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The makers of 'Chef's Table' have a new Netflix series about street food
Michelin-starred fine dining is passé. As evidenced by the exploding popularity of street food, good eats these days are found at trucks and carts tucked away outdoors, prepared by families with decades of hard graft behind them, and not a single experience of culinary school. Enter Netflix's new series, Street Food, which tells the stories of these chefs as they cook up a dazzling array of noodles, soups and snacks on the streets of nine Asian countries.
June's smart oven adds Whole Foods meals to its library
Healthy eating without the tedious fuss of preparation -- that's the dream, right? Well, things are set to get a lot easier for lazy cooks looking to improve their diet, thanks to a partnership between Whole Foods Market and June, the do-it-all smart oven. From today, foods sold at the store will be integrated into the oven's custom cook programs.
Uber uses trip data to recommend popular restaurants
As you might expect, a lot of Uber riders use the service to get to and from restaurants and bars. Thanks to its customer base, the ride-sharing company has a lot of info on which spots are popular in the cities where it operates. Uber announced this week that its putting all of those trip details to use with a new restaurant guide.
Let people watch you eat, live on Twitch
Not everyone can get famous on Twitch for being good (or terrible) at gaming, but all of us can eat. Twitch has now opened up that very democratic activity with the "social eating" channel. It's under the Twitch Creative umbrella, which launched in style last year with a 200-hour Bob Ross marathon. As Polygon notes, that's despite the fact that Twitch apparently still prohibits "Muk-ban"-style streams focused on food consumption. In that popular Korean trend, people get paid up to $10,000 a month to stream themselves snarfing large meals.
Fruit scraps and algae: It's what's for dinner
Supercomputers are dreaming up crazy new ways to cook the food that we have today, but will we eat the same things in the future? For instance, when news of California's drought began to hit, people wondered if switching to a diet rich in insects would be the only way to survive. A variety of factors, most notably the face you pulled when someone suggests insects in place of a McCheeseburger, was why that idea crashed and burned. So what sort of food will we be eating in our resource constrained, population-heavy future, aside from, you know, people? Here's two companies exhibiting at Hello Tomorrow in Paris that have very different ideas on the snacks of 2020.
Sensor helps you watch your diet by tracking your chewing
Tired of having to catalog every meal in your favorite fitness app just to get a sense of whether or not you're burning enough energy? You might get some relief in the near future. The University of Alabama has built an ear-worn sensor that estimates your food intake by tracking your chewing. The Automatic Ingestion Monitor (AIM) combines imagery of your meals with jaw vibrations to determine both the volume and energy levels of whatever you're eating. It's smart enough to filter out talking, so you won't throw it off by holding conversations in between bites.
Reserve's restaurant concierge app lets you forget about the bill
You can already organize fine dining excursions through a single app like OpenTable, but you still have to pull out your phone or wallet to pay when the night's over. You won't have to worry about the bill with Reserve's new concierge service, though. The currently iOS-only platform lets you not only find and book tables based on your preferences, but automatically bills you after each meal (tip and all); you'll be charged a $5 fee for the convenience, but that's tiny in the world of haute cuisine. If your favorite eatery is busy, you can even offer to pay more than usual in hopes of securing a spot. Want to give it a whirl? You'll have to eat in Boston, New York City or Los Angeles during the current beta testing phase, although San Franciscans will get to try it relatively soon.
Germany turns to 3D printed food to help those who can't swallow
See that meal up there? All of it was crafted on a 3D printer. Smoothfood is a project designed to provide better meals for both the elderly and sufferers of dysphagia -- an inability to swallow food. The process requires freshly-cooked ingredients to be pulped like baby food, before being mixed with a secret additive mix and regurgitated by a modified Foodjet 3D printer. The meal looks, and even apparently tastes, the same as it did before the process, but simply melts in the mouth instead of choking whoever would eat it. Smoothfood can currently create meals with Cauliflower, Peas, Chicken, Pork, Potatoes and Pasta, with more foodstuffs coming at some point in the future. We're slightly nervous that we're going to have to try some of this at a forthcoming trade show, so let's hope it's all as tasty as its creators claim.
