Mold Battle Extravaganza

Subjects like clogged nasal passages, STDs and ingrown toenails aren’t exactly topics you can break bread over. Mold, then, without having to explain, is a no-no ice breaker. For example, mold jokes just don’t fly. Television programs used to love to horrify viewers to nausea level with stories of people who lived with mold in their houses for years as if they were just an annoying family member who didn’t like to leave his room to socialize. But if you had invited Yoshiaki Ito to an evening get-together, you might prefer to serve just gin and tonic, because Ito’s preferred topic of conversation is the type of fungi you don’t find in classic Italian recipes. Ping Mag‘s Make, the new web extension of its magazine which heads into the Japanese rural areas to interview people who create anything from umbrellas to handcrafted fountain pen nibs, published yesterday an irresistible article with Ito, aka “Dr. Mold,” and how he came to develop a super cleanser with alkaline that removes mold more effectively than any other product on the Japanese market. By the end, Ito makes a convincing case that mold is as interesting to study as it is to battle. Not convinced? The photos above are microscope views of mold, which you could venture to say look pastoral, beautiful and even tranquil.