Foglie e Storie: A Tasting Journey through China via Rice is a food experience designed for the opening of Echo Culture Lab, the new cultural space by APICAIA. On the occasion of the Dragon Boat Festival — a celebration rich in memory and emotion — JOYY! reinterprets the ritual gesture of “wrapping” as a cultural symbol, drawing inspiration from zongzi, a traditional Chinese delicacy closely tied to this holiday.

Rather than using the traditional bamboo leaves for zongzi, we invited participants to explore wrapping in a new light: with large, fresh, seasonal leaves sourced from Milan’s local markets. These natural “plates” held four creative interpretations of seasoned rice, each inspired by a distinct culinary region of China — Northern (Lu), Southwestern (Chuan), Eastern (Huaiyang), and Southern (Yue). All dishes began with classic Chinese white rice and were enhanced with plant-based ingredients that evoked the unique aromas, colors, and memories of their origins. Guests were encouraged to freely compose and wrap their own “leaf of flavor,” crafting a personal edible story — a ritual that deconstructs tradition and reweaves it through contemporary design, emotion, and play.

Foglie e Storie is more than a culinary experience. It is a cultural dialogue — a gesture of wrapping that connects memory, identity, and imagination. Even without making zongzi in the traditional form, we can still wrap our emotions and share them. JOYY! offers here a taste map of China: diverse, warm, and interconnected — a landscape of flavors that speak, embrace, and unite.

Commissioned by APICAIA
Photo courtesy of APICAIA