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Cornucopia: The Concept of Digital Gastronomy

Amit Zoran
Marcelo Coelho

Leonardo, Volume 44, Number 5, October 2011, pp. 425-431 (Article)

Published by The MIT Press

For additional information about this article


http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/len/summary/v044/44.5.zoran.html

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g e n e r a l a r t i c l e

Cornucopia: The Concept


of Digital Gastronomy
abstract

The authors present a new


Amit Zoran and concept of digital gastronomy
Cornucopia, a futuristic cooking
Marcelo Coelho methodology based on digital
technologies. They discuss how
they have merged kitchen tools
with science fiction and actual
technologies to create this new

T
design space for gastronomy.
The Virtuoso Mixer, the Digital
Fabricator and the Robotic Chef
echnology and gastronomy, the practice of ate all. And although creating gold were conceptualized to enable
cooking and eating food, have evolved together for thousands is still a distant dream, our ability more flexibility and control over
each of the most important ele-
of years: Every ethnic group has developed unique dishes and to manipulate matter and shapes is ments of cooking: mixing ingre-
food cultures, creating tools from accessible materials such increasing. Ponyets, however, does dients, modeling food shapes
as wood, stone, clay and metal [1]. Patterns of trade and mi- not craft the gold through alchemy: and transforming edible matter
gration brought technologies, ingredients and rituals to new An automatic machine does it for from one state to another. The
authors discuss related work
places, shaping local economies and perspectives on the en- him.
and ideas, present their designs
vironment. The image of food and ingredients is rooted in While creating gold may be a and propose their vision for the
the cultural connection between technology, mythology and utopian dream, similar concepts emerging design space of digital
nature [2,3]. This link is apparent in the rituals and ceremo- of the manipulation of matter and gastronomy.
nies that evolved around meals, the narratives associated with energy appear in other fiction. For
ingredients and dishes, and health constraints on what we eat. example, In Star Trek: The Next
In addition, our image of technology has continued to evolve Generation [6], the Replicator is
since the first day man held tools in his hand. Today, the media a machine that generates matter from energy, accepting pre-
plays an important role in providing and transforming these stored shapes, mainly used to synthesize meals. Visually, this
narratives, making the dreams of few the news of many [4]. looks like magic: The food appears out of nothing, fulfilling
Technological narratives thus have an increasing influence on the archetypical image of creation. The vision of Star Trek was
the perception of the kitchen of the future and therefore on not new: Similar concepts had already appeared in earlier films
the shape it will eventually take. such as Kitchen of Tomorrow [7] and 1999 A.D. [8], in which the
The history of gastronomy is only one aspect of human cre- concept of an automatic, programmable future kitchen was
ation: From ancient metaphysics, alchemy and native magic offered. The last few years have brought an increasing amount
to modern science, humanity has always tried to understand of conceptual work visualizing new ideas for similar concepts.
the environment in order to control it. In this context, the Philips Design, the design division of the international
desire to control matterthat is, change its properties and Dutch electronics corporation Philips, has investigated sev-
manipulate its shapesand the narratives associated with this eral concepts dealing with future gastronomy [9]. These
desire are entrenched in modern culture. Consider this quote conceptsthe Diagnostic Kitchen, Food Creation and Home
from Isaac AsimovsFoundation: Farmingrepresent an unconventional approach to reimag-
ining the way we eat and get our food in the future. The Food
This . . . is a small device I constructed myself. . . . It is atomic in Creation project is a modern interpretation of Star Treks
nature. . . . With this machine . . . I can turn the iron you discard
into gold of the finest quality: it is the only device known to man Replicator, based on molecular gastronomy. A similar concept
that will take ironthe ugly iron, your veneration, that props up developed by Nico Klber for the Electrolux Design Lab com-
the chair you sit in and the walls of this buildingand change it petition, that of a 3D food printer, is fascinating and beautifully
to shining, heavy, yellow gold [5]. rendered [10]. This offers a virtual image of a machine that
This futuristic vision appears when Ponyets, an outer-space would fulfill the vision of an automatic, controllable, program-
trader, presents his product to a prospective buyer. Asimov, mable process that can manipulate the form and substance
of course, played with an ancient metaphor: Creating gold of edible matter. What, however, is the motivation for these
from cheaper materials was an old dream of humanity, as- fictional creations? What is the cultural drive for the concept
sociated mostly with alchemists. The quest for gold concerns of automating domestic cooking?
the big questions of nature, being the most prestigious of all
matter-transformation efforts. He who can create gold can cre- The Evolution of Digital Gastronomy
Since World War II, Americans have been cooking progres-
sively less, as a result of the development of a huge food indus-
Amit Zoran (student, artist), Program for Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Media Lab,
75 Amherst Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, U.S.A. E-mail: <amitz@media.mit.edu>.
try mass-producing food products, especially since the 1950s
Marcelo Coelho (student, artist), Program for Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Media Lab,
and 1960s. This changed the way food is produced, distributed,
75 Amherst Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, U.S.A. E-mail: <marcelo@media.mit.edu>. stored and used. While these developments were basically com-
See <www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/leon/44/5> for supplemental files associated with mercial in nature and had very little relevance for nutrition, it
this issue. does not mean we lost interest in food culture [11]. Yet we are

