DRAFT for the LateLab Open Sauces menu. The dishes and the flow are still very much a work in progress.

FoAM, Amanda, Marc (?) introduction of the evening. FoAM talks about the motivation for the evening, food futures, how we designed the menu based on four possible future scenarios, looking at how the relationship between food, wellness and the environment could evolve. We present the four scenarios as small amuse bouches and describe the futures of: continuation, discipline', collapse and transformation.

Four futures amuse bouche

• beer/whiskey aperitif
• deep-fried mussel & chip
• local pickle
• seasonal vegetable skewer (with intensely flavoured green sauce/dipping oil)
• pill-shaped potato & leak sorbet
• fresh apple juice and shizo martini

In the Continue scenario, there is a lot of choice of food from around the world, with the taste being re-localised (scottishified, dutchified…), there is a disconnect between what is eaten and the supply chain; flavours are being artificially added, to mask chemically enhanced foods; appearance and branding is sometimes more important than taste; in cities people battle against the homogenisation of food and go in search of authenticity through supper-clubs and pop-up restaurants…

options:

• (deep fried) Sushi with Scottish ingredients (substitute rice with barley, fish with haggis, seaweed with red cabbage…)
• Scottish tapas that taste 'natural' but look 'artificial'
• water in a non-standard container (maybe using reverse spherification?)

• dominant tastes: sweet and salty; bite-sized 2-3 pieces, brightly coloured, delicate presentation;

In the Disciplined scenario the food comes from short supply chains, with the focus on its nutritional value. Food is appreciated for it's taste, but overly aesthetic considerations are treated with suspicion. Cradle-to-cradle and permaculture function on a small scale; people appreciate wild foods that their habitat has to offer, the foraging is highly regulated, but available. swapping seeds on social networks and diligent recycling of food and packaging is common.

• nettle soup (or other seasonal wild leafy greens) with fresh curd
• potato consomme with basil or leak (essential) oil
• soup could be served raw linseed/hemp/mixed seed cracker/leather

• well balanced full taste with pungent flavour accents; small soup bowls served individually, crackers shared from the centre of the table;

In the Collapse scenario, what we now consider edible has become scarce; waste is turned into food, what was previously considered inedible (or not tasty) becomes a delicacy; fermentation is an important way to get rid of bacteria (since antibiotics don't work as well anymore); hunting and gathering skills are becoming essential for survival; people are balancing between starvation and decadent debauchery; there is an abundance of soy, as meat and dairy industries collapsed, so mock meat and tofu are omnipresent; all parts of animals (including humans) are eaten, and organ market is booming.

• deep-fried potato skin (sprinkled with truffle/mushroom oil) on a big plate
• a deep fried insect
• pickled shellfish/sea urchin/fish/vegetable
• seaweed salad
• bite-sized mock-meat or tofu and mushroom stew (pink or blue oyster mushroom, or other strangely shaped/coloured fungus, such as the monkey head mushroom, (Hericium erinaceus), prepared to look like organ meat.
• Smokey whiskey cocktail (or 'wee dram')

• dominant tastes: sour, salty, umami, pungent

In Discipline scenario meat has become a luxury and organic 'cuisine vegetal' is flourishing. The consumption of most ingredients is constrained and highly regulated. There is an explosion of the certification bureaucracy and meticulous tracking of ingredients, which are augmented and 'smart'. Diets and medicine are highly personalised, as everyone becomes their 'quantified self'. Social control and enforcement are flourishing.

• vegetarian shepherd's pie (substitute meat with mushrooms, smoked seitan, nuts, wild asparagus…), with local beer reduction - or any other very meaty dish made with tasty meat substitutes (the taste should be as close to the meat as possible, possibly even more intense and definitely not bland…)
• local beer brewed using variant on traditional recipes (perhaps something from BrewDog such as Libertine Black Ale, Cocoa Psycho or Tokyo?)

• predominance of umami taste, juicy; served in a small portion, 'relaxed' or rustic presentation;

In the Transform scenario food is exciting and innovative: grown in widely spread urban food forests, but also in advanced food science labs and even in space. Maker cultures and DIY movements turned everyone into some kind of tinkerer - including brewers, distillers, chefs and gardeners. Micro supply chains offer ultra-boutique products that delight and surprise even the most critical palates…

A few small bite-sized portions of desserts such as:

• tipsy laird meets smoked garlic tiramisu
• spring flowers edible perfume
• liquid fudge
• sniffable raw cacao & maca powder
• (goat) cheese crisps with popping sugar
• light sponge with the appearance of a moon-rock
• Fresh fruit or vegetable cocktails, such as beetroot cocktail, variation on tea and coffee, or …

• tastes: surprising, following flavour pairing principles; dishes served in laboratory glass