Can culture emerge from tools?

I contemplated a utensil for licking up liquid dishes. I thought a shape that simply expands the concave part of a spoon would be ideal.

I believe the inception of cutlery was driven by the need to make it easier to convey food to the mouth. We have chopsticks to pick up small items like beans and rice, and to eat fish while separating its flesh; forks exist to carry chunks of meat directly to the mouth; and spoons are there to sip liquid soups in portions. In this way, the existence of food has shaped the development of tools.

But can the presence of tools give rise to new types of food?

Among the actions involved in eating is ‘licking,’ yet I am unaware of any cuisine that centers on licking as its primary action. Consequently, there is no tool specifically designed for licking. I thought it would be intriguing to create a ‘tool for licking’ and see if it could inspire new culinary creations.

Along with the tool for licking, I devised a recipe that involves crushing biscuits and dipping them into honey for eating. I aspire to collaborate with chefs and other culinary professionals to develop and introduce multiple new dishes using this utensil.

Photo by Eguchi Kairi