2011 ISAST LEONARDO, Vol. 44, No. 5, pp. 425431, 2011 425
developed over the past 20 years. Molecu-
lar gastronomy focuses on the chemical
Fig. 1. The development
of a new design space. processes that occur during cooking to
( Amit Zoran) create new flavors and aesthetics [14],
such as mille-feuilles, salads, foams and
powders from unexpected ingredients
using revolutionary techniques. A gas-
tronomy expert, Herv This, differenti-
ated the field from the more traditional
food science, which deals primarily with
the composition and structure of food,
by clarifying that molecular gastronomy
deals with culinary transformations and
the sensory phenomena associated with
eating [15]. Rather than understand-
ing the physics of food, the focus here
is on gathering knowledge about the
cooking process, demystifying some of
its old techniques and, as a result, open-
ing space for new avenues of exploration
and creativity.
We define our term, digital gastronomy,
in similar holistic terms. Our focus is on
how digital fabrication technologies can
be integrated into the kitchen so that
they can later influence our eating ex-
periences and the process of cooking by
playing a new role in foods preparation,
culture, economy, physics and chemistry.
At the center of this vision is the creation
of a new design space that goes beyond
the experience of taste to encompass all
aspects of gastronomyvisualizing the
way we can manipulate food digitally.

A New Design Space


In response to this vision, we present
Cornucopia, our concept for futuristic
no longer interested in using traditional the kitchen provide only incremental im- kitchen machines with new digital cook-
tools to craft meals for ourselves. Thus, provements to the tools we have been us- ing interfaces inspired by a novel digital
future gastronomy considers a different ing for hundreds of years. Thus, is it not gastronomy. We start by investigating the
understanding of food, based not simply time to consider a technological revolu- conceptual ways digital technologies can
on economic drives but on a much finer tion in our traditional cooking process? influence the various stages of cooking
understanding of the short- and long- Searching for a new word to describe and then present and discuss our three
term effects of different diets on people these explorations, we first looked at concepts of digital gastronomy. Our
and the environment, with the means to Brillat-Savarins work The Physiology of work is part of a new design space that
enable personal creativity and control in Taste, published in 1825, which broadly arises from novel fabrication technolo-
the preparation of food. describes gastronomy as the intelligent gies and traditional cooking tools and
The slow food movement faces these knowledge of whatever concerns mans merges with cultural narratives of matter
same challenges with a traditional ap- nourishment. Savarin continues: creation and manipulation. This design
proach, promoting education, fairs and space may pave the way for future devel-
events to support food biodiversity and Gastronomy is a chapter of natural his- opment of new technologies (Fig. 1).
hoping by this means to save the count- tory, for the fact that it makes a classifica- Thus, we present a technological vi-
tion of alimentary substances. Of physics,
less traditional grains, vegetables, fruits, for it examines their properties and sion that renders the automatic process
animal breeds and food products [12]. qualities. Of chemistry, from the various of shaping edible matter into a practical
We believe that, side by side with the slow analysis and decomposition to which it design format, relying on existing tech-
food and similar movements, which rely subjects them. Of cookery, from the fact nologies. To achieve this, we developed
on historical experience and knowledge, that it prepares food and makes it agree-
three conceptual designs (not actual
able. Of commerce, from the fact that it
there is also a place to consider the de- purchases at as low a rate as possible what working machines) for digital gastron-
velopment of new technologies to help it consumes, and displays to the greatest omy with different functionalities. We
compensate for the negative effects of advantage what it offers for sale [13]. have done this to illustrate the technical
mass production. Today, even as digital possibilities these concepts offer (rather
media is transforming society, the fun- Another source of inspiration is molecu- than to claim these machines solve all the
damental technologies we encounter in lar gastronomy, a new cooking approach current problems of the food industry),

