The power of food emojis, part of The Food Chain series, by BBC.
When the San Francisco based artist and designer Yiying Lu discovered there was no emoji to represent her beloved dumpling, she knew she had to do something about it. She tells us why for her, and millions of others, emojis are an important form of communication and cultural representation.
Do you give food emojis much thought? If not, perhaps you should. Emily Thomas hears how these tiny digital images can have a big social and economic impact. The series reveals who decides which emojis are accepted and how you can propose your very own. Two Venezuelans living in the US explain why their brand new ‘flatbread emoji’ could be one the most significant achievements of their lives, and the emoji artist responsible for everything from the ‘dumpling’ to ‘bubble tea’ tells us why she sees her work as a calling, and how it has made her an unexpected cultural ambassador.
Why I fought to get my bubble tea emoji accepted is another show in the series.