One of the tasks that I am not quite happy to carry out without much grumbling is, to do the dishes after having a hearty meal. How I wish the soiled plates could disappear and in their place new, clean, grease-free plates could appear. Sounds like an excerpt from a fairytale storybook!
The use of edible and disposable dishes is known since centuries. In medieval cuisine, the use of stale bread slices often referred to, as ‘trenchers’ as plates was a very good idea. The juices of food would get absorbed in the breads and some people would eat these breads or would throw them off to dogs. Everyone knows the use of banana leaves in the Indian culture for serving food; only difference is the banana leaf is thrown away rather than being consumed.
The invention of the ‘Edible Plate’ by Sebastiano Oddi, a University of Brighton student, can be of help to people like me. You can eat your plate and this way you do not have to worry about washing it or even throwing it away and adding to the problem of piling garbage. The edible plate is made out of specially prepared bread. The gaseous structure of the bread is altered in such a way that it can be used to make plates or containers.
At present, these edible plates come in eight different flavors. Oddi has also designed an edible picnic container. The Mange2 serves as an ideal picnic container for two people, consists of two interlocked plates with a handle, and is provided with a set of napkins as well. It is a good idea for picnics as you can get rid off quite some weight from your bags and generates no waste in the process.