Cilantroversy

[experimental publishing] [2022+]

When I moved to Rotterdam in 2021, in many, many restaurants and cafes, they were serving dishes with cilantro. I was wondering why people like it so much when it tastes so bad. It turned out, it tastes differently for them, that’s why!

In 2022, I created a small fanzine (Don’t Put Cilantro In My Dish, Please) to share with others why I don’t like coriander and that there are others like me. I carry it in my bag sometimes, and it’s always a lovely conversation starter.

In 2025, I was invited by the Street Vendor Publisher to contribute to a small box publication about an obsession I had for the Bangkok Art Book Fair: I picked up the topic of Cilantoversy once again and created a series of small boxes with different tastes. What tastes? I asked friends and family how cilantro tastes for them and put the different outcomes: from the freshest and citrusy delight, to the taste of a stinky bug’s smell!

Also in 2025, during a Christmas market in Nicosia, I made a survey: I asked the visitors the same question.

What’s next? Keep an eye here, this project is ongoing. :-)

works:

Don’t Put Cilantro In My Dish, Please
fanzine, folded A4, 5 EUR

Cilantroversy
origami box, limited edition for Bangkok Art Book Fair, co-produced by Chaeyoung Kim