Food Practice Shooter: TGS 2013's nutritional AR chewing/light-gun game
Attending the Tokyo Game Show is like hunting for treasure without a map. Invariably, somewhere on the show floor is a hidden gem that makes the whole trip really special, and for TGS 2013 that diamond in the rough was Food Practice Shooter. Abbreviated to FPS (get it?), Food Practice Shooter is the brainchild of assistant professor Dr. Takayuki Kosaka of the Kanagawa Institute of Technology. The idea is fairly simple, though its execution is a bit more convoluted: In order to obtain more ammo in-game, the player must eat healthy foods in real life. The system has three high-sensitivity scales that measure the weight of three cups of vegetables. When prompted by the game, the player removes some food from the required cup, which slightly lessens the load on the scale, which in turn communicates to the game which type of food has been taken. Then, a head-mounted sensor measures the movement of your cheek, telling the game whether you've eaten your veggies like a good boy/girl. There's probably a less obtuse way to encourage healthy eating habits in today's youth, but where's the fun in that? Strap this thing to your face and shoot this zombie tomato or no dessert.
HAPIfork Kickstarter campaign goes live
Stick with us on this one: Yes, the HAPIfork is still just a Kickstarter project, as its US$100,000 campaign has just gone live on the fundraising site. And yes, most Kickstarter projects make better ideas than actual products. But the HAPIfork, unlikely as it may seem, was one of the biggest stars of CES 2013 back in January, so we figured it only right to let you know that you can now back and buy it if you're so inclined. Our friends at Engadget got to go hands-on with the latest version of the fork, which purports to help you track how quickly you eat (with the option to send your eating information back to an iPhone app if you like), and will vibrate to warn you if you're chowing down too fast. The bad news about the fork is that it's apparently very big -- the onboard electronics make the thing way bigger than your standard fork, which makes it a little unwieldy. But Engadget reports that the idea generally works: After a few vibrations, you get the idea, and the fork could actually slow down quicker eaters. At any rate, if that kind of thing sounds appetizing to you, you can get the HAPIfork at a discounted rate of $89 through the Kickstarter. That price is limited to the first 2,500 buyers, and then the price goes back up to the usual $99 (the company is planning to expand that in the future, to a cheaper model and a more premium model with a few extra features). If you've been waiting to get your hands on one of these since CES, there you go.
CES Unveiled: The HAPIfork aims to help you track your eating habits with Bluetooth
CES Unveiled was held last night in the Mandalay Bay conference center in Las Vegas, and served as the unofficial kickoff of one of the biggest gadget shows in the world. The Unveiled room was crowded with new product demos, but one product stood out: The HAPIfork. The HAPIfork, as you might guess from looking at it above, is a Bluetooth-enabled fork. Yes, really. The fork (and there's also a spoon version) uses a combination of sensors to measure just how much you're eating and how quickly, and then will translate those metrics to either an iOS or web app. The fork won't actually measure what you're eating (so it won't measure caloric content or fat content), but it will measure each "fork serving" you take, and it can even be set up to give you an alarm when you're eating too much or too quickly. And each app comes with a "coaching program" to help you eat more healthily (though, of course, actually listening to that coach is up to you). There are also a number of achievements to earn, so HAPIlabs has added a light gaming layer on the whole thing. It definitely seems like a interesting idea, and if you have a real issue controlling portion sizes, this might be worth a try. HAPIlabs is bringing out a USB-based version in the second quarter of this year that will cost $99, and then the Bluetooth fork isn't due until 2014. The HAPIfork definitely turned heads at CES Unveiled, but we'll have to wait just a little while to see how much the finished version actually helps fast eaters tame their habits.
The Daily Grind: Do you eat while you play?
