Playful Gastronomy

Socialisation, eating and play are core activities that make us human. While they are often brought together, play theory suggests that their combination has unexplored potential in the context of gastronomy. Our research also indicates that a chef’s desire to control the meal may be a key impediment to developing dining experiences in which the diner’s playful engagement impacts taste, texture and flavour combination. In this project, we investigate if combining participatory Research through Design and play theory might better situate chefs to diversify their approach to playful gastronomy. This project is led by Ferran Altarriba Bertran, and co-authored by Danielle Wilde (University of Southern Denmark), Rosa Lutz, and Katherine Isbister.