ENGINEERING THAT LETS US EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY

摘要

Like it or not, being an engineer probably influences just about every aspect of your life, not least your attitude to food. Concepts like food miles have made everyone more aware of the social, political and environmental implications of what they choose to eat.The part played by technology is often overlooked, but is put in the spotlight by some recent books. At a very basic level, what makes a 'square meal'? The title of Dan Barber's 'The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food' (Little, Brown, £14.99, ISBN 9781408706503) is derived from the idea that we're moving beyond the traditional meat and two veg 'first plate', and the similar 'second plate' on which the same components are free-range and locally sourced, to a whole new paradigm in which what we cook doesn't just support a sustainable food chain but actually dictates it.