BRB w/ Nathan P — Intelligent Slime Molds, Whole Roasted Cauliflower & Technically Food
How slime molds could redesign our transit systems, a decadent treat topped with green tahini, and a fresh take on Silicon Valley's novel food start-ups (#18).
Hi all,
Welcome back to BRB w/ Nathan P — a weekly newsletter featuring 💥1 Breakthrough, 🥘1 Recipe, and 📚1 Book on food & climate.
Before we get started, here are some highlights of food & climate in the news this week:
Adverts claiming products are carbon neutral by using offsetting face UK ban (The Guardian).
Global warming set to break key 1.5C limit for first time (BBC). Scientists estimate the odds of breaking 1.5C temperature increase since the 1850s in the next 5 years is 66%.
💥 Breakthrough: Intelligent Slime Molds
Alas, traffic jams and subway delays still exist. Some cities are consulting the best civil engineers you’ve never heard of: slime molds.
Slime molds are fungi-like and SpongeBob-yellow amoebas that exhibit cellular intelligence. They are single-celled and spread outward from a point in search of food. They can solve mazes and pick the healthiest foods amongst a tasty selection. They might even have the krabby patty formula. And researchers consider them the best biomimicry candidates to decongest our road and rail systems.
Japanese scientists conducted an experiment. They represented the city of Tokyo in Petri dishes, using oats to map population hubs and rail stations. They then introduce a slime mold.
At first, the slime mold spreads all directions in webs to feed off the oats. Over time, the most efficient nutrient transportation pathways are reinforced, and the less direct ones thin out.
The scientists then overlay this Petri dish with Tokyo’s subway system. The slime molds’ network developed more efficient connections between hotspots than had Tokyo’s city planners.
Slime molds display cellular intelligence, yet they have no brain, nerves, or central decision making. Over millions of years, the slime molds evolved to develop highly effective and adaptable networks to transport nutrients.
These slime molds might also inspire the ChatGPT of transportation networks. Just like machine learning models are trained to mimic neuronal networks, researchers are creating algorithms to optimize city systems based on slime mold behavior.
This example of biomimicry illustrates that single-celled organisms can be high-tech. Our beloved New York subway network could certainly use some inspiration.
🥘 Recipe: Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Roast a whole head of cauliflower and you will get a crispy caramelized outside and a tender buttery interior. Need I say more?
In this recipe, I place the cauliflower on top of citrusy and garlicky yogurt and drizzle green tahini sauce. You can also tear off florets to dunk into your favorite dips, which is actually not as messy as it sounds.
If you make it, please send pictures :)
📚 Book: Technically Food
Larissa’s curiosity about food stems from her struggle with diabetes in elementary school. She counted carbs, read labels, and rethought the food we put into our bodies.
In Technically Food, she explores 8 novel food categories: algae, fungi, pea protein, milk & eggs, upcycling, plant-based burgers, vertical farms, and cell-based meat. Her questions don’t just probe at these novel foods, but also the underlying processed food ecosystem.
She is skeptical of the next-generation of Silicon Valley start-ups producing food in factories rather than farms. Most of these start-ups are mission-based — they aim to end factory farming, reduce the environmental impact of food, and prevent animal deaths.
Yet these entrepreneurs and their investors also want to make money. We already see that profit motives and lagging regulations can optimize our food system for cost rather than health.
If you are new to the food tech space, this is a great overview of its current state and capabilities. One caveat: as you might have already guessed it, Larissa is explicitly biased in favor of natural, equitable, and regenerative food solutions.
Some quotes as food for thought:
Do we eat to save the plant, the animals, or ourselves? What about traditional foods from cultures already threatened by a food system that doesn’t serve their basic needs?
To make food from literally almost nothing — yeast, bacteria, single-cell organisms, carbon emissions — we need industrial systems… If our health is failing us on the current industrial methods, shouldn’t we be looking for ways that don’t perpetuate that same framework?
One of the enduring characteristics of the food industry is its penchant to sell now and have someone test later.
Thank you for reading - BRB next week ✌️
🥘 Recipe: Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Source: adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi
Ingredients (4 servings as a side)
Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp of butter (optional, can replace with more olive oil)
Flakey salt
3 large tbsp of yogurt
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Green tahini sauce:
80g or 1/3 cup tahini
80g or 1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic, grated
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 pinch of salt
Instructions (2h, active time 20 mins)
Rinse the cauliflower. Remove a few leaves closest to the florets to leave 2” or 5cm for air circulation. Leave the rest as they will be deliciously crispy.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Place the cauliflower in the pot upside down and bring back up to a boil. Boil for 8-10 minutes. Drain and let cool in a colander for 10 minutes.
Place upright on a baking tray, baste with the olive oil and optional butter, and sprinkle with flakey salt. Bake at 375F for 1.5-2h and baste every half-hour.
Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, and grated garlic in a bowl. Spread evenly on the plate and place the cauliflower on top.
Blend the tahini, water, grated garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Add water to loosen or tahini to thicken.
Drizzle the green tahini on the cauliflower or use as a dip. Garnish with parsley. Enjoy with your besties :)
About Me
Hi there! My name is Nathan Paumier - I’m an avid reader, food enthusiast, and climate optimist. I started this newsletter after frequent questions on food tech, reading recommendations, and my secret recipes.
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