Overcoming Disgust

→ Taking a cue from the phenomenon of show cooking, where the consumption of food – strangely – becomes a celebrated spectacle, we envisioned an insect show kitchen where customers would be shown the process from flash freezing the insects to the finished dish. 7 dishes & a cooking machine were developed.

Eating Insects

Although it would have environmental advantages – the most relevant ones amongst them being the low amount of water required to produce 1kg of protein and the rapid rate of reproduction – many people find the thought of eating insects repulsive. To move insect food in a familiar environment, the cliche-heavy show-cooking experience «La Nourriture du Futur» was invented.

The cooking machine

The centerpiece of the project is the cooking machine with which the chef creates a show for the customers. He begins by freezing the insects in the cold sector of the machine, using liquid nitrogen(LN2). He then proceeds to cook the ingredients (insects included) within the heated, rotating drum and adds the necessary spices. Depending on the dish, certain special effects can be created throughout the process, for instance, a flambé during the making of the dessert.

La Nourriture du Futur

The chef prepares seven different meals – all containing insects – on a custom-made cooking machine. This would allow the customers to see exactly what they are consuming (thus creating a tighter connection between them and their food) as well as perceive it in a different light due to the appealing smell, taste and aesthetic, both of the food and the restaurant itself. By using the cliché of the «fancy restaurant», we try to critique the justification of eating environmentally questionable food by hiding it behind appealing aesthetics.

Credits

Design by: Claudia Montalvo, Paul Mairböck, Leo Mühlfeld. Support by: DI-Team and the "dieAngewandte" Metall-Workshop.