Diners have a better chance of getting into Harvard Law School than scoring a seat at El Bulli, the gastronomic temple in Spain that annually fields more than one million requests for reservations, but visitors to SMU's Meadows Museum next month can console themselves with a chef Ferran Adria-designed spoon.
The spoon with a clothespin handle - eaters are supposed to clip an aromatic herb or flower in it, perfuming their every scoop of soup or ice cream - is among more than 100 contemporary objects featured in "Foodjects: Design and the New Cuisine in Spain," a show curated by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. Many of the pieces will also be stocked in the museum's gift shop, Honorary Consulate of Spain Janet Kafka says.
The spoon with a clothespin handle - eaters are supposed to clip an aromatic herb or flower in it, perfuming their every scoop of soup or ice cream - is among more than 100 contemporary objects featured in "Foodjects: Design and the New Cuisine in Spain," a show curated by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. Many of the pieces will also be stocked in the museum's gift shop, Honorary Consulate of Spain Janet Kafka says.
According to Kafka, the show's innovative plates and bowls work just as well with tuna sandwiches and meatloaf as Iberian ham tapioca and nitrogen-frozen nuggets of blue cheese. "If you want to set a fabulous, modern table, there will be things you'll want to buy," Kafka says.
The show's cookware includes a pair of rings that transform a napkin into a bread basket and a wine glass that can be used for sipping or pouring.
"The exhibit is fantastic," Kafka says. "For me, it made all the sense in the world to bring it here because Dallas is very design-aware, Dallas is very food-aware and we have one of the finest Spanish art museums in the world."
The exhibit opens at the Meadows on July 6, and leaves for Peru on July 26. The museum has organized a wine tasting, lecture on Spanish cuisine and cookware workshop in conjunction with the show. "It's a great deal of fun for the summertime," Kafka says.
