Food. What is the first thing that comes to your mind about it? Cooking, gastronomy, your favourite restaurant, your grandma, or that one Facebook post you saw at least a hundred times? Sharing. What, with whom, and why? Piqniq. Do you know it? It is one of the newest and increasingly popular community application focused on sharing food mainly virtually, but in real life as well. A four-person team has been working on Piqniq for nine months now with the support of Kitchen Budapest, and as many similar start-up projects, their plans are not framed by the country border. Let's see the newest Budapest initiative.
Everything for the mouth!Piqniq stands on three legs and it is hard to decide if it offers more aesthetic or abdominal stimuli. Show, Spot, Share. That is, we can not only share photos of the foods that we made, but also label if we have an extra portion in the kitchen to share. The provided interactions are 'high five' and 'want', so that the photo's (and food's) maker can receive nuance positive feedback. After all, liking the look of a dish and wanting to wolf it down are different things.The third main option of Piqniq might brighten up the eyes of those who love their stomach, but not time spent in the kitchen. Although the sharing function is a real gate on the border of the offline world and reality, it is pre-existing communities that will profit the most of it. Let's say you are making pancakes! You are a nice person and ask your colleagues and Piqniq friends whether they want some of it. Then you make some more cocoa-filled ones. Of course, the flexibility of the application allows much more distant relations regarding food sharing, but it is up the users to figure out how they want to Piqniq.So once more:
- To share photos of foods that you made, use the SHOW card!
- To share photos of foods you ate at restaurants, use the SPOTTING card!
- To organize a shared eating session, use the SHARE card!
Dream to realityThere are few photo, community building, and philosophical topics more rewarding than food, though Piqniq was mostly inspired by one of the founders', Tamás' personal experience. The developer was always travelling and found few opportunities to sit down at a table with people who he really wanted to share his lunch or dinner with. Plus everyone is curious. Even of what others cook and eat in their own homes. That is how Piqniq came to be.The development is complemented by Aliz's graphic and Misi's user experience work, and János' work with community and partner relations to this day. They all think that if attention is directed at a certain something in an exciting way, that can trigger further positive changes even in further prospects. In Piqniq's case we can understand this in a geographical and ideological sense as well, since the goal is to raise awareness of the people's dietary habits and to expand overseas. Go team! And remember: it is okay to share.
