as a birthday gift i was once given the book titled ‘feeding desire’ however, instead of featuring a spread of male nudity and sex, it was about cutlery. my initial disappointment aside, it’s a great investigation into one of my other interests; culinary history. any which way, as someone who always tries to be conscious of who or what i put in my mouth, the steinbeisser experimental gastronomy initiative grabbed my attention immediately.
our modern perception of consumption is traditionally defined by reigning social conventions and lately focussing more on ethics, nutrition and allergy; which most of us take for granted, so it is indeed refreshing that the steinbeisser concept seems (for the moment at least) occupied with an alternative expression of culinary utility and content; a redemption from excess. they also have a webshop dedicated to their design collaborations called jouw for the preconceptionally challenged. both dishes and tableware are done in conjunction with top talents in their respective fields and they have just hosted another of their performances over the past weekend; it is actually more like a purification ritual than a meal; a symphony of dishes evoking ideas about survival, nature, origin and existence, accompanied by re-inventive tableware appropriate for such contemplative discoveries. this truly is the metaphysics of feeding; not only the body, but the soul.