MN Idea Open

I can't go to sleep at night because I'm so excited about being one of 25 semi-finalists in the MN Idea Open! MN Idea Open is a contest started by the Minnesota Community Foundation that challenges people across the state to learn about critical issues and develop creative, new solutions to address those issues.

This year's challenge is to think of the best idea to build bonds and work together across cultures and faiths in our community. My idea is to create Culture Cart, an interactive food truck that serves as a vehicle for people to increase their understanding of our diverse community, to foster conversation, and to empower local artists and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Food is an integral part of every culture and faith tradition—and Culture Cart is an innovative way for people to learn about other cultures because it features a rotating menu of cuisine from all over the map and provides information about the featured culture for people to read and watch as they wait for their food.

For example, Vietnamese spring rolls might be on the menu during Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month while sambusas could be dished up during Somali Week. Culture Cart will have a screen that plays videos of dance/music performances or interviews with people from the featured culture, and the truck will be decorated with photos, art, and stories about the featured culture so that people can learn about the traditions of where the food originates. Local artists, schools, and community groups will decorate the truck—thus providing additional chances for people to work across cultures and faiths.

Guest chefs create the menus each month—some may be established chefs and others may be aspiring home cooks. For a fresh twist, two chefs from differing backgrounds will team up to blend together new food fusions, such as kimchi fries. This shows how people of different cultures interact and influence each other’s traditions.

The food truck will have a website, Facebook page, and Twitter account to tweet its location, menu and facts about the featured culture. People online will learn more about different cultures, post questions or videos, and engage in discussions. The “Culture Cart Ambassador” program will provide incentives, such as free meals, for active participants. For example, a "Culture Cart Ambassador" could get a stamp in their "Culture Cart Passport" if they volunteer to help out with an English Language Learner Conversation Circle at one of the local libraries. This stamp could then allow them a free lunch at Culture Cart. There will also be daily trivia questions about the featured culture that allow people an opportunity to get a small discount on their meal.

Culture Cart could be incorporated into a variety of events--from the State Fair to a multicultural soccer tournament. Culture Cart could even host fun contests and events like "Where in the World is Culture Cart?" The food truck will also have a library of board games, like mancala, for people to check out. On each game, there will be a little history about the culture where that game originates.

People may come for the food, but they will also get a dose of the cultures and faiths that make up “Minnesota Spice.”