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Click here for an Australian What’s in Season iPhone app

Sorry about the rant.

Mullum certainly put a fire in my belly. My takeaway from the trip was: bring the rural to the city. We are so disconnected.

Throughout this blog I’ve been dwelling on game-mechanics. I think it can help promote positive behaviour change.

I’ve become interested in social innovation.

I’ve set aside the large-scale FlavourCrusader platform idea in favour of mini-apps. Much more agile. Achievable after-hours. No burnout.

I’m obsessed with food. In a good way.

My old richapplefool flash food experiments were early pointers of what I wanted my web to be.

So what do you get when you combine these things together?

I’ve got an idea forming. Tip-toe steps. The first is to make an iPhone app for Australian fruit and vegetables. Sign up to know when it’s live.

Photo by Muffet

How do we encourage people to be healthy by eating their 2 and 5?
How can we help small business compete against the big guys?
How do we persuade people to eat more in tune with nature?

It’s taken only a few generations, but we’re so far removed from food.
We live in cities, we work in offices. So where’s the connection?
Food comes pre-packed, vacuum sealed and ready to deliver.
We buy fruit and veges that looks perfect but out of season.
Flown in from overseas. Picked when they’re green.
And we wonder why there’s no flavour?

We’re disappointed, day after day after day
and they wonder why we don’t care?

Promoting health and long-term benefits only gets so far.
It’s too far away in our minds to make us change what we do.
The payoff has to be now.

So how do we get people to care?
How can we change hearts and minds in order to change behaviour?

I say it’s through flavour.
Repeated peak experiences with delicious fresh foods surely must curry the favour.
So who do we turn to for lessons in flavour?

We turn to the expert; the cook and the chef.
They go to their markets daily or ask their supplier “what’s best and fresh today?”
Then base their meals on that ingredient.

But don’t forget.
We live in cities. We’re busy! So how can we make that happen?
We. Need. Help.