Culture Is Meant To Be Shared
The Monkey King was created out of a desire to pay homage to family traditions & food memories of growing up as Asian Americans in NYC. As a contemporary New American restaurant, The Monkey King celebrates & brings Bengali and Chinese flavors to life, giving a nod to the past while looking into the future through a New York City lens. As part of the “third culture,” our goal is to evoke a sense of nostalgia for our guests, of having eaten something familiar but, at the same time – different.
The purpose of this endeavor is to be a platform that will challenge the notions of what it means to be an Asian American by proudly focusing on the “niche groups” that we care about – acting as a haven for all those that want to talk about the social, cultural & political issues deep in our hearts. It may range from anyone who shares our sentiments, people who understand the impact of food on society, or others who share our interest in doing something meaningful for the culture.
The Monkey King represents generations of families forced to conform to a rigid & arbitrary system in America. Through this project & our journey in understanding how society views us, we have finally started to resonate with the generations before us & the indirect responsibility we feel we now hold. It is not our intention to be the voice for our generation but to contribute to and amplify our generation’s voice.
Brief
Findings
Credits
Creative Director: Alex Ostroff
Creative Team: Véronique Lafortune, Agathe Morin, Florence Boudier & Charlaine Ly
Photography: Vincent Castonguay
