Posted on August 8, 2008 12:16 AM
|
permalink
In this final installment of our
TCHO Chocolate trilogy,
Xeni and
Pesco go on a magical mystery taste test tour -- think
Willy Wonka meets
The Trip.
Former NASA software developer Timothy Childs founded the tech-minded chocolate company, and was joined by
WIRED co-founder Louis Rosetto.
In previous BBtv episodes we learned about the hacked-together, home-tinkered machines and high-tech wizardry that keep their factory humming. Today we dive in to the genetics of chocolate plants, and the hedonics -- the tasting experience -- of the finished product, where science meets sensuality meets sugar.
Oh hell, who are we kidding, you guys? We sat around and GOT HIGH on neuroactive cocoa alkaloids. We freebased theobromine and we LIKED IT. We liked it a LOT.
Warning: this episode is NSFC (not safe for chocoholics).
Previously on Boing Boing tv:
* TCHO, part 1: chocolate origins.
* TCHO, part 2: magical machines, mysterious molecules.
Related: read a feature about TCHO by David Pescovitz in the current issue of MAKE Magazine, Timothy and the Chocolate Factory.
Here are some iPhone snapshots from Xeni on Flickr: TCHO, Boing Boing tv.
(Special thanks to Amy Critchett, and Wayne & Breanna)
On behalf of all my Boing Boing and Boing Boing tv colleagues, I'm excited and proud to announce the debut of a new series within our daily video program: BBtv World. This ongoing series will feature first-person glimpses of life around the world, told through the lenses and voices of Boing Boing editors, guest collaborators -- and through the people in these places, their own stories, their own way. When we can, we want to place the camera directly in the hands -- literally -- of the people whose lives, cultures, and lands we're visiting.
We're kicking this off with an episode I shot during a recent visit in a K'iche Maya village in the highlands of Guatemala, where I go a few times a year to work on sustainable development projects with an international project managed with local indigenous leaders.
"El Molinero," the title of this debut piece, refers to the corn mill where young girls go every day to grind soaked, hulled corn ("nixtamal") into soft dough for tortillas or tamales (in K'iche, "k'osh").
The old machine -- hacked together by local craftsman from various components -- is extremely loud, spews smelly fuel exhaust, and like many aspects of daily life and work here, is dangerous.
The K'iche girls you see in this episode helped me shoot some of what you see. In future episodes, they'll tell their stories themselves, and we'll visit other places -- Tibet, Africa, Mexico, China, India, and Japan, to name a few of the destinations planned.
WATCH THIS VIDEO ON BOINGBOING.NET.
Today on Boing Boing tv,
Xeni and
Pesco dive deeper into the magical chocolate factory founded by a NASA software developer.
In this installment of BBtv's 3-part series on TCHO Chocolate, we learn more about the hacked-together, home-tinkered machines and high-tech wizardry that keep the factory running. The philosophy is "scrappy, not crappy," as founder Timothy Childs explains.
TCHO's R&D lab contains such diverse components as Space Shuttle tape, a modded RONCO turkey oven, stone grinders used in Indian restaurants, and deconstructed space heater parts from the local hardware store.
Next, we zoom in to the molecular-level science behind this most delicious confection. Science buffs, rejoice! This episode is as fun for your eyes and brain as the "obsessively good" chocolate is for your mouth -- Polymorph fun for the whole family. Warning: this episode is NSFC (not safe for chocoholics).
Previously on Boing Boing tv:
* TCHO, part 1: chocolate origins.
Related: read a feature about TCHO by David Pescovitz in the current issue of MAKE Magazine, Timothy and the Chocolate Factory.
Here are some iPhone snapshots from Xeni on Flickr: TCHO, Boing Boing tv.
(Special thanks to Amy Critchett, and Wayne & Breanna)
Boing Boing tv passes the 150th episode mark today, and we're celebrating by cooking up some delicious
takenoko (竹の子), young bamboo shoots, with
Joi Ito -- and original music by
Ryuichi Sakamoto.
You may know Joi as a serial entrepreneur, a twittering globetrotter VC, a World of Warcraft junkie, or the CEO of Creative Commons, but he has a more traditional side, too.
In this video, Ito welcomes us into his back yard in Japan, where he and his partner Mizuka teach us how to hunt for and prepare this traditional seasonal delicacy from a lush bamboo forest.
The episode is accompanied by an original score composed by Grammy, Academy Award, and Golden Globe-winning composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto. The legendary electronic music pioneer is also an outspoken environmental advocate. His recent reforestation initiative, “More Trees,” supports the planting of trees around the world to help offset carbon emissions. To-date, 2 billion trees have been planted mostly through work with country governments including Turkey, Ethiopia and Mexico. Link to English-language PDF with more info on the project.
Sakamoto co-founded the seminal synthpop trio Yellow Magic Orchestra, and has scored or contributed to movie soundtracks including The Last Emperor, Merry Christmas Mister Lawrence, Babel, and the work of director Pedro Almodóvar. Boing Boing tv thanks him for generously contributing this beautiful, evocative score.
After the jump -- Joi Ito's family recipe for yummy takenoko just like mom used to make. Special thanks to the Ito family for sharing their traditions with us.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Update 2: Here's Joi's blog post about his background with Ryuichi, and here's Joi's post from today about how this video came together.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
the latest
the latest
