J-E-L-L-O-W-A-R-E

Remember that gooey, transparent, jiggly substance called Jell-o that you used to shovel down your throat for dessert as a kid? Or perhaps now you're more familiar with the term "Jell-o shot."  No matter your age or how mature you might be, there is something visually and texturally appealing about this vibrant tasty treat.

It is so pleasing to our senses, in fact, that designers have used its gelatinous quality to come up with a new product called Jelloware.  These edible cups are composed of agar agar, the substance that gives Jell-o its "jelly-like" consistency, and they are available in flavors such as rosemary-beet, lemon-basil, and ginger-mint.

In the spirit of the modern trend towards reducing waste and environmental hazards, these cups are the perfect answer.  They completely consumable and fun to look at, and the seaweed extract in the cups helps grass grow, thus benefitting the environment.  Humans use an abundance of plastic cups that end up as litter on the side of the road, but these cups will simply dissolve back into the earth if not thrown out (or eaten!).

As a current barista at Starbucks Coffee, I feel guilty every time I see a crushed Starbucks cup in a street gutter or strewn about in the grass along the freeway.  I don't like being associated with the company that manufactures these cups, even though it isn't my fault that other people litter.  I think Jelloware would greatly reduce our total amount of waste products.  While it doesn't take the place of coffee cups, it could eliminate plastic cups used at picnics and other social gatherings.

Jelloware does more than eliminate waste.  Jello glasses pose an interesting perspective on how we understand the concept of drinking.  The social construction of drinking implies the cup is merely a container to hold the liquid we swallow.  But the design of Jelloware integrates the container into a part of the consumption of the drink inside it.  With each sip, one could also take a bite out of the flavorful cup, as if it were an ice cream cone.  This new way of approaching something as simple and straight-forward as drinking could pave the way for design opportunities in realms of society never before considered.  To me, design means pushing the boundaries of what is accepted in society to come up with new creations, and Jelloware most certainly does this.