How might we challenge the default of efficiency-driven food consuming experience by bringing diners closer to the food source and the human engagement in food making through assistive technology?
Introducing
The future dumpling experience where creative making, ecology and technology emerge.
Ancient Times...
Food making involved foraging, collecting, and following the season
1930s
Hand food-making as social bonding activities
2010s
Automated production line replaces human labor and produce standardized food
2019
Technology dominated sensory dining
2025
What does future of dining look like?
Closer. Slower.
On the Land of Tradition and Nature
No greenhouses. No Automated Agriculture Technologies. Diners forage food from local farms.
Know more about Shaliu Village
Closer. Slower.
On the Land of Tradition and Nature
Over the spetrum of time, space and individual creativity. Get inspired and inspire others. Connect to the X-i community through recipe sharing.
Efficient and Human-Centric
Assistive Making Technology
Provide guidance, instruction and information. Hands-on experience of food-making is not compromised.
Flexible work stations
Expandable Dining Unit
Here is the experience of Ying’s group.
“Coming from Sichuan, my understanding of dumplings should always be served with chili oil. None of the vegetable jibber jabber, we like pure meat filling!”
She came with two friends.
“Growing up, I have always been an artistic kid. Whenever my grandparents decided to make dumplings, I loved to playing with the dough and experimenting shapes and forms. Those memories from childhood are still very fresh.”
“I am an engineer. I am not the cooking material. Rarely have been very creative with my food. When I had to cook, I liked to strictly follow a recipe. But I want to see where my potentials are.”
01. Biometrical Scanning
Build user profile just with a scanning of palm. Quick and seamless.
02. Task Management
Assigns task based on the number of participants and each individuals’ strength. Feel free to make adjustments.
Fang wants to accept the challenge the making dough with the shortage of wheat in that season.
Click to follow their individual tasks.
03-1. Ingredient Analysis
Information of ingredients - origin, farmer, local recipe, preping tips, combo recommendation. Provide user generated recipe suggestion accordingly - or be creative!
They have collected the below.
03-2. Ingredient Analysis
Gathering inspirations from existing recipes, X-i system assists you with the making.
Take a look at what Yun made.
03-3. Interactive Making
Visually responsive surface. Easy tracking of task progress.
They also experimented with the following wrapper making techniques. Here is what they found.
Approach 1
Use when the dough is tough and dry. Easier to apply force to the dough to flatten it.
Approach 2
Adaptable for dough texture Use for a more defined wrapper shape.
Approach 3
Best used when the dough is soft and sticky. Sprinkle flour as needed to prevent sticking to hand.
Now take a look at what they made
Back to Spring
Back to Spring is a dish that honors the season of spring at Liusha Village. Particularly, corn plays an important role in this dish, given the seasonal constraint of wheat shortage. The filling made with endive and pork is moisturised by chicken thigh skin, with extra crunchiness and sweetness from corn kernels. “With this dish, we embraced the challenge with our cultural heritages, creativity and logical problem solving. It has brought us to see food and cooking from a brand new perspective.” The participant Ying said.
Cooking Method
Corn flour not sticky enough for boiling. They decided to steam the dumplings instead.
Form
Yun decided to be creative. Since they decided to steam the dumplings, she explored open seam
Serve
Served with Chili Oil, Back to Spring recipocates its makers’ Sichuan cultural practice. To best experience Back to Spring, dip the dumpling in the sause for the maximized flavor and seasation.
The possibilities of you and X-i
Where Creativity Meets Challenges
Challenged by the seasonal and geological resources, diners bring their cultural understanding and creativity into making.
Covid Memorial Edition
The viral form of Covid Memorial Edition is an artistic expression of the participants' memorial for the global pandemic happened in 2019 and 2021.
"I have lost one of my best friend in that pandemic, the pandemic will always be a part of me. By making a dumpling that looks like the virus, I want to find a closure about the past."
Carambola Land
Crafted at the season of carambola, one of the special farm produce here at Shaliu Village, the participants took inspiration from the form of carambola fruit and resembled it in the crafting of the dish.
Carambola Land dumplings are also served with a specially made carambola sauce, with a grassy and sweet tone.
The Meatlover
The Meatlover is a dish that celebrates the alternative use of animal produce. Challenging the role of animal blood and organs, the participants used recycled unwanted animal parts such as blood vessels, as part of the ingredient.
Code Green
Crafted by a group of vegan participants, Code Green is made completely with vegan farm produces. Contradicted to the traditional dumpling recipes in which meat stuffing plays an important role, Code Green is an experiment to challenge this culinary tradition.
