Yixin Chen

“under a lychee tree” Sitting under the lychee tree and enjoying the harvest while escaping from the world is what a perfect childhood summer afternoon feels like to spend by yourself. This illustration is about finding contentment and connecting to nature in solitude. Lychee tree is a symbol of nostalgia in my family. They used to grow lychee back in the 90s until the government bought the land to turn it into a public park. I’ve only experienced the depicted scene from my family’s stories.

“comfort food is a map that guides a lonely person home” Food is a vessel of memory. Emotions like happiness, homesickness, frustration, and hope are tied to certain taste through our experience of sharing dishes with people in our lives. This is also what makes them sources of familiarity. In moments of loneliness and uncertainty, we search for reassurance that grounds our lives and encourages us to keep going.

“is anyone looking at me?” Depiction of the fear of being judged when eating alone in public. The food becomes a mirror that reflects the character’s discomfort and the fear of not belonging.

“a quick fix” What do you eat when you are rushing to a meeting starting in 2 minutes? What do you eat when you are rushing to subway ? This 8-page zine explores handy food choices at the time of haste. (The physical zine is printed in 3-colour risograph.)

“side dish” When we eat alone, we often turn our attention to screens to fill the silence between the food and ourselves. This single-page comic depicts the lack of connection between humans and food.

“in the crowd, by myself” This illustration depicts a moment of quiet retreat: turning away from a partying crowd. The character hides herself in a party cup, physically present but emotionally absent. The festive snack is no longer a source of enjoyment and celebration, but a symbol of the burden of socializing

table for 1, please