426 Zoran and Coelho, Cornucopia


to discuss the ethnographic context and processes, on the other hand, use an ted with digitally controlled electronic
to show how these new narratives of gas- array of techniques for depositing pro- tools: Refrigerators can produce ice on
tronomy reveal our image of technology. gressive layers of material until a desired demand; ovens can configure tempera-
shape is achieved. While subtractive tech- ture and cooking time based on weight
nologies, such as milling, are commonly and the kind of food cooked; and coffee
Outside the Kitchen: used to create accurate casting-molds for machines can be programmed to pre-
Digital Fabrication mass production, additive technologies pare coffee for you before you get out of
Over the past 50 years, digital tools have are still limited in their abilities and are bed. Thus, the practical vision of digital
dramatically altered our ability to design currently used for rapid prototyping. It gastronomy is underway. Researchers
the physical world. For example, ad- is reasonable to assume these two pro- have been exploring ideas for future
vances that have taken place in graphics cesses will be available to the public in kitchens for many years. Relevant ex-
software and hardware have gone be- the future, improving our ability to eas- amples are the use of computer numeri-
yond the domain of specialists alone and ily create forms and designs. As these cal controlled (CNC) laser machines to
have reached our personal computers. machines and fabrication techniques create 3D sugar structures [18] and DIY
However, the use of some tools, such as become commonplace in our homes, 3D printers to model 3D objects from
3D printers, hasuntil nowremained they will drastically affect the types and edible ingredients, such as cheese and
restricted to a few. Recent advances quantities of objects we own, altering our chocolate [19].
promise to change this. In the last few creative possibilities [17]. In the context Computer-controlled machines have
years, the price of 3D printers has fallen of this paper, it is important to consider started a new revolution in design, allow-
dramatically, and several do-it-yourself how digital fabrication tools will influ- ing designers to manipulate forms and
(DIY) technology groups have started de- ence our cooking and dining culture. materials with increased and previously
veloping and making their open-source unimaginable capability and efficiency.
3D printer designs accessible to anyone This versatility, applied to cooking, can
interested in modifying or building these In the Kitchen enable users to develop new flavors, tex-
machines at home. Cooking, then, is both a subtractive and tures, scents and shapes to create entirely
Digital fabrication technologies can an additive process. It is also primarily new eating experiences that would be
be grouped under two main catego- transformative: Ingredients are com- difficult to achieve through traditional
ries: subtractive processes and additive bined, heated and cooled, and chemical cooking methods. For example, using
processes [16]. Subtractive approaches reactions transform these ingredients traditional methods, it would be impos-
use drill bits, blades or lasers to remove into new ones in the process of creating sible to create lasagna dough in a variety
substances from their original sources, new shapes, textures and flavors. of new forms and designs or to apply
shaping the desired 3D object. Additive Todays kitchens are already outfit- scientific principles to radically recon-

Fig. 2. The ingredients-combination machineThe Virtuoso Mixer. ( Amit Zoran)

