In this “first-person eater” game, players navigate a virtual dinner party. Enjoy a virtual taste of Revived Passenger Pigeon, vegan ortolan, cisgenic strawberry shortcake, or glowing sushi options including the Kryptonite Roll, Not in California Roll, or the Stop and Glow Nigirizushi. Accompaniments include sourdough bread tainted by smoke from wildflowers and Cobalt 60, a barbecue sauce made from mutation-bred plant cultivars. These and other menu items illustrate the Center for Genomic Gastronomy’s claim that “We have always been biohackers.”

The Center for Genomic Gastronomy is an artist-led think tank that examines the biotechnologies and biodiversity of human food systems. Launched in 2010 by Cathrine Kramer (NO) and Zack Denfeld (US)—and joined by Emma Conley (US)—the Center has collaborated with scientists, chefs, hackers, and farmers in Europe, Asia, and North America to study organisms and environments manipulated by human food cultures. Their mission is to map food controversies, prototype alternative culinary futurism and imagine a more just, biodiverse, and more beautiful food system.

Discursive Designers and Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design associate professors Stephanie M. Tharp and Bruce M. Tharp respond to Cultures of Biotech here.

Shelby Brewster is a PhD candidate in Theater Arts at the University of Pittsburgh focusing on performance and ecological emergencies. She responds to Culture of Biotech here.

genomicgastronomy.com