Calling Card Mind Mapping - Inside the mind of someone who thinks about food 24/7

To begin the mind mapping, I thought about what goes on in my own mind: FOOD.

Ultimately, I would like to make something food related, as enjoying food is a common human experience that can lead to a variety of emotions.

1. Seattle Gift Box: The excitement of getting gifts

For this object, I want to to add to the enjoyment of getting a gift by making a puzzle gift box to contain the gifts. The puzzle itself will be related to Seattle's food culture, such as GPS locations of iconic restaurants, or ingredients that hint at a certain dish. The gifts themselves will be Seattle themed non-perishables, such as Jones soda or a package of smoked salmon. I think this would be a really neat gift to give someone after traveling to Seattle to share your experiences. I want the box itself to look like a locked, hinged, bento box and maybe I'll make multiple layers of increasing puzzle difficulty.

2.  Mystery Food??: Expecting one thing and getting another

If I were to go with this idea, I want to create recipes that give the visual illusion of one food but taste and smell like another. My inspiration is the video of the table-wide dessert we watched and my interest in molecular cuisine. I don't want to give away any hints as to what I'm thinking about making for this, but I will guarantee you that you will be surprised! If I were to do this, I would also ask the class to make a list of all food allergies so I don't accidentally kill anyone. That would be the kind of surprise I do not want.

3. Food Chemistry: OOH PRETTY COLORS!

This one is inspired by the Japanese Popin candy making kits. I would build it to look like a chemistry kit, with several test tubes containing colorful liquids and a mixing beaker. I'm hoping to get people to pour several of these liquids together, along with the "secret" ingredient, a thickening agent such as agar, to create something in the beaker. It will smell fruity and sugary, and whoever dares take the first bite will realize that they have created gummy candies.

There's some food for thought.
-Kristen