Food design “JOYY!” and Ci Vediamo Noodle
Welcoming Summer with Colors
On June 16th, the food design studio “JOYY!” launched an endlessly creative Asian cold noodle-making event titled “Accogliamo l’estate con i colori” (“Welcoming Summer with Colors”).
The event was held at Ci Vediamo Noodle, located at Via Alserio 15 Milano, and attracted 18 food enthusiasts, including 15 Italians who registered online.
Ci Vediamo Noodle
Guided by the host, participants were divided into five groups. Using a card game to receive prompts on shapes, ingredients, utensils, flavors, and feelings, they brainstormed using design thinking. Drawing inspiration from colors and forms in pictures, they designed, created, and presented uniquely styled cold noodles. The restaurant provided a variety of seasonal vegetables and sauces, as well as colorful noodles made from different vegetable juices. The atmosphere was lively and filled with laughter.
Regarding the event, Yue Liu and Joyce Tang hoped to convey that despite coming from different places and speaking different languages, everyone can enjoy a delicious bowl of noodles together. Although food cannot solve all the world’s problems, it might be a starting point. When we can share a meal at the same table, perhaps we can engage in deeper conversations and build connections.
“JOYY!”: Cultural harmony but diversity
“JOYY!” was founded by two Chinese girls, Yue Liu and Joyce Tang. It stands for “Joy for Food” – a creative collective that designs engaging food experiences to build sincere connections between people, food, and the planet. Celebrating food identity and culture, they promote social sustainability through food storytelling and creative workshops.
Milan Design Week • China Week
At this year’s “Milan Design Week • China Week,” Yue Liu and Joyce Tang chose “noodles” as their focal point.
Through food design thinking, they offered “diners” a new perspective on noodles, encouraging them to rethink the relationship between humans, food, and culture. They selected the noodle theme because noodles can serve as a bridge between Eastern and Western culinary cultures.
Both Italy and China consume a lot of noodles and pasta. By deconstructing the noodle-making process, they discovered a shared collective wisdom among humans. Discussing noodles in Italy and presenting the contrasting noodle cultures of the East and West is their way of conveying the message of “unity in diversity.”
Yue Liu: Sparks in the collision of culture
Yue Liu, a graduate of the China Academy of Art and Politecnico di Milano, hails from northern China and has a deep understanding of Chinese noodle culture. During her studies in Italy, she gained a more diverse perspective on pasta culture. A documentary, “The Noodle Road,” profoundly impacted Yue Liu, captivating her with the millennia-old noodle culture and inspiring her interest in noodle design. She conducted nearly a year of research on noodle culture, culminating in her master’s thesis “Noodles in Parentheses,” which explores both theoretical and practical aspects of noodle culture and extends into contemporary food culture and food experience design.
In an interview, Yue Liu
In an interview, Yue Liu expressed that in her attempts to integrate Asian culture into Italian culture, she often discovers unexpected “sparks” from the collision of Eastern and Western food cultures. These sparks continuously inspire her creativity, keeping her in a state of constant output, making her life fulfilling and creative.
Joyce Tang: Returning to Italy to find greater creative space
Joyce Tang, a designer and artist, graduated from Tongji University in China and Politecnico di Milano. Her work focuses on sustainability, plant-based diets, and the art of living. After graduating, she returned to her hometown of Shanghai and founded a plant-based food design workshop to promote plant-based diets. Two years later, she returned to Italy to further study and explore food from a deeper perspective.
Joyce Tang
Joyce Tang enjoys living in Italy, where the cultural differences bring new experiences that fuel her curiosity and desire to learn. She appreciates Italians’ pursuit of beauty and enjoyment of life, from fine dining Michelin restaurants to “cucina povera” (peasant cuisine). “In the face of food, everyone is equal, which is a principle I deeply agree with as a food designer.
Therefore, I feel there is greater creative space in Italy.”
Ci Vediamo Noodle: Use food to shorten the distance
Ci Vediamo Noodle, which provided the venue and ingredients for the event, is a traditional Chinese noodle restaurant owned by Mr. Zhao, who has lived in Italy for over 20 years.
Many Chinese restaurants in Italy have adapted their flavors to suit local tastes. With years of experience in the restaurant business, Mr. Zhao decided to open a traditional Chinese noodle restaurant in January.
The restaurant
He and his wife run the restaurant with great care, not just for survival but also for a simple dream in the midst of everyday life. Mr. Zhao insists on sending their two children to Chinese lessons, and their home meals are predominantly Chinese, underscoring the importance of language and food as cultural ties.
Food follows people
Food follows people as they move, continually evolving. No matter how far one travels, the taste of home remains familiar and persistent, like a gustatory GPS that links distant lands with the memory of home.
This restaurant uses Chinese ingredients and traditional methods to make handmade noodles, aiming to offer both expatriate Chinese and Italian friends a taste of authentic Chinese flavor.
In Italy, especially in Milan, there are many Chinese restaurants
As Chinese flavors cross the ocean and converge, new immigrants meet again with different customs. As the hometown accent fades, the boundaries between local flavors blur. Chinese people often use food to bridge the gap between their new home and their homeland.
Finding oneself in the collision of cultures
In our rapidly developing modern world, the pursuit of new things has become more urgent, and the inheritance and refinement of traditions reflect our quest for a meaningful life. People seek their own ways of expression through the collision of different cultures.
The transmission of food heritage often takes place in the most ordinary aspects of life. Around the globe, people maintain their unique perceptions of the world and life. Whenever someone lights a stove and picks up utensils, every ordinary person, in that moment, participates in the creation and transmission of culture.
I really miss the Chinese food,some snacks on the road. I hope there is a good collision between Italian food and Chinese food.