XINYAN
Xinyan XU is a visual artist and spatial designer based in Ningbo and Shanghai. Her artistic focus is on supermodernity, contemporary culture, and metropolitan experiences. She uses spaces, places, and computational techniques to create visuals, spatial experiences, soundwalks, and art installations.
创作者及设计师，现居宁波和上海。她通过空间、地点及数字媒介来探索城市超现代化背景下的人际关系、都市体验和网络文化。


Spatial works at naynix
Contact xinyan at xuxinyan_at_yahoo_dot_com
WHEN SHE COOKS ｜ 她下厨


Cookbook
Matriarchal Guide

 WHEN SHE COOKS started with the word 'MATRIARCH'.

The word 'MATRIARCH' takes the most powerful stance in a family setting. By carefully looking into the definition of the word, it does not necessarily refer to the oldest female but rather to a female figure with exceptional abilities and the most responsibilities.

During an interview with a cooking YouTuber, I had a significant 'aha' moment when she used the phrase 'order food from mom' to describe the times when she didn't feel like cooking and her mother prepared meals for her during her pregnancy. I took her word 'order' and related this term to my own experiences with family meals. In my family, it was common for us to inquire, 'What would you like for lunch or dinner?' Most of the time, they would provide a 'menu' based on the available ingredients in the refrigerator, and I would 'order' the specific dish I desired, similar to placing an order at a restaurant.


THE IDEA OF MOTHERHOOD IN THE HOUSEHOLD KITCHEN CROSSED MY MIND,
AND I WANT TO CELEBRATE EVERYDAY MATRIARCHS THROUGH A FAMILY RECIPE COOKBOOK.


In an open kitchen restaurant, you might observe the chef tearing off the receipt from the printing machine and placing it into the receipt holder as a guide for preparing the meal. Inspired by this concept, the format of my cookbook is reminiscent of a restaurant's kitchen receipt, highlighting the aspect of ordering, which is preliminary to the act of cooking and dining. 

The receipt not only serves as a communication tool to showcase the dishes I cherish most from my family's culinary legacy but also acts as a guide for me to learn their signature recipes, symbolizing the passing down of knowledge from our family matriarchs.
There are certain home-cooked dishes, specifically made by the senior female members of my family, that I can't find anywhere else in the world. For me, taro dumplings are one of these special dishes. I yearn for this dish every once in a while and request the recipes, as I know I will eventually need to recreate them myself.

My uncle called me early in the morning one day to ask about the type of starch to purchase for making taro dumplings, but my grandma was out without her phone. Later, my grandma called back my uncle on the phone:

Grandma: "Did you buy the (starch)?"

Grandma: "Ai-ya! Wheat starch wouldn't work; it wouldn't get that sticky."

Grandma: "Buy tapioca starch."

Grandma: "For the taro? Heat it until it's thoroughly cooked, then pour it into the tapioca starch without adding any water."

Grandma: "OK, bye."



I wanted to emphasize the temporal aspect of matriarchy and motherhood. I used royal jelly to show how time affects my mother's and grandmother's bodies. They consume royal jelly daily as a supplement to boost their hormone levels, counteracting the effects of aging and decreasing hormone levels.

I got really curious about royal jelly and asked both my mom and my grandma for answers.

Me: "Where does royal jelly come from?"

Mom: "I learned about it from my former neighbors who used to raise bees. They would place small larvae into tiny tubes, and over time, these containers would gradually fill with royal jelly."

Me: "How do bees produce it?"

Mom: "I have no idea..."

Me: "How do bees produce royal jelly?"

Grandma: "Beekeepers put larvae in a row of small tubes, with one container approximately the size of your first knuckle. Within the next 2-3 days, worker bees would feed these larvae with royal jelly until they are ready to consume honey and pollen. The potential queen bee would continue to be fed royal jelly, allowing her to live for 5-6 years, whereas other worker bees only live for around 3 months."

Me: "How did you come to know this? Were you a beekeeper?"

Grandma: "No, my relatives used to be beekeepers. They would travel all year round in search of blooming flowers.




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