Eating in is the new eating out

By Andy Marks

Make your friends part with cash when they next come round for dinner and you will be part of a movement that spans the globe. Your humble home can become an exclusive restaurant that only those in the know know about.

Welcome to the world of the speakeasy also known as underground dining, gourmet dinner clubs, occasional supper clubs, moveable / home / occasional / pirate / pop-up restaurants, guerilla dining events, ghetto gourmet and more. In Hong Kong they call it si fang cai, but the spiritual home of this cottage or apartment industry is Cuba where there is a long established tradition of family run restaurants or paladares www.cuba-junky.com/cuba/cuba-paladars.htm, limited to 12 diners.

What makes the speakeasy such an exciting adventure is that once the boundaries and formats of a restaurant are removed, an experimental almost anarchic essence is released. Think for a moment about the expectations you might have when you go to a restaurant and then remove all expectations for the speakeasy.

Frustrated food professionals are creating 10 course taster menus with paired wine in Paris at the Hidden Kitchen www.hkmenus.com. Casa SaltShaker in Buenos Aires offers cookery courses in addition to what they describe as “fancy home cooking”. Berlin’s The Shy Chef http://theshychef.wordpress.com/ cooks a delicious five-course set menu for up to six guests a night. And if you are looking for inspiration and tips to get started check out the The Ghet www.theghet.com, a portal into the world of speakeasies and other community-based alternatives for dining.

Creative indulgence doesn’t stop at the fork. One speakeasy has been described as a cross between an Indian temple and a harem, whilst another has a strict dress code, diners must dress as Marie Antoinette.

A special mention must however go to Jim Haynes  http://www.jim-haynes.com/ who for 30 years has been hosting dinners in his home, a former sculpture studio. Jim says people from all corners of the world come to break bread together, meet, talk, connect and often become friends. He says he loves the randomness, and for me that says it all.  

why vivacity

This is the century of the city.

Over half the world’s population now live in cities. This is projected to rise to three-quarters of all people in 2050. With population increases, this means 6.75 billion of us will be city dwellers, an increase of 3.75 billion from today. As the future success or failure of mankind lies in cities, new ways of using them are needed.

The city represents an incredible paradox. We have never been closer together physically, but we have never been further away from each other emotionally. At vivacity we celebrate city movements around the world that change and re-define the way we interact with and use cities. Whilst cities cannot cope with the numbers now and the resultant strain on the world’s natural resources and eco-systems are already painfully evident, we believe that human spirit and endeavor will overcome, as it has done before.

vivacity promotes city movements that are connecting people & creating new types of communities. They are typically low impact, highly sociable, enabled by technology, using public and private spaces in new ways and empowering people to act locally.

vivacity promotes new ways of feeling alive, new ways of being invigorated, and new things to be a part of. We call it grassroots stuff in the city. We hope you get involved and share your experiences with us.

who we are

Andy Marks vivacity founder and editor

Social entrepreneur, lecturer, writer and curator, Andy Marks is an agent of positive social change practicing at the intersection or fault-line of business, society and culture. Andy is the founder of research and consultancy network Salad Worldwide, an advisor to some of the world’s leading companies on Corporate Responsibility and an advisor to a number of non-profit organizations. Andy is an expert on grass roots city movements, and a founding partner of an upcycling enterprise launching in 2010.

Julian Broadhead contributor

With a background in advertising, branding and corporate responsibility, Julian works with blue-chip companies from a wide range of industries and sectors, advising on strategy and new ways of connecting with people. He is currently developing a number of new opportunities in the environmental sector, with a particular emphasis on making environmental action more accessible.

Shane Solanki – contributor/distributor/carburettor/carbon-ara

Artist, writer, performer, producer and director, Shane’s first short film was commissioned by the BBC and directed by Peter Cattaneo. His first record was produced by Mercury Prize Winner Talvin Singh. He worked for years to forge the unique identity of independent record label Ninja Tune. We at Vivacity like to think of him as a grass roots detective, covertly operating under the pseudonym of the Last Mango in Paris; imagine him skulking around the world in a beige macintosh, recording and documenting our shift into a society where social responsibility and public creativity are norms.

contribute

become a vivacity scout

As more and more of us live in urban areas, individuals and communities can feel overwhelmed and isolated by the sheer intense-city of it all.

However we at vivacity believe that human spirit and endeavor will overcome as it has done so many times before. That is why we are celebrating movements around the world that are changing and re-defining the way we interact with the city. We would like to hear from you about grassroots movements or activities that bring people together face to face and use cities in new ways. The more original and imaginative the better.

Please email us describing a movement you would like to see on vivacity using a maximum of 300 words. info@vivacity.me