At this Amsterdam restaurant, you eat pieces of human
Something different from a vegetarian or vegan dinner for a change: at Mediamatic in Amsterdam, you can eat human over the next few days. So have you always been fascinated by vampires and cannibals? This is your chance.
Art center and vegetarian(vegan) restaurant Mediamatic in Amsterdam is organizing a four-day dinner called The Eating of Humans. Artists Gwen van der Zwan and Krisztina Czika, together with chef Bryce Steba, have created a five-course dinner incorporating human substances: think tears, hair, fingernails, and blood. Yes, really.
So what exactly do you eat?
‘The human substances are incorporated into beautiful and tasty dishes. But if you don’t like the idea, you can also choose a plant-based alternative for every dish,’ says Sjoerd Houben of Mediamatic.
Eating blood is entirely your choice too. Sjoerd: ‘Together with an expert, we will let you have your own blood drawn that evening. You can then decide for yourself whether you want to incorporate the blood into the dish. In a soup, for example.’
Is that safe?
But is all of this actually safe? ‘Absolutely. Only a small amount of blood is drawn—around 15 milliliters, which is harmless,’ says Sjoerd. During the dinner, you only eat your own blood (or other substances), unless you choose to let your dining companion taste your dish. As long as the blood donor has no underlying illnesses, that is harmless too.
What is the aim of this project?
The project was born out of curiosity. Why do we find eating humans so strange and disgusting, while we routinely eat animals? With this project, Mediamatic wants to encourage its guests to reflect on their daily consumption of animals, while also giving them an intimate and special experience by tasting themselves (and perhaps others too).
This dinner takes place from May 1 through 4 at Mediamatic Biotoop in Amsterdam. Tickets are still available.
Also read:
- At these restaurants, everyone smells like garlic
- This is Europe’s first underwater restaurant
- The most bizarre restaurant review
Photo: Anisa Xhomaqi and Mediamatic