Zoran and Coelho, Cornucopia 427


struct the substance of our dishes (as is unique shapes with precisely defined properties and quantity of the material
the case in molecular gastronomy). It is dimensions; and finally the process of they contain. Supporting these contain-
only through a true digital gastronomy physically and chemically transforming ers is a circular shelf with several types
that we can invent and personalize new existing ingredients into new combina- of dispensing valves to accommodate
dishes, rather than simply automate and tions. Each design focuses on maximiz- the properties of different materials.
replicate traditional ones. ing user control and creativity using a The middle layer houses eight mixing
In order to bring food to the realm unique interface designed to fulfill spe- containers with several types of mixers
of bits, we need to digitally describe not cific needs. Thus, we use these machines and injection tools. The final, lower layer
only its chemical content and transfor- as a platform for a conceptual investiga- functions as an extrusion tray on which
mation processes but also its origin, en- tionas a design stage in the discussion the final material mixture is deposited. It
vironmental impact and cultural values. of digital technology and the cooking is outfitted with an array of thermoelec-
An information-driven food culture can process. tric heating and cooling elements and an
be the source of conscious and healthier insulating glass cover for quickly baking
choices that take place at an individual and for modifying the temperature of the
level and in concert with environmental A Combination Machine: produced mixtures.
and global concerns. Digital gastronomy, The Virtuoso Mixer The machines interface is designed to
relying on digital on-line information, The process of selecting and mixing in- allow users to easily and rapidly experi-
can easily allow us to substitute ingredi- gredients is one of the most fundamental ment with different material combina-
ents based on their nutritional content elements of cooking. However, choosing tions. As ingredients move from the top
as well as our own personal and social the right materials, their quantities and to lower layers, they can be combined in
preferences. the right sequence of mixing and cook- precisely controlled amounts, crushed
In the following sections, we describe ing processes is not a trivial task, requir- and mixed to different degrees, and
a series of conceptual machines that, ing years of training and practice. eventually extruded to compile samples
through different technologies, incorpo- The Virtuoso Mixer (Fig. 2) is a ma- made of discrete layers with varying
rate some of the possibilities described chine composed of a three-layer carousel thicknesses. The large range of possible
thus far, providing a glimpse of the fu- capable of rotating clockwise or counter- combinations allows users to quickly de-
ture. Our concept designs are grouped clockwise while being fully controlled by sign, assemble and evaluate (by tasting)
under three different categories, which a separate digital panel. Each carousel several ingredient combinations. The
we believe lie at the heart of cooking: houses eight glass containers that a user final recipes can eventually be saved,
the ability to combine and mix differ- can fill with off-the-shelf ingredients. At shared with other machines or users or
ent ingredients and to fully control their the top layer, the containers are outfitted simply retrieved by the same machine for
quantities, types and sources; the process with weight scales as well as temperature the preparation of a meal. For example,
of modeling these combinations into and humidity sensors for monitoring the in order to explore different quantities

Fig. 3. The food-modeling machinethe Digital Fabricator. ( Amit Zoran)

428 Zoran and Coelho, Cornucopia


Fig. 4. The Digital Fabricator and its ingredient containers. ( Amit Zoran)