MMOs are time-consuming in a way that few other games are. The oldest games often asked people to sit and camp monsters for hours on end, the sort of thing that required a long vigil and continued attention. Those days are largely gone, but even in games supporting more bite-sized chunks of content, there's still a strong incentive for long leveling sessions and chain-running dungeons. Considering that you're likely in a game that's overflowing with food items, either from crafting or as background ambiance, it's understandable why you might want to get a bite to eat. And if you're just going to go back to playing after you're done eating, why wait? Sometimes you really can't eat at your desk (or wherever you play), and sometimes you don't want to. But as a rule, do you eat while you play your game of choice? Or do you step away from the game to have a snack? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Nomiku's immersion circulator makes low temperature cooking available to the masses, we go hands-on
If you've ever spent time watching Iron Chef or other cooking shows, odds are you've heard of the term sous-vide and know the wonders of cooking with immersion circulators. For those not in the know, an immersion circulator cooks food in a water bath at a precise (to the degree) temperature to ensure perfect doneness of dishes. Nomiku's an immersion circulator that clips onto any pot of water, giving home cooks the ability to sous vide to their heart's content at temperatures up to 100 degrees Celsius. The device is a machined aluminum tube and heat sink, with a 1.3-inch touchscreen OLED display on top surrounded by a plastic knob. Inside is an impeller and 750W PTC heating element that circulates water at up to 10 liters per minute and heat it to within .2 degrees Celsius of the temperature you choose. Just tap the touchscreen to turn it on, stick it in a pot with up to 5 gallons of water, turn the knob to set your temperature, tap the screen again to get it going and, presto, you (or your sous chef bot) will be cooking succulent meats like Bobby Flay in no time.%Gallery-158650% For now, Nomiku exists only in prototype form, but the folks behind it have launched a Kickstarter page to get the funding needed to ramp up production. We got to see the prototype in person, and as a casual dabbler in the culinary arts, the appeal was easy for us to see. It's dead simple to use, and is about the same size as a hand blender, so most folks won't have a problem finding a place for it in their kitchen. In speaking with its creators, we discovered that they created Nomiku to make low temperature cooking easy and (relatively) affordable. You see, existing immersion circulators cost between $500-$2000, which puts them out of reach for most home cooks, but Nomiku (should the project get funded) will retail for $299. Itchin' to get one in your kitchen? Well, head on down to the source link to help make it happen, and feel free to peruse our gallery of photos while you wait for its arrival.
Jawbone Up review
Back in July, Jawbone did something surprising. The company, best known for its Bluetooth headsets, announced it was cooking up a wristband called "Up" -- a wearable device that would track the wearer's sleeping, eating and exercise habits. At the time, we didn't know much more than that, but given the company's expertise in wearable tech, we assumed it would at least have a Bluetooth radio, tying it together with all the other products Jawbone sells. As it turns out, the wristband doesn't sync your vitals wirelessly and for better or worse, it doesn't work quite the way we thought it would. To use the wristband, you'll need an iOS device -- no other platform is supported, and there isn't even a mobile website to which you can upload all your data. Then again, it does things other fitness trackers don't: it monitors when you're in deep or light sleep, so that it can wake you when you're just dozing. And because it's waterproof up to one meter and promises up to 10 days of battery life, it's low-maintenance enough that you can wear it every day, which could be key to making some healthy lifestyle changes. So how did Jawbone do, stepping so far outside its comfort zone? And should you consider this over identically priced fitness trackers such as the new Fitbit Ultra? Let's see. %Gallery-141101%
Jawbone's Up wristband warms up at AT&T store, wants you faster, stronger
Jawbone's fitness-obsessed wristband appears to be closing in on the retail finish line. The Up pairs with what appears to be an iOS app, (no news on whether an Android version is in the pipeline), and will pile on the guilt about your disgustingly sedentary lifestyle. You can have the luxury of feeling like a weight loss reality show contestant by scheduling "get up and move" reminders when you've succumbed to watching back-to-back mediocre sitcoms with a Doritos family bag chaser. There's also a sleep tracker and a challenge tab to plot your amazing weight loss journey (or descent to an early demise) against friends and family. It'll monitor what you eat, and even tell you which foods "help you feel your best." (We think it's cake.) No word on price or arrival date just yet, so you'll just have to put up with Autom until we hear more. [Thanks, Luke]
Bite Counter knows how many donuts you devoured, shames you into eating less
Because all you ever really wanted was an $800 bracelet that counts calories... enter the Bite Counter. It's the retro-lookin' lovechild of two Clemson University researchers that helps its hosts approximate caloric consumption by counting how many bites they take. Color us skeptical, as the meatbag wearing the gizmo has to -- gasp! -- actually remember to both start and stop the device each time they feast. The duo is hopeful it'll glean useful data for future research, as the contraption can be used "anywhere, such as at restaurants or while working" -- you know, places where scribbling how much you eat in a secret diary is frowned upon. Best of luck fellas, but until it hits a sub-century price point, we'll just stick to eating salads. PR after the jump.
