Watch Alex Atala Decapitate a Chicken on Stage at MAD

Here's video footage from food and travel writer Alexandra Forbes showing chef Alex Atala of D.O.M. in Brazil (currently ranked #6 in the world) beheading a chicken on stage at this year's MAD Symposium. (See Eater's recap of MAD.) Atala killed the chicken in front of an audience of chefs and food geeks as a way of illustrating the idea of his lecture titled "Death Happens." That phrase was also written on Atala's t-shirt. In the lecture, Atala suggested that death is inextricably linked to food and cooking. (For this particular chicken, death was also inextricably linked to attending exclusive food events.) Atala — who will be co-curating next year's symposium with founder René Redzepi — earned huge applause and cheers from the crowd for this dramatic finale. Go, watch:

Video: Alex Atala at MAD 3

· Alex Atala at MAD 3 Killing a Chicken [YouTube]
· All MAD Coverage on Eater [-E-]
· All Alex Atala Coverage on Eater [-E-]