Seasons (Salt & Pepper Shaker)

Inspired by an article titled "Obesity and the Fastness of Food" in NYT, Seasons was designed to promote slower eating and better health. This article described research by the OECD which pointed to a correlation between time spent eating and national obesity rates. According to this study, people in the U.S. and Mexico spend less than 80 minutes per week at meals and people in both countries have significantly higher obesity rates than other countries observed. Seasons is a hourglass shaped salt and pepper shaker that requires the user to wait a little while before its initial use. Seasons has 2 chambers, with a center divider, one for salt and the other for pepper. Each end consists of a lid with a sliding opening.At the initial use, both salt and pepper are on one side because of gravity. Therefore the user has to turn it over and wait for a while (about 15 seconds) for the salt or pepper to move from one side to the other, so that he or she will be encouraged to slow down and not rush through their dining experience. 　The lack of an obvious “decorative element” to Seasons, is the point of its aesthetic design. The primary visual focus of this design is the passage of time, represented by the movement of salt and pepper.