Those of us who’ve become overly-dependent on snacking to alleviate boredom while working from home are going to have a rough transition back to office life. Munching on Doritos and popcorn during meetings isn’t exactly ideal office etiquette, so a Japanese company is developing edible notepads that help make your impulsive nibbling more discrete.
Ainz Co., Ltd. created the notepads as a way to recycle and reuse scrap materials left over from the printing process, although what those materials are, and what exactly goes into the paper to make it safe to eat, are apparently trade secrets the printing company isn’t ready to divulge just yet.
The company has called its creation the Kamihime, or Paper Princess, which is a play of words on Otohime, or Sound Princess; simulated flushing sounds played in restrooms in Japan designed to mask the sounds of embarrassing bodily functions. The Paper Princess notepads don’t hide the sounds of flatulence, but eating a sheet or two could prevent your stomach from making rumbling sounds should you get too hungry while at work.
Although few of us have ever chowed down on paper (aside from destroying the occasional receipt or note we didn’t want falling into the wrong hands) it’s assumed that thin sheets of wood pulp aren’t very flavorful. So along with the Kamihime notepads you’ll find an included marker with ink that’s been flavored like coffee; the more diligent a note-taker (or doodler) you are, the better your paper snack will presumably taste.
There’s no timeline on when the Kamihime notepads will be available, and no indication if coffee is the only flavour of marker the company intends to roll out. In 2019 it would have seemed like an utterly absurd idea, but in 2020 anything goes. At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising to see 3M also run with the idea and release banana-flavoured Post-it Notes.