All posts filed under: Uncategorised

Covid19 quarantine #1

Covid19 quarantine #1 There are different ways to cope with what happened to us in the last 6 weeks. I see people desperately trying to keep on going, despite the lock-down, the social distancing and the nasty virus outside. I hear them dreaming about gin tonics on a sunny terrace, summer festivals they miss and sports events that are cancelled. It reminds me sometimes of contestants of ‘Expedition Robinson’ who, on the 26 th day, are fantasizing about burgers and fried chicken. People who are amusing us with smart, crazy and sometimes very fun challenges, celebrities who keep on broadcasting their real (& fake) self and others who want to understand as quickly as possible how we are going to live after the pandemic. Webinars about the post-Corona future, articles and podcasts with dramatic & utopian (and everything in between) future scenarios are launched at the speed of light, and I think this makes sense. But there are on the other side of the spectrum people who embrace effortless, without any difficulty, this slow life …

So hip it hurts: Human connections in a tech-obsessed world

“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict and debate.”   Dat technologie niet heiligmakend is weten we ondertussen al. ‘Tech’ moet ten dienste staan van ons als mens en niet andersom. Dat lijkt evident, maar je hoeft vandaag maar gewoon op restaurant te gaan en je ziet het meteen, minstens de helft van de tafels ‘zit’ op zijn smartphone en heeft nauwelijks oog voor zijn of haar gezelschap. We zijn verslaafd aan ‘sociale’ media conversaties en digitale vriendengroepen, maar we zijn nog nooit zo alleen geweest. Volgens een recent onderzoek van de BBC voelen meer dan 1/3 van de Britten zich erg eenzaam en dit is geen alleenstaand feit. Overal steekt eenzaamheid de kop op en we zien vandaag al de eerste tekenen van een intense zoektocht naar menselijke ervaringen, warmte, een gevoel van ergens toe te behoren en de wetenschap dat er voor ons, heel persoonlijk, gezorgd wordt. Members-only-clubs We zien dan ook dat veel nieuwe hospitality services zich extra gaan inspannen om mensen onderling aan elkaar te koppelen. Niet …

Huel up your body!

Being professionaly focusing on food trends and all kind of food related innovations, sometimes you discover a new kind of food product that asks further investigation. Let me introduce Huel, a brand new food replacement in the market. I was in London when the team behind Huel give me some samples of their product: a white attractive, ûber neutral pouch, very low but strong branding in a black Helvetica typo and  the product itself has a velvety powder-ish feeling.     What is this Huel hype all about? Well, Huel is a nutritionally complete powdered food that contains all the proteins, carbs, and fats you need, plus at least 100% of the European Union’s “Daily Recommended Amounts” of all 26 essential vitamins and minerals . It’s been formulated by a renowned nutrition expert James Collier who has 25 years of experience working in nutrition and dietetics, so not a rookie would I think. Huel is 100% vegan (better for the environment and animals), super convenient, high in protein (148g per 2000 calories) and fibre (35g), contains just 4.6 grams of sugar per 2000 calories (no …

“Quid new posts?”

Hey people! Kate here. You might have wondered what happened the last couple of months, as my (I know…) quite irregular, but dedicated blogposts didn’t appear in your Bloglovin’ mailbox anymore. I have a very good explanation for this not so loyal, but temporary behaviour… Two months ago I moved!! Yes, we moved to a new house,. Out of our much beloved loft in the city to find a perfect spot for some much needed ‘no noise’ space. After the move, we left for a 3 week Ibiza holiday (my favourite spots over there will be posted soon, don’t worry) and once back home decoration of the new space started. Besides loads of professional work off course, a kick off of a new innovation bachelor course, where I teach and you understand why I’ve been so absent this last months. But the good news is, I’m back. In full force with great new Squid Stories on food, design, fashion, travel and trends. And some new insights I like to share with you on brand new …