In this era of ubiquitous digital media, young people's lives are deeply influenced by it, and this is especially true for us—international students studying in the UK. Adapting to a new environment inevitably brings challenges such as social isolation and cultural integration.
While social media provides more opportunities for connection, the relationships formed can sometimes be superficial and lack depth. Research shows that sharing food culture is an excellent way to promote communication and understanding between different groups and to enhance social cohesion.
This website recognises this potential and aims to harness the power of food to help international students in Leeds build deeper friendships, while exploring the positive role of digital media in fostering community cohesion. For international students in Leeds aged 18 to 25, especially Chinese students, we often feel lonely while navigating cultural adaptation and social life.
To address this issue, I have designed a combination of online and offline activities, centred around regular food-sharing gatherings and the creation of corresponding social media groups, allowing everyone to share their hometown foods and stories in a relaxed atmosphere, thereby naturally developing more genuine and deeper connections.
This is a storymap — you can find people nearby to eat with：
This video focuses on how, during the first three months after arriving in Leeds, UK, a Chinese international student gradually transitioned from a lonely 'loner' to integrating into a social circle of fellow Chinese students through food interactions with her Chinese roommates.
Lantern Festival marks the first full moon night of the Lunar New Year. It symbolises reunion, togetherness, and the end of the New Year celebrations. The traditional food for this festival is tangyuan – sweet glutinous rice balls with different fillings. For Chinese students studying abroad, Lantern Festival can be a particularly lonely time. Unlike Christmas or New Year's Eve, it often passes unnoticed in the UK. There are no public celebrations, no days off, and for many, no family around. This makes it the perfect opportunity to bring a small group of Chinese students together – not just to eat tangyuan, but to share stories, remember home, and build friendships through a shared sense of cultural belonging.
This is the sense of ritual when we dine together.
A vlog recording of a hot pot dinner gathering
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