Dave Arnold's Harvard Lecture Required an Evacuation

NYC cocktail wizard Dave Arnold brought a smaller version of his favorite new toy — the much-publicized cereal-puffing cannon — to his Monday-night talk at Harvard's Science & Cooking Lecture Series, and things went slightly amiss. Eater Boston reports that a cannon malfunction burned a large portion of the rice within, "setting off alarms and necessitating the evacuation of Harvard's Science Center." In the above photo, Arnold tells renowned food scientist Harold McGee, "you're worrying, stop worrying," just moments before smoke alarms sounded. According to a Museum of Food & Drink rep, