Folium: Culinary Engineering (¡Madre de Diós!) via Imgur
Folium: Culinary Engineering (¡Ay Diós Mío!) via Imgur
Folium: Culinary Engineering (¡Madre de Diós!) via Imgur
I don’t know if this is a stretch or not, but I’ve decided to at least let you know my thought processes here. Click the pic / link and you’ll see more to the story. Go ahead, I’ll wait…
So, what we have here is a cute little graphic on inventive methods of food consumption. But at the same time, perhaps this means a little more than we think. I don’t want to say that it’s just enough to accept that “ideas happen” because most of the time they never just “happen” but are results of the needs and desires of people who can think their way out of a problem.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that solving the “nacho” dilemma probably won’t save the world. However, the creative problem solving processes that came up with the “Spoonacho” is more powerful than we realize.
I want to discuss the concept of “multicultural engineering”. In a nutshell the idea that we solve problems using what we know from the world around us. We think in languages and patterns, using objects accessible and familiar to us. And to a certain extent we’re lucky that we’re able to work things out as often as we do. So here’s the question…
If we’re able to solve problems, with satisfactory results, using what we know now… How much better could we be if we knew even more about the world around us?
What I mean by “multicultural engineering” is accepting the fact that people all over the world face different “mini-challenges” that gives them a unique perspective to the problem solving process. This is why large international projects are often composed of people from all over the world! When we think about creating superstructures like the Burj-al-Kalifa in Dubai, or the QE2 on the Ocean, or even the international space station, all of these feats of engineering had thousands of people all over the world pooling their collective problem-solving thoughts into the creation of the product.
I would venture a thought that the creator of the “Spoonacho” often ate hispanic-themed food. What if he or she only ate burgers and fries? What if they decided to never eat “foreign food” at all? Come to find out that the designer is in Belgrade, Serbia. That’s right… not even Hispanic, but had the mindset of designing tools for the consumption of Hispanic food!
Here’s the point. You need to travel, explore, study abroad, intern, and experience what the world has to offer. Discover new cultures, new foods, new problems, and new ways at looking at these problems. Xenophobic paths never lead to global successes. This is why math, science, health, technology and all other types of academic majors can not afford to miss the experience that international travel brings.
Because someone, somewhere, invented the “Spoonacho”. I tip my hat to you.
