The need to understand our environment soon led us to ask questions and experiment. Our library shelves filled with books on botany and anthropology, and our questions grew exponentially. We knew we needed help, so we turned to the Aranzadi Science Society. The Aranzadi botanists taught us to tell wild plants apart, and to identify poisonous plants so we could use edible weeds in our kitchen.

It was the first time we had worked with an institution outside the culinary world. Our collaboration with Aranzadi planted the seed of what would later become the norm for satisfying our curiosity: reach out to other organizations and disciplines for help and learn to recognize all kinds of nuances. Philosophers, anthropologists, sociologists and thinkers taught us to develop the habit of thinking outside the box.

In 2000 we took the risk of serving our guests weeds, the plants nobody wants in their garden. And our guests – and accomplices – happily accepted the challenge.

Today, nearly 20 years later, those weeds have come to symbolize us and have spilled over to numerous artistic endeavours.