Everybody Eats Lunch

Take part in a community art project that brings strangers together to share lunch.  
Photos by Alex Matzke.

What would it be like to sit down to lunch with someone you’ve never met? Interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker Christy Chan explores this question through a community art and storytelling project. People who sign up are paired with a lunch companion based on their shared food preference rather than their age, gender, race, job, or political affiliation. Chan came up with the idea in 2015 after an NPR producer asked her to pitch storytelling ideas about race, conversation, and breaking down boundaries. 
 
East Bay restaurants participating in the project include Standard Fare, Gaumenkitzel, Namaste Pizza, and Third Culture. Other restaurants interested in donating food are welcome and should contact Chan through the website. Berkeley lunches are happening in March through May, including some meals on-site at the Berkeley Senior Center. Photos and stories from the Berkeley lunches will be on exhibit at the Kala Art Institute in West Berkeley May 30–July 13. Info and sign-up: here