A restaurant in Chicago called Alinea has taken an unusual step towards serving lighter food -- putting an edible helium balloon on the menu.
The balloon is made of dehydrated granny smith apples, malic acid and sugar, and is served with a pin, so that it can popped.
The pin is attached to the balloon with "apple leather", making the entire thing (apart from the pin) edible.
If you don't want to pop it, you can also just put your mouth on the balloon and inhale, like the gentleman in the video embedded in this story. That'll have the effect of raising your voice an octave or two -- the speed of sound in helium is nearly three times faster than it is in air, causing the resonant frequencies of your vocal chords to change.
Alinea is one of only two restauarants in Chicago to have been awarded three Michelin stars, and is run by Grant Achatz -- who has won multiple awards for his molecular gastronomy.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
