Electric Picnic review: A thinking person’s guide to mindful eating

THE SCIENCE OF MINDFUL EATING

Theatre of Food/Workshop Fringe
Come Sunday evening the definition of mindfulness – "quality of consciousness that is characterised by continually attending to one's moment-to-moment experiences… with an open, non-judgmental approach", according to the International Food Information Council Foundation – might be difficult to locate for many Electric Picnickers, but on Friday afternoon it makes sense that the topic is being broached. The EP hordes have yet to arrive, of course, but for those in attendance the discussion and presentation make total sense. With an audience of about two dozen (sporadically blindfolded) people, most of whom are the polar opposite of what you might perceive as the typical Electric Picnic festivalgoer, the innovative event is presided over by the Newstalk presenter Jonathan McCrea and the chef Ivan Varian. Food is served, but not before the audience is subtly immersed in natural, experiential sounds and tangible, tactile flora. The concept might puzzle the Billie Eilish demographic, but the overall idea of how texture enhances the experience and real nature of food is very smartly explained and presented.