Going back? 

Nowadays food comes from everywhere in the world. Bananas from Congo and Avocados from South Africa are the most normal thing in the world. However, until the 1800s, perishable food had to come from places close to the city because of the slow modes of transport. Even though food can now come from everywhere, it is not the only thing people care about anymore. A trend in environmentally friendly food and transport modes is becoming increasingly important. In supermarkets, you can see more and more locally produced food on the shelves to limit transport pollution. As you can tell from the picture we took in the MAS, food transport can be damaging to the environment.  

Food markets and local stores are also making a comeback to the city. Not only because of the fresh and local products but for the easy accessibility too. In cities, it is now easier to move around by foot or bike instead of by car. As a result, large supermarkets have recently been on the decline because of the problems they cause regarding traffic.  

What is unlikely to make a comeback is the real traditional Dutch cuisine, which is rarely found on restaurant menus these days. Let's face it, nobody wants to eat only boiled potatoes for a whole week. In restaurants, you can find more seasonal dishes like they used to do in the past as well.  

A new normal?

So what if the future world does not look like the one we live in now? Imagine eating food from a species that went extinct ages ago, or that cannibalism is legal. Soon, robots might take over part of our food processing or we will review our whole idea about eating. We all might agree that the process has to change to save our environment, but there are enough scenarios in which this can happen. What do you think is the most likely?  

These are all themes the A la carte exhibition covers. If you want to see it for yourself visit the MAS and explore the future of food and many more interesting things!