For a long time , the only two things that have really separate humans from emulator is our ability to make fire and and our tendency towards consuming Gallic fries . turn out that chimpanzees likely possess both these qualities as well , thanks to a study that lay claim they have the “ desire ” to fake .
ANew York Times storyreports on two anthropological studies from Harvard and Yale which are attempt to show how cooking spurred evolutionary changes . Using chimps to represent human beings before the oncoming of cave cuisine , the researchers wants to know if they could understand the departure between raw and cooked food , and — more significantly — if they had the patience to make it happen .
The chimp in the sketch were given slices of raw sweet potato , which they could then trade for a slice of cooked angelical potato by putting it into a contraption that appear to make the potato cook . No , they did n’t just let the apes go wild at the grillwork , however , says Dr. Felix Warneken :
“ We invented this magic preparation twist , ” Dr. Warneken explained in an interview : two shaping stadium that fit intimately together with pre - cooked food hidden in the bottom tub .
When a chimp placed a new sweet potato cut into the gimmick , a researcher shake it , then lifted the top tub out to offer the Pan troglodytes an identical cooked slice of sweet-smelling white potato .
It was bonk that chimps prefer cooked food , but it was an open interrogation whether chimp had the patience to wait through the make-believe “ rock and bake ” process . And , the research worker want to know if the creature could see “ that when something raw goes in there it comes out wangle , ” say Dr. Warnaken .
The chimpanzee showed a number of indication that , given a material cookery chance , they had the power to take advantage of it . They stand corrode raw nutrient and put it in the gadget , wait for cooked nutrient . They would bring raw nutrient from one side of a cage to the other for put it in the gadget . And they put different kinds of food in the gimmick .
Of course , this might not be as much about cookery as it is about simply receive food preference : The chimp liked the cooked potato more than the raw potato , so they were willing to hold off around for the better reading , which they sleep with came out of this magic tub . That ’s not really the same as busting out a skillet and frying up some latkes . Dr. Laurie Santos , a researcher who had done similar piece of work , say that the nuance would also be lost on “ most teenagers who are zap their pot Proto-Indo European . ” By which I ’m sure she meant Hot Pockets .
Which go me to my two last questions . If chimps could operate oven ( which the researchers suppose they could ) , why go through all the trouble to build these “ wizard preparation devices ” when you could just learn them how to press POTATO on a microwave ? And at long last , how long will it be until we see a chimp version of Chopped ?
[ New York Times ]
CookingDiningFoodScience
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