Spaniard Juli Capella, the curator of the ongoing Tapas: Spanish Design for Food exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum, said we eat more than 100,000 times during our lives.
Considering that we Filipinos eat at least five times a day, and I am not yet including that all-too-famous excuse of eating before sleeping called the midnight snack, we will easily get past that number before we reach 55 years old.
But then again, considering our somewhat unhealthy lifestyle and the sheer amount of greasy food we put into our mouth on a daily basis, I, for one, would consider myself lucky enough to reach that age.
Ugh. I just believe that an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, work-related stress, Metro Manila madness, pollution all around, and politicians telling lies with a straight face will provide me with a quick path to that place six feet below the ground.
Well, I guess as a consolation, I am some years past the 27-year-old club of Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse.
Anyway, if I am going to die any day now, at least the Tapas exhibit showed me some creative ways to go about eating in style. One thing I can tell from the whole exhibit is that the Spaniards are truly creative.
As Capella said: “In a world without design, we would be sitting naked on the ground. There would be no tables and no chairs, no cameras or wristwatches. Design is synonymous with progress. As our different cultures engage in more permanent contact and we are all influenced by each other, the distinctive features of geographical design by countries or regions are melting away in our interconnected world. Unlike languages, design is like music, a universal idiom.”
The Tapas exhibition features more than 200 objects that showcase chefs, restaurateurs, artists, industrial designers, architects and interior designers. Trust me, how they imagined things in the kitchen or the dining table is truly remarkable.
Now, here is a dining table which I really never imagined could exist. I know it is total disrespect when playing while eating. Oh, wait, a lot of people do that now with their smartphones.
But imagine yourself waiting for food to be served and you are playing football with your companion. That is totally cool. It is like the arcade was brought right into your kitchen.
A dining table would not be complete without the chairs. And this is one very lovely piece of chair in glorious red. Imagine the possibilities with that chair. Wink wink.
Here is an interesting item. I love collecting wines but I hardly drink them. My fascination with them started some years back, when the La Càmara continuously held wine-tasting seminars.
According to the exhibit explanation, the one you see on top of the wine bottle is the Porron Pompero. It fits into the wine bottle, where the person can drink the wine hygienically with it not touching the mouth or it can be used to oxygenate the wine using its wide mouth.
And speaking of wines, just look at this very lovely wine rack. I just wish I have that at home. Keep on dreaming.
Now, this one is truly unbelievable. A crystal shoe container that is being used in a Washington, D.C., restaurant to hold tapa of croquettes in a paper cone. Just do not imagine anything remotely close to a stinky foot smell.
Capella said this foldable table is something individuals can take to the park, where people can spend an afternoon of fun. It can hold wine, bowls, plates and even towels. Again, this is one truly remarkable idea.
Maybe I can use that inside one of the malls here in Metro Manila. Because apparently, malls are being shoved into our faces instead of them, and I use the word “them” loosely, creating more open spaces for the 24 million breathing individuals living in the city.
You know how the old joke goes into this, so I would not explain any further. But what I bet you do not know is that Chupa Chups was invented in 1958 by businessman Eric Bernat with the idea that kids could suck it without getting sticky. Oh, and by the way, 12 million Chupa Chups are being sold daily worldwide. Amazing.
Capella told me the exhibit was started 10 years ago in the United States and Mexico, and is being taken to places where Spanish food is being appreciated. In Asia the Philippines is the third stop of the exhibit, after Japan and South Korea.
Capella said the exhibit showcases Spain’s leadership in gastronomy design. It is a way to put on the spotlight different points of view and the value of creativity. He said the kitchen, table and the food can be designed.
Capella has a degree in architecture from Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona. He was a former president of the Foment de les Arts Decoratives and received an honorary mention at the Spanish National Design Awards in 2000.
Tapas emphasize how design elevates eating from a simple act of consuming food to a more experiential activity that enables an exchange of ideas between cultures.
Organized with the Acción Cultural Española, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain and Instituto Cervantes, the exhibit will run until June 16.
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Guys, you have until Wednesday (April 20) to send me your e-mails for next week’s Mailbag. Send me your questions, thoughts and ideas. Nothing will be too crazy enough to not get published. Let us have fun again.
For comments, suggestions, and reactions, I can be reached at raalzona@yahoo.com.