WengsWorld - Union of Sight and Taste

WengsWorld - Union of Sight and Taste


I did something new again at the jigsaw competition on 30 Mar 2013, and had a lot of help along the way.


One of the things I've not been able to do since I started organising these jigsaw competitions, was to create an experience where there was nexus between the puzzle itself and the environment around the puzzle. Previous events were almost always held in a hall or classroom, and there was no connection between what was pictured on the puzzle (ie, hot-air balloons, Mickey Mouse, a map of the world, etc) and the experience of the participants. Participants simply 'completed the puzzle', so to speak.

I'm guessing that an experience which is more complete would be better remembered than one which is not, particularly if the experience is shared with a loved one or good friend. How interesting would it be if one could do a jigsaw puzzle of a hot-air balloon, WHILE riding in a hot-air balloon!  :)

For this competition, I tried to create a more complete experience by introducing to the participants some new chocolates at the event itself, so that they could taste the new chocolates WHILE they were doing a chocolate-pictured jigsaw puzzle.

Did it work? I don't really know to be honest. Some participants declined the chocolates as they were totally focused on completing the puzzle. For those who allowed themselves to be 'distracted' and who actually ate the chocolates in the middle of the event, I'm not sure they were able to fully 'register' or appreciate what they were tasting.  :)

Regardless though, I hope everyone had a good time last Saturday and had a chance to taste the chocolates.


The second thing I needed to share about last Saturday's event is how the chocolates made their way to the competition. The chocolates came courtesy of my friend, Firuz, who runs a chocolate business all the way in Cardiff, Wales. The chocolates are currently not being sold in Singapore.

After I shared with Firuz my idea about creating a more complete jigsaw puzzling experience, he readily agreed to courier some of his chocolates to Singapore. Thankfully, the chocolates arrived in Singapore the day before the competition, in time for the competition.

Firuz's chocolates feature unique flavours of Asian spices, such as Lemongrass, Pandan, and Cardamom. His chocolates go under the brand name "X Marks Delicious". Further details of the chocolates can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/X.Marks.Delicious?fref=pb

I have to thank Firuz for supporting me in this, and for helping me make it happen. Although I am not particularly a chocolate person, I did like the Sichuan Pepper flavour quite a bit.


Lastly, the jigsaw puzzles and chocolates did combine to make very colourful pictures!