Finally, A Lamp That's Good Enough To Eat

Given the nature of the site, we've come across our share of oddball edibles, but a desk lamp you can actually eat probably takes the... well, you know.

The perfect blend of awesome and weird, the "BITE ME" lamp is the recent product of NYC-based designer Victor Vetterlein, who tells us the concept was a spin-off from the "Trash Me" lamp he designed in 2011 (it was made from paper pulp). Playing on a similar theme of using biodegradable ingredients to raise awareness of the overuse of toxic materials, Verrerlein's "BITE ME" project pushes the message one step further. Besides the astonishing fact that you can actually snack on it or compost it when you no longer want or need it, Vetterlein says the other main idea behind the design is on how easy is to create bio-plastic from stuff in your kitchen cabinets. (Though it should be noted that you might need to call Wylie Dufresne for assistance.)

Made from a composition of agar agar, vegetable glycerin, water, food coloring and natural flavoring — orange, cherry, blueberry and apple are the choices — the lamp gets its illuminating properties from an adhesive LED lighting strip. Agar agar, a gelatin derived from sea algae, is actually a pretty good source of vitamins E and K, as well as folate, calcium, iron, magnesium and other nutrients, so once you're done using this as a lamp, it'd actually be pretty healthy to eat. Though you'll need to clean the lamp's frame with organic soap and water, and soften it up before ingesting.

+ ENLARGE

Like a luminous Jolly Rancher stick: The "BITE ME" lamp can be made in one of four flavors.

 

+ ENLARGE

The basic ingredients for making Vetterlein's bio-plastic.

 

+ ENLARGE

The lamp is theoretically available in blueberry, orange, cherry and apple.

 

+ ENLARGE

The lamp's material is edible and maybe even healthy, though you'll need to soften it first with water.