Member Preview June 12
Open for General Admission June 13
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FOOD: Science, Culture and Cuisine is a treat for all the senses, exploring the concept of food and feasting through sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound. It highlights the many pleasures of gastronomy: creating, tasting, and sharing. It is a unique opportunity to learn science and team it with culture, arts, and society. FOOD: Science, Culture and Cuisine arouses curiosity about scientific subjects, such as the phenomena that occur when preparing food.
Exhibit images courtesy of E. Laurent. Actual gallery appearance may look different.
Exhibition Highlights
- Senses
- Food Chains & Food Webs
- Physical & Chemical Changes
- The Scientific Method
- Form & Function
Enjoying food is not just about the taste. A great meal stimulates all our senses. Immerse yourself by using your senses to identify various objects enclosed in a box. Which senses are more helpful in identifying various items based on evidence collected? With this experience, you will determine which of your senses are best at identifying food.
Play a game that demonstrates how energy is “lost” as it moves through the trophic levels of a food chain. Students play the roles of plants, herbivores, and carnivores and compete over a finite amount of available food and energy. Learn more about the food we eat by identifying its role in the ecosystem.
Through activities like “Butter and Cheese” and “The Chemical and Physical Changes in Making Caramel Ice Cream,” guests investigate the chemical and physical changes made in creating these foods and compare the chemical and physical changes that take place.
Use the scientific method to determine the optimal conditions for growing basil. Join America’s Test Kitchen to use the scientific method to make the perfect cereal cookie bars. You will be given directions on how to make cereal cookie bars and identify what variables you want to manipulate to create the tastiest bar possible.
Observe, investigate, and research a variety of fruits and vegetables to determine the purpose of their shape, color, and texture. Explore the form and function of teeth. Determine what kinds of teeth are used for eating different kinds of foods, and design a set of teeth optimized for eating their favorite food.
FOOD: Science, Culture and Cuisine is presented by:
