No taste like home: geographies of private home dining

Abstract

Private home dining (PHD) is gaining popularity around the world. The PHD is an example of a sharing economy in which guests enter the homes of amateur chefs for a shared experiential meal. This paper explores the social and spatial dimensions of PHD in Singapore from the perspectives of hosts and guests. For the hosts, PHD events mean opening their home to the public and in the process, taking on new roles as cook, guide and cultural ambassador. From the guests’ perspective, dining in a novel environment brings new experiences, exposing them to new people, knowledge and skills. A mixed-methods approach comprising mainly interviews and participant observations was adopted in this research. The findings reveal that PHD transforms home spaces yet retains the essence of home; compels members of a household to perform multiple roles simultaneously; facilitates the process of home-making; and encourages guests to actively engage as co-producers of their own cultural and culinary experiences.