of sugar, flour, butter and chocolate in that can accurately deposit elaborate the diet of the user, who enjoys a cooking
chocolate-chip cookies, the user can combinations of food. While the deposi- process that is as easy as an instant meal,
pre-program the Virtuoso Mixer to si- tion takes place, the food is heated or preserving control over the ingredients
multaneously cook all the recipes. This cooled by the Fabricators chamber or and process being used.
carousel architecture creates an efficient the heating and cooling tubes located
way to test multiple recipe variations that on the printing head. This fabrication
can generate fundamentally distinctive process not only allows for the creation
A Transformation
eating experiences while presenting of flavors and textures that would be MachineThe Robotic
subtle differences in composition. completely unimaginable through other Chef
cooking techniques, but it also allows the Through heat, mechanical deformations
user to have ultimate control over the ori- or molecular changes, the chef creates
A Modeling Machine: gin, quality, nutritional value and taste of visually pleasing and delectable food.
The Digital Fabricator every meal. The fact that these transformations are
By replacing the polymers used in the 3D Each canister provides instant content sometimes one-way and cannot be re-
deposition machines with food materials, feedback to the user (Fig. 4). When an versed makes their use and control even
we can start to harness the potential of ingredient runs out, the Fabricator can harder, and it takes years of study and
digital design 3D modeling and fabrica- automatically order a new canister, sug- practice to develop good cooking skills.
tion tools in cooking. To explore the con- gest an equivalent ingredient replace- Dissatisfaction with the level of chemical
vergence of digital 3D printing and food, ment or ask the user to do so. While this and scientific knowledge in cooking has
we have developed the Digital Fabricator technology allows modeling and cook- led molecular gastronomists to study and
design concept. The Digital Fabricator is ing, enjoying a fully controlled process, push these transformations to new levels,
a personal food factory that brings the the user still has the freedom to pick the creating food with forms and tastes previ-
versatility of digital fabrication to the preferred ingredients from a preferred ously inconceivable.
realm of cooking. In essence, it is a 3D supplier, market or grocery store. Our third digital gastronomy concept
printer for food, which works by storing, The main innovation in the Digital brings the art of transformation to the
precisely mixing, depositing and cooking Fabricator is located in its printing head digital age by equipping users with the
layers of ingredients. and cooking chamber. The head houses digital tools necessary to control the po-
The Digital Fabricators cooking pro- a multi-material mixer, which allows the sition, scale, duration and repeatability
cess starts with a broad array of food can- user to mix and deposit small amounts of of food transformations in their own
isters, which refrigerate and store a users food with high precision. By this means, kitchens.
favorite ingredients (Fig. 3). These are the Digital Fabricator can prevent waste, Transformation is a common term in
piped into a mixer and extruder head fine-tuning the size of the printed dish to digital processing and can encompass a

