If you’ve ever watched Iron Chef or any of the many cooking shows on TV, you’ll know that plating and presentation are just as influential as the taste of food. For example, putting food on blue-colored plates apparently causes you to eat less. Want to keep restaurant patrons hungry? Color your walls with reds and oranges and keep the temperature low. And any food that’s a pale green color is just wrong, no matter how healthy Grandma says it is for you.
Philips Design and Laboratorio Arzak have taken these sensory food associations a step further by integrating technology, creating a multi-sensorial plate that stimulates senses through light, sound vibration, and electrical current. The innovative tableware reacts not only to the temperature of the food itself, but also the movement of utensils. By subtly stimulating the senses, our perception of how food tastes and is enjoyed is changed, creating a more sophisticated gastronomic experience.
The ‘eye of the beholder’ platter concept is a piece of interactive tableware designed for two or more people to eat from. A crystalline substructure changes appearance with moving images – evocative of fire, ice, water, etc. – which are designed to contrast or compliment the dishes served on the platter. Very sensitive temperature monitoring and an array of motion sensors responsive to the utensils and the food make the dining experience playful and surprising. Color, imagery and movement affect the appreciation of individual food items. The platter responds to a series of utensils that stimulate the lips and tongue in subtle ways.
Philips press release…
‘Eye of the beholder’ concept page…