food
A science fiction food blog with highlighting the best recipes, restaurants, and go to recommendations.
Agri-Biodiversty, Terroir, and Insects...
Right, it occurred to me that I never answered my own question in the previous blog post. Why are certain species of plant, or animal, an accepted part of the food system (i.e. yellow corn or cows), whilst some are valorised because they are popular or rare (i.e. vanilla or civet coffee), and some are completely ignored altogether? I’m going to answer this question with three points that I find helpful to think about the food system; human conditioning, human consumption, and terroir.
Julia ShorttPublished 6 years ago in FuturismPermaculture
This week was a little quiet on the food knowledge gathering front, so, unfortunately, this post won’t be as bright and shiny as others. However, I would like to talk about permaculture and agriculture. To set the stage somewhat, one of my friends has started to grow things in his garden—from chilies to squash—and he has the aim to grow everything he needs next season. I applaud this; self-sufficiency and off-the-grid living is one of the things I am most interested in. So, he was interested in a film night which is part and parcel of the London Permaculture Group, and asked me if I would like to come along. We wound up in Café Cairo in Brixton on a frozen (ever so slightly wet) Thursday evening, the film was to be screened in the tent area, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t take my coat off for most of it! Due to an AV error, the group never quite got around to seeing the film (which is called Tomorrow) but we saw a few clips and I picked up enough information to investigate the subject further by myself.
Julia ShorttPublished 6 years ago in FuturismBlockchains
So, I’ve been reflecting, and in my last post, I seemed quite unenthusiastic about tech and food. Whilst some of the ideas I heard at LFTW were quite dystopian in bent I felt (but that could be because of my love of Sci-Fi literature, film, and TV), there were others that could help fix the issues in the food chain that we have these include: food wastage, climate change, monocropping (that’s where you have one plant, i.e. wheat, grown in acres of land with no bio-diversity), soil and water depletion. The idea that I want to tackle in this post is one that can be used in avoiding food wastage: blockchain technology.
Julia ShorttPublished 6 years ago in FuturismLondon Food Tech Week
OK, so last week was a bit hectic for me. I was given the opportunity to go to London Food Tech Week, which has been on my radar for several years. As I am both a bit of a culinary Luddite and an anthropologist, the tech and future side of food is a bit new to me. However, this (I am not allowed to say “conference”) week was a revelation, insightful, and a bit of a blast.
Julia ShorttPublished 6 years ago in FuturismStar Wars Releases the Recipe for Rey's Portion Bread (And It's Actually Pretty Simple)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens captured the nation's imagination when it came out and re-ignited the fires of fandom all over the world. Fans naturally latched on to every little detail with some fan favorites being complete surprises like the rise of riot baton badass TR-8R. Apparently, people were also pretty keen on the bread the Rey was eating because Star Wars has decided to release the official recipe for Portion Bread so you can make it at the comfort of your own home and it's not actually that hard to pull off.
Jay VergaraPublished 6 years ago in FuturismDo You Want Your Bacon CRISPR?
In the 1980s, pig farmers started seeing their herds come down with a viral infection causing severe breathing problems, a disorder that became known as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, or PRRS. The disease is particularly rough on young pigs, and in sows it can cause early pregnancy terminations or stillbirths of entire litters. PRRS today results in annual losses among pork producers in the U.S. of $650 million and €1.5 billion in Europe.
Alan KotokPublished 7 years ago in FuturismCrisis: Water
Whatever you may think of the Syrian crisis, the Iran nuclear agreement, or the troubles with North Korea, there still remains an undercurrent of economic uncertainty in every part of the world today. That economic uncertainty stems from the fact that fresh water isn't available to millions the world over. When we here about our own infrastructure failings right here in the good old USA too many of our elected officials omit the plain fact of the matter that access to fresh water is vital for all other infrastructure projects to succeed. And without access to fresh water our whole economy will crumble.
Dr. WilliamsPublished 7 years ago in FuturismPlanet Feast
With his ax, Thoma hacked off another slab of planet-flesh, caught it in his free hand as it fell, and tossed it into the plastic bin in his lap.
Jeffrey Aaron MillerPublished 7 years ago in FuturismHold the Meringue Cheesecake
“Voilà!” said the waiter, as he raised his hand and presented the plates to the diners. RT Hon. Margaret Hamill MP, Secretary of State for International Trade, had imaged a number of responses that the Children of the Luminescent would have once the cloche lids would be removed. Absolute shock and horror were at the very bottom of that list, so she was quite surprised when the esteemed ambassadors gasped and winced at the sight of a rack of lamb, nestled gently among a bed of potatoes, carrots, and zucchini.
Joachim HeijndermansPublished 7 years ago in FuturismThe Science of Smell
Straddling the disciplines of art and science, Sissel Tolaas has travelled the globe collecting over 7,000 different smells, which she stores in her Berlin research laboratory. Along the way she has made cheese from the bacteria in David Beckham’s football boots, simulated the sweaty smell of fear, and recreated the scent of space as a training aid for NASA astronauts. Having avoided deodorant her entire life, Tolaas is on a quest to educate “the smell-blinded” by separating odours from visual stimulus. She has made scents that help people learn biology and has mapped out molecular smellscapes from Amman to Calcutta. When the wind blows, her nose becomes filled with a “symphony of music”, and she dreams of everyone being able to experience the same sensation. Tolaas believes that once we retrain our noses, we will be able to overcome society’s pre-conceptions of what smells good and bad. And if that happens, we’ll all be able to see everything from a new perspective… without even having to open our eyes.
Tim NoakesPublished 7 years ago in FuturismAmazing DIY Firefly Projects All Browncoats Will Love
Wait. Are you reading the right list? Here is a short quiz: Are you always referring to someone named “Cap’n Tight-Pants” as if he were not only a real man, but your personal hero?
Sarah QuinnPublished 7 years ago in FuturismThe Sweetest Sci-Fi Treats in the Galaxy
Sometimes I look around at intensely intricate Pinterest parties that other people apparently have the time to create for their children, and the mind boggles at the lengths to which theme-ing these parties goes. Sometimes, parents put out totally normal food, but give it a cutesy name to make it match. Example: a Star Wars party with skewers of grapes next to a little homemade sign reading “LIGHTSABERS.” This “treat” would be mildly disappointing to me, but apparently not everyone is such a snob. Adam Driver, for example (aka Kylo Ren), once said that during filming of The Force Awakens, “Every day I would show up to craft services hoping there’d be some space-themed food, but there never was. Which is a shame, because I think that would’ve really boosted morale. Like, if you’re serving meatballs, just call them meat asteroids. Or, if you’re serving grapes, call them fruit asteroids. It’s not that hard.” Yes it is Adam! Yes it is! If you want results you’ve got to put in the effort! (What am I, a coach for geek food? Ok, probably.) If that wouldn’t satisfy you either, check out these amazing sci-fi treats and sweets based on Star Wars, Firefly, Star Trek, Dr. Who, and Stargate. None of them, fortunately, are “meat asteroids” (what was he THINKING?).
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in Futurism