Future of Food: Berkeley exhibition explores the alternative world of sustainable cuisine

IF FUTURE FOOD is fun, entertaining, and fantastic, it is also deeply embedded in culture, science, AI and state-of-the-art biotechnology and bioengineering. All of these angles are on display in the Lawrence Hall of Science’s newest exhibit, “Future of Food.”

The over 4,000-square-foot exhibition, which opened in March and continues for the next two years, is highly interactive and self-directed. Hands-on activities allow visitors to act like oysters and catch marine algae (green ping pong balls) with metal baskets, “feed” a burping cow, crawl through a tunnel to explore soil, or walk in a “forest” of super-sized bacon strips and learn how the real deal is being made from seaweed. Not all of the installations are simulated: live native oysters cavort in a 100-gallon tank and mealworms in trays squirm in response to being shaken. Throughout, text panels and other elements appear in English, Spanish, and occasionally Chochenyo, the language of the East Bay Ohlone people.