feel most resonant with.
1. Protest Mooncake Workshop
Participants create and consume personalized Protest Mooncakes with their own political messages using 3D-printed stamps.
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 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 or criminalized.
I wanted to bring a similar experience to my peers, by allowing them to make their own “Protest Mooncakes” as well.
b) How it works
c) Processs
All components of the mooncake stamps (including the base, letters, numbers, synbols and designs) were 3D modelled and printed with food-safe filament.
My past prototypes:
Making Mooncakes
I experimented with various mooncake recipes and flavor combinations. For the workshop, I decided to make vegan snow-skin mooncakes.
d) The Workshop
I presented the Protest Mooncake workshop at Parsons School of Design’s Mosaic Exhibition. Thank you to all sixty of you who created your own Protest Mooncake that day!
Find the 3D models and materials needed for the mooncake workshop here
2. Protest Food Book
A 200-page book featuring nine different stories of how food is used as a medium of strength, solidarity and resistance around the world today.
a) Inspiration
Zines and books have traditionally been used as mediums of resistance as they can be carried and passed from one person to another without being traced. I also wanted to tell more in-depth stories of individuals and organizations who work with providing food to various communities.
I first researched into and reached out to different organizations, non-profits, individuals and ground-up initiatives around the world that work in the intersection of food and politics.
c) Field work
I volunteered at different organizations, attended several events and protests and talked to friends to 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.
d) 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 and the challenges they face 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. 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. I am especially grateful to my professor, Jesse Harding, for his editing support.
After I was done with a draft, 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.
I wanted the book to be as accessible for all as possible, so I used 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) Final product
You can view and download the pdf version of my book here
3. Protest Food Online Archive
A hand-coded, interactive archive documenting food’s role in social movements globally and historically.
I’m constantly inspired by many initiatives and organizations—past and present—that work to make food more just and accessible for everyone. These stories have been in my head for a while, and I wanted to finally give them a home. Collecting historical examples also reminds me that people have been doing this work for generations. That gives me hope that we’ll keep moving toward food justice for all communities.
I wanted to hand-code a platform where one can filter by topics, regions, date, scale and categories. I also wanted anyone to be able to contribute their own examples of how food is used as a form of resistance in their every day lives.
I hope my archive serves as a resource and inspiration for ongoing collective action.
I started a spreadsheet of all the past food-related movements, initiatives and organizations I’ve come across that inspired me. I then started writing descriptions and categorizing them- according to category, scale, year etc. Many friends also gave me examples to be included in the archive.
The process of collecting information, researching and archiving was a really labor-intensive one. However, I learnt a lot about how different organizations around the world work with food and it was a really fulfilling process!
You can view my spreadsheet here
I hand-coded the website using html, css and js.
I used a json file to contain all the entries I wanted to include in my archive. The json file has all the entries categorized. You can use and access the json file here
To allow users to contribute to the archive, I used a Google Apps Script and followed this tutorial.
d) Final Website
You can visit or contribute to the archive here
4. Final thoughts
I’m deeply passionate about the intersections of food and politics, and I thoroughly enjoyed developing this project.
That said, there are certain limitations. Since I primarily speak English and Chinese and am based between New York City and Singapore, I’ve found it challenging to access or fully understand information from other parts of the world—especially when language or cultural nuances come into play. I’m grateful to friends from around the world who have shared examples, stories, and suggestions to help broaden this project’s scope.
5. Collaboration Opportunities
This project is constantly updating and evolving as I explore more of food's role in politics and resistance. I would love to continue iterating on this project- whether it’s organizing another Protest Mooncake Workshop, creating more editons of the book or continuing adding to the archive. If you have ideas/ would like to chat, please contact me at yiqing.ng@gmail.com.
6. Credits
This project really would not have been possible without the help of so many individuals. Thank you all so much.
- Brainstorming, ideating and helping me along the way: Julia Daser (sniffie)
- Photos from PROTEST MOONCAKE workshop: Julia Daser
- Recommendations and resources: Professor Alexandra Délano Alonso and Tench Cholnoky
- All interviewees: T, Jon Rubin, Dawn Weleski from Conflict Kitchen, Orang Laut, Emily Li, Abed Ajrami from Gaza Soup Kitchen, Marco Saavedra and Natalia Méndez from La Morada, Gilbert Goh from Love Aid SG, Joshua Sbicca from Prison Agriculture Lab, Felicity Spector from Bake for Ukraine, Brian Hioe from New Bloom Magazine, Mirtilla LaResdòra from Groenten Zonder Grenzen Rotterdam, Gabrielle Inès Souza from The Okra Project, Anthony Kwache from KENASVIT, Edwin Baffour from Food Sovereignty Ghana, Orang Laut team.
- Guidance and mentorship: Professors Kellee Massey, Ayo Okunseinde, Jesse Harding, Kia Gregory, Richard The, Jack Jin Gary Lee
- Editing my book: Professor Jesse Harding
- Contributing to my archive: Krish, Maite, Maryam, Jana, Oritz Victoria, Zang Yi, Daltin Danser, Lara Arditi, Bob Shi, Vanessa Shimon, Sanchi Paruthi, Joa Sapicas, Varda Durandisse , Kuhoo Bhatnagar, Julia Shwe, Maiia Lysytska, Eloise Yalovitser, Ahona Paul , Grace Park, Natalia Cortina, Nathan Williams, Madina Masimova, Noor Bishor, Emily Li, Amanda Phyu Sin Thu, Adan Abbas, Dida Aljabari, Aparna Krishnan, Mirtilla LaResdòra, Julia Daser
- User testing: All D12 classmates
- Printing: Design Lab at The New School, Emily Li
- Grant/ Funding: New School Student Research Award (University Student Senate and the Office of the President)
-