h a l f b a k e r yNot so much a thought experiment as a single neuron misfire.
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Clean Pasta
Pasta for use in places without clean water | |
Ramen noodles are one of the cheapest noodles in existence. So, the idea would be to produce a similarly inexpensive pasta made for use with unclean water. Killing bacteria would just be a matter of including a light poison such as a small amount of alcohol, within the noodles. Ideally the consumers
can actually boil their water.
The trick, then, is to find a way to formulate a noodle which is great at absorbing water but awful at absorbing various harmful chemicals. So, it would be necessary to put much more water into the noodles than was going to actually be used (but excess water could be recycled a few times if absolutely necessary), and then the water would be drained, taking away the nasty chemicals.
THe noodles would need to be made such that chemicals would not stick to them, or the consumer could be instructed to dry off the noodles with a clean paper towel or whatever before consuming.
So, now consumers can not only eat pasta but also have some fluid intake at the same time.
Dirty Pasta
http://us.st11.yimg...otcom_1963_15050806
[DrCurry, Sep 01 2007]
Design for the other 90%
http://other90.cooperhewitt.org/
A thought-provoking show geared to designs for the destitute of the world. The catalog (pictured) shows a straw designed to filter out bacteria and parasites from iffy drinking water (a major source of disease and death in the Third World). [DrCurry, Sep 01 2007]
Booze hurts your brain
Noodle_20Brains
Eat brains. [theleopard, Sep 05 2007]
[link]
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Nice sentiment [aguyude], but this is just a wish list for properties a particularly useful form of pasta, and subject to [marked-for-deletion] WIBNI. |
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I disagree. We already have the technology to produce paper filters wherein water goes through the paper but chemicals don't. The challenge is to find a way to produce an edible form of this and chemically treat pasta with it. |
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Has a good idea at its heart i.e. food
that sterilises the water in which it's
cooked. mfd might be a bit harsh? |
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Boiling the water (the usual prelude to making pasta) should be quite enough to kill bacteria and the like. That's why we do it. |
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As for removing (or avoiding) the other harmful thingies that might be in the water, hm. You're almost certainly be wanting to get rid of heavy metal contaminants - lead, arsenic, etc. And various toxic organic compounds that wouldn't be broken down by boiling. |
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Any the need for clean water goes waaaaay beyond pasta. Come up with a good, cheap way to purify dirty water, and you will have a lifetime of easing the pain of the Third World. |
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I would suggest something that sops the contaminants up and sinks to the bottom or rises to the top, so it can be filtered or drained off. |
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Why not just put it in a filter bag? (Like those bags rice comes in.) There's no reason to coat the pasta with anything, as long as environmental poisons have left you strong enough to tear open a wet bag... |
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[on the MFD: I'd lean towards deleting it myself, too, but since people protest, it'll stay.] |
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m-f-d is exceedingly harsh. I think it's a good thought which might be directed at the wrong part of the problem, as DrCurry said. Neutral. |
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Um, if you were able to steam the pasta, would it get contaminated with heavy metals, etc? I'd think most of the nasties would have a higher boiling point than water - ? |
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You could simply have a process whereby you boiled the water for a period - killing bacteria and removing any volatile contaminants. Then you insert the steaming rack and cook the food in the relatively pure steam. I don't even think this is very unrealistic - rice can be steamed, why not pasta. In fact, why not do this for rice>? All you need is a mesh steaming rack. |
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I think we're all missing the crux of this idea: |
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//a small amount of alcohol within the noodles// |
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Binge drinking louts across the World will be choosing Boozles over greasy kebabs and burgers in no time, enjoying the carbohydrate energy they provide during a physically exhasuting evening's drinking, whilst facilitating unceasing alcohol consumption! Huzah! |
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cup o' boozles could sell. |
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[aguydude], i think you're more likely to get production on a noodle like product that is designed to *clean* contaminants out of water, leaving fresh drinking water behind. |
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