Miracle Fruit Party

[youtube video]

flavor tripping. a group of young hipsters find a distraction from the monotony of post-college life after a plethora of blog posts popped up last month about the effects of "Miracle Fruit", a small berry native to west africa that supposedly makes sour foods taste sweet.

in the 1970s, a group of scientists and entrepreneurs attempted to commercialize the Miraculin protein found in the berries as a low-calorie sweetener, but was stopped short by the FDA, who many believe was bribed by the sugar industry. The craze never began, and the berry remained under the radar. Until May 28th, 2008, when the New York Times covered a flavor-tripping party in Brooklyn, and turned the heads of an internet-savvy thrill-seeking generation, like these ten twenty-somethings, in Chicago, Illinois.

the premise of the party is simple: every guest brings a different food item with enough for everybody to share. but as the miracle tablets are passed around it looks less like your mother's potluck and more like a cult meeting.