Zoran and Coelho, Cornucopia 429


wide array of data manipulations. Digi- ticular, we have described three different between food creators and food consum-
tal transformations offer advantages over conceptual designs that imagine how far ers, currently a significant problem in the
their analogue counterparts: They can digital technologies may be incorporated fabrication of industrialized processed
be highly localized; they can be undone into cooking. Obviously, for this concep- food. One need not look very far to see
innumerable times without detriment tual investigation to be taken to another how the mass production and distribu-
to the original data; and this data inde- level, myriad technical and social chal- tion of food has led to increased obesity
pendence allows transformations to be lenges will have to be solved. and generalized health issues. This is a
easily replicated with consistent results, First, from a technical point of view, dangerous processif not designed well,
providing a powerful tool for designers machine integration will require data digital gastronomy can easily broaden
to quickly experiment and test new ideas. quantification and the creation of re- the disconnection between people and
In cooking, transformation can be liable protocols for communication food. Automation of cooking should
achieved through a digital machine: between different machine processes. be designed carefully by putting users
The Robotic Chef, in which algorithms Quantification will allow food and cook- creativity and the control of the process
respond to the individual properties of ing processes to be digitally described at the center of the futuristic cooking
the food being cooked by intensifying or and mathematically manipulated with experience. Users profiles still need to
attenuating local transformations (Color incredible precision. For instance, a digi- be addressed. These would serve to help
Plate C No. 1). For instance, a laser beam tal gastronomy refrigerator should yield define how a single user versus a full fam-
can be used to burn the surface of a steak precise knowledge about the food it con- ily could benefit from such a technology.
with an appealing visual pattern while tains, including the available quantity of Also, the local instruments for a digital
also adjusting the power, speed and reso- an ingredient, its chemical composition, gastronomy presented here cannot be
lution of the beam according to the local required storage conditions and how realized immediately and may even take
amount of fat or meat thickness. Digital it affects taste receptors. This informa- a long time to integrate into society. A
transformations can provide a source tion could then be used to automatically much larger scale of changes in food eco-
for new flavors and design patterns that order new ingredients, make informed nomics and food knowledge is needed
would have been completely impossible decisions about food replacements or for their success.
to create through traditional analog and guide the workings of Cornucopia ma-
hand-controlled cooking methods. chines by forming the underlying data
The Robotic Chef is a mechanical arm behind their communication protocols. Networked Lives and
designed to manipulate a single solid Furthermore, before discussing the chal- Public Acceptance
object, such as a steak, fish or fruit. It lenges of digitizing cooking, we should The final outcome of food parameter-
allows for two types of transformations: not forget that any new cooking machine ization is the evolution of a networked
localized and precise manipulations needs to face pervasive constraints, such food culture intrinsically connected to
performed with an array of tools located as the dimensions of meals it can sup- our networked information society. Dis-
in the tool-head, and global transforma- port, the duration of cooking processes tributing, purchasing, sharing and sam-
tions performed through the underly- and how the food can be washed, cleaned pling recipes must become as easy and
ing bed and two six-degrees-of-freedom and maintained. versatile as the consumption of digital
robotic arms. The tool-head holds an Second, the capabilities described so music today, bringing about new eco-
array of interchangeable manipulation farmixing, modeling and transform- nomic models. A person 5,000 miles away
devices, such as drill bits, spice injection ingcould largely benefit from a single could easily control our digital kitchen
syringes and a single lower-power laser multipurpose machine that combines all tools, forming an ecology of networked
diode, which can programmatically cut, three of our concept designs into one, machines that can order new ingredi-
burn, cook and spice the food held by allowing a user concomitantly to create ents, prepare favorite dishes on demand
the arms. new combinations, transform pre-exis- and even collaborate with doctors to help
The underlying bed houses a heating tent (or newly invented) ingredients and all of us develop healthier eating habits.
plate to cook the food while the arm ap- model new 3D food forms. Leveraging However, digital food machines cannot
plies mechanical transformations, such the same flexibility we find in cooking, replace human touch and taste. In order
as compressions, elongations and tor- this would allow users to control the links to ensure that the technology will be im-
sions, to control the location of the food and hierarchy between ingredients and plemented to the benefit of consumers
underneath the tool-head. As with the the three food manipulation designs. Ad- and not corporations, more work needs
above-described machines, all processes ditionally, this machine should support to be done to guarantee an open system
can be controlled from a computer a design workflow in which cooks could and to help users learn, control and de-
through a user interface, allowing the stop a process, taste the food, perhaps fine their dietetic needs, with unbiased
use of preset manipulations or real-time convert parts of it, accelerate a transfor- access to information about ingredients,
control. These transformation processes mation, record the set of linkages that their sources and their freshness. Thus,
allow users to perform highly localized led to this outcome and ultimately have introducing an open, web-based media
food manipulations that are not achiev- the capacity to experiment with new de- interface to digital gastronomy is still one
able through traditional cooking meth- sign ideas. of the important challenges ahead. Be-
ods. Machine integration, quantification yond that, we are not willing to separate
and workflow raise important issues rel- the process of cooking from the hands of
evant to the mechanization of creative the chef or the amateur cookwe envi-
Discussion practices. Until a new design language, sion that the machines herein described,
In this paper, we have so far described process and culture of production and or different ideas, will integrate with to-
how tastes, forms and new food trans- consumption are fully developed, the days tools in a future kitchen that gives
formations can be created by applying digital fabrication of food could rein- us, the users, more control over the pro-
digital technologies to cooking. In par- force the social and cultural disconnect cess of making food, more information

430 Zoran and Coelho, Cornucopia


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Acknowledgments
10. Electrolux Newsroom. Interview with Nico
We would like to acknowledge William J. Mitchell,
Klber (Molculaire) Electrolux Design Lab finalist, Manuscript received 26 April 2010.
Pattie Maes, Marilyn Levine, Tamar Rucham, Micah
18 September 2009. Electrolux Newsroom website,
Eckhardt and Nadav Aharony.
last accessed 22 March 2010, <http://newsroom.
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Amit Zoran is an engineer and a designer
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Zoran and Coelho, Cornucopia 431

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