_Planet Takeout

Exploring Chinese takeouts as cross-cultural meeting places, Planet Takeout provides an interactive look at both sides of the food counter.

likelike

2012	Val Wang
EN	Visit the project

“Takeouts are fascinating because they are the intersection of very tightly-knit neighborhoods—often working-class and neighborhoods of colors—with the global immigration patterns.”

Val Wang, Producer, in WGBH

Chinese takeout restaurants are both staples of American food culture and symbols of immigration and cultural diversity. For Planet Takeout, part of the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR)’s Localore initiative, radio producer Val Wang went to over 70 Chinese takeouts in the greater Boston area, capturing stories from storefronts and kitchens.

Planet Takeout’s website features an interactive interface that allows the user to literally explore takeout stores from both sides of the counter. The website’s “menu”—modeled after a takeout menu—provides links to dozens of different features, like a crab rangoon instructional photoset, or blizzard delivery stories. The project also encourages user submissions of stories or comments through social media or the main website, tagged #planettakeout.