A skeuomorphic diet for a trip to Mars (IP)

Cherry

By Rhiannonw

Mon, 07 Apr 2014
  • 3951 reads
14 comments
 

Food building blocks extracted
by a process long, protracted –
all the fuel chemicals,
vitamins and minerals:
and so was made nutritious goo
in tubes to suck and squeeze it through
and ooze the dollops to your mouth
meal by meal and month by month.

But, we need to chew
and have something to do –
prepare it and cook,
make our daily food
have a pleasing look
and it must taste good,
different each meal
with an interesting feel:
no appeal, no deal.

Put in some fibre
some bite and some crunch
make it like chicken
or noodles for lunch,
fruit, even veg
and bread we can toast
pots we can boil
or mash, fry or roast.

And this was done
with some success;
but, why you might say
could things not just stay
as they were, no contraptions
for complex extractions?
Well, they need to have less
bits left to compress
in the rubbish compartments;
and they couldn’t equip    
in the space of the ship
storage facilities
and preserve the commodities
for that natural diet
that would keep grumblers quiet.

So, there you have it,
a skeuomorphic diet,
looks like the past,
looks like the real,
it can last and last,
and has some appeal
and a bit of good feel,
so a necessary deal
if fixed your intention
of this space-ship detention!

[IP: Skeuomorphism] – not sure if everyone would agree with using it in this context, but it seemed to fit in an odd way, and be a bit of fun

Certificate U
Poem
Miscellaneous
Humour
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by Bee on

This is great, Rhiannon. Fits together so well and rhymes and flows beautifully. Lovely to say - and a fun read.

Bee

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, Bee, that's good to know – it was fun to do! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

and I'm glad it got cherries (not skeuomorphed cherries!) Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on

Rhiannon, I take my skeuomorphed hat off to you...this one has got me quite stumped, but in your own inimitable way, you have done marvels with the I.P.  Well done on the cherries.  More than deservedsmiley

Tina

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks a lot, Tina! I too felt stumped looking at the examples quoted, but this idea came, and seemed fun, so I enjoyed playing with it! regards, Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Luke Neima on

This is a great use of the IP, Rhiannon - and a lovely, imaginative poem, to boot. Somewhere between Dr. Seuss, Science Fiction and that very distinct voice of your own.  

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Luke. I'm glad you thought so. And now I wonder what my very distinct voice is!
Rhiannon

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

An impossible I.P. and you tackled it so well. And what's more you were off the mark in no time at all. Well done and congratulations on the cherries.

Luigi

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Luigi, I must say I felt stumped in even understanding it at first, and was surprised when this idea came to me, but it was fun to work on! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

I understand why your poem is skeuomorphic, Rhiannon - it's not about Mars at all, it's our trip to the supermarket.                  Elsie

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Not sure I get you there, Elsie! I found the word difficult to pin down, but i don't think it's to do with things being askew - though my poem may be! Or do you mean that the food we get in the supermarkets sometimes seems as if it's been worked on so much that it looks like it should, but tastes now rather different?! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Yes, Rhiannon the food in supermarkets, and I buy it too, is often injected with chemicals; meat is pumped with water to plump it up, apples are sprayed with insecticide, you know yourself it has all been skewed away from what Nature intended. As you suggest, the taste can be insipid.                    Elsie

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Rhiannon

Very clever use of words and eating concepts. My grandson eats only things that are white or yellow and soft - which rather limits him somewhat. Mainly he has macaroni cheese and cheese sandwiches, with the odd bit of scrambled egg now and then.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

HI, Jean, I think I did this again recently as a sound file for that poetry monthly as I thought it would be fun reading it!

One of my grandchildren ate little except pasta for a long time (hard crackers and crusty bread a bit), and only now (he is almost 11) is he a bit more adventurous, though it is amazing how much pasta he can consume still. I remember once having him to stay when I knew he had tried the insides of sausages a bit at a friend's house. He looked at me cooking them suspiciously and said, 'I only eat the insides' to which I triumphantly informed him that these were 'only insides' ie skinless! I used to tell him he'd probably get to like more things as he got older, to try to give the incentive that it was a 'grown-up' thing to do! I think attempting bits of school dinners occasionally helped a bit in the end too. I don't know if it is feel and texture worries some. I think my daughter may have encouraged too much nibbling when she was worried about his eating. Rhiannon