Jawbone branches out from audio products, teases "Up" wristband that keeps tabs on your bad habits
According to our calendar, this is one of the least timely days of the year for us to harp on New Year's Resolutions, but that's no matter to Jawbone. The company, best-known for crafting those high-end headsets, is at TED talking up its first non-audio product: a wristband dubbed "Up" that tracks and analyzes your eating, sleeping, and exercise habits -- kind of like a bare-bones Fitbit or Nike+. As you can see in that photo up there, it's about the size of those ubiquitous rubber Livestrong bands and lacks a display (not to mention, wireless radios) -- all concessions made in the name of keeping the cost down, says Travis Bogard, VP of product marketing and strategy. So, this is a good 'ol wired product, with a bundled adapter connecting the band to your phone via the 3.5mm jack. Once you connect, you can view all your data on a website or through a mobile app. Or, if you thrive on public shaming, you can challenge people to fitness duels to the death (our phrasing, not Jawbone's). All told, this falls outside the outfit's comfort zone, but then again, it does know a thing or two about wearable tech. For now, the company's keeping mum on pricing and availability, though it says Up will be available in the states later this year. As for compatibility, well, Bogard tells us it's going to work with "all the relevant" mobile platforms. Make of that what you will, folks.
Cameraphone app analyzes your meal, disgusts you with factual calorie counts
It's a hard truth that's easy to swallow: our cubicle-dwelling lifestyles often get the best of our waistlines. We try to diet, but without a never-ending pile of Cheetos and Chicken McNuggets next to our laptops, we feel so very, very, very....alone. Luckily a Japanese company has developed a software companion to keep us company on our slimming endeavors: it's an app that will analyze a photo of your meal and tell you how many calories you're about to consume. While it can't actually prevent the food from hopping down our throats (2.0, maybe?) it will allow your meal's calorie content to be socially networked with your friends' meals' calorie contents, creating a weird long-distance eating competition with other connected dieters. But hold the Pad See Ew -- while it's good at figuring out Japanese staples, it's "not so good on stuff like Thai food." [Photo courtesy tnarik's flickr]
Buffing for BlizzCon: The Convention Challenge
Buff(ing) for BlizzCon is a bi-weekly fitness series written by ShrinkGeek authors Rafe Brox and Michael McGreevy. Join the WoW.com team in getting in shape for the ultimate WoW geek event: BlizzCon 2010. BlizzCon is still three months away, but convention season is in full swing. The San Diego Comic-Con ended a few days ago, and in the seemingly endless days that stretch out between now and Blizzardpalooza, there are several huge conventions that may be occupying your time. I'll be leaving next week for Gen Con, and a month after that you'll be able to find Rafe and me (along with a large handful of staffers from Massively) at Dragon*Con. I often wonder if we geeks have not subconsciously scheduled some of the biggest conventions of the year over the summer months as a result of the countless dull hours in our youth because we didn't appreciate the "traditional" summer activities. Whatever the reason, though, this is the time of the year when it's truly grand to be a geek. It is not, however, such a grand time if you are trying to make healthy dining choices.
Engadget dines at Taipei's Windows 7-themed restaurant (video)
Taiwan may be a comparatively small place, but it's well known for a few things: incredible eats, incredible technology, and the best Little League World Series teams this planet has ever seen. We're experiencing the best of those first two this week at Computex, and since we were all the way over on the other side of the planet, we couldn't help but stop by the Windows 7-themed eatery that opened up for just a couple of months surrounding the nation's only hosted consumer electronics show of this magnitude. The place, as we were told by the one and only Andy Yang from Engadget Chinese, is Taiwanese through and though. It typically goes by 100 Seafood, but for a couple of months it has been transformed into a 64-bit dining location with Windows 7 wallpaper, stickers, banners, and even mugs. Each day there's a special menu item that sells for just NT$77 (around $2.38 in the US), but considering that said special was some form of intestines on the evening that we showed up, Engadget and company sprung for dishes with a bit less relation to the digestive system. In all seriousness, the grub hit the spot after a long day on the trade show floor, and the take-home mugs for us media folk made the journey even more worthwhile. Now, to see if the lid closes over if we don't activate the thing in 30 days... Take a trip to this magical place yourself in the galleries below, or do one even better and jump past the break for a video! %Gallery-94338% %Gallery-94337%
