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(one of four food scenarios on the topic of food futures)

The myth of unlimited growth has become cancerous. Industrial expansion has devoured everything it could and is now beginning to digest itself. Antibiotic resistance emerged as a major threat to this fear-driven society. After the collapse of meat and dairy production, a series of brutal resource and microbe wars led to malnutrition and in many cases starvation. The (literal) hunt for animal protein became widespread. Animals previously considered non-edible have become sought after delicacies. While most people’s diet is forced veganism, there is an increase of insectivores and invasivores. Jellyfish has become a staple in coastal regions and imported inland.

The unpredictability, fragmentation, opacity and breakdown of the food supply chains increases a sense of urgency. The synthetic food supplements is a hugely profitable industry. This is a culture of feast and famine, balancing between certain death and decadent debauchery. Masses are entertained in collective Binge & Purge parties, while the select foodie elites indulge in decadent, wasteful eating of endangered species. On TV, the new hype is a reality TV where Hunger Games meets Master Chef. On the internet, cannibalism is organised through social networks, with an alarming rise in prion diseases. The internet is a cesspit of misinformation and greenwashing campaigns.

As the short supply chains become unsustainable due to soil degradation and extreme weather, it becomes impossible to survive exclusively on a local environment. There is little or no arable land left, that gives raise to enforced nomadims, aka plagues of human locusts (that are of course televised). The militant transition towns have moved underground, cultivating mushrooms and guarding giant apocalyptic fermentation vats (the only non-contaminated food available for vast majority of population). Bathing in digestive enzymes attempts to replace antibiotic protection, giving rise to funky rituals.

A suicide cult of The Last Supper Club (with optional organ donation to Michelin star restaurants) gains popularity in major metropolitan areas. Most of humanity is sinking into a toxic “soylent green” marsh, while the select minority meets their death through consumption of exclusively poisonous last specimens of a species. Wherever you turn, there is death and decay, with no hope of redemption.

L1010392


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  • Last modified: 2014-04-03 19:20
  • by nik