As to be expected, there is some great stuff coming out of this years <a href="http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=178153895551768">Furniture Fair in Milan</a>. A few pieces that particularly piqued my interest, come from the <a href="http://postfossil.ch/collection/trattoria-utopia-2011">Trattoria Utopia project</a> by Swiss design team <a href="http://postfossil.ch/postfossil">Postfossil</a>. A collection of dining objets, from stools to cutlery - each piece is created with the purpose of influencing social behaviour and social thinking to lead the user in a direction they may otherwise not have taken. 

My favourite pieces from this collection are the Juri cutlery.

Art piece-cum-practical flatware, <strong>5 Forks on the Subject of Slow Food</strong> is a study in <em>slowing down in the context of eating</em>. Via the scaling down of the ladle and fork prongs the user is literally forced to eat more deliberately and less vehemently. Subtle adjustments like these that limit the ability of the eater could aid in creating a more conscious eater and increase how much one savours their  food. From Postfossil's point of view it raises the discussion of sustainable agriculture and traditional food trades not to mention the influence on our health and well being that comes with taking more time to enjoy a meal. 

Imagine a cutlery set intentionally designed to reduce your ability to consume meat. An unserrated knife, a zinc laden fork { to provide the zinc intake you are missing out on by not eating meat }, these tools limit your ability to cut and stab meat whereas vegetable and softer foods are no issue. Developed as a reaction to the 'controversial energy consumption issues' of <a href="http://www.good.is/post/infographic-a-century-of-meat-consumption/">meat eating</a> - it's an interesting concept that may have real world application for those trying to quit eating meat. { Who am I kidding? If I were a meat eater, i'd resort to using my fingers if someone gave me this cutlery. } Nonetheless, the aesthetic is gorgeous and as an art piece, conversation piece and usable tool this is definitely an object that I would have in my home as an affirmation of my vegetarianism. 

The carry pouch harps back to earlier times when people carried their own cutlery. Today, disposable knives and forks are the norm, and to be honest they are often about as useful as a mouthful of spit in a firestorm. Taking personal responsibility for ones own cutlery could seem a small thing, but in the age of over-consumption and burgeoning <a href="http://www.good.is/post/documentary-traces-history-and-shortcomings-of-the-landfill">landfills</a>, reducing our contribution even slightly is  better than nothing.


Check out more by Postfossil <a href="http://postfossil.ch/postfossil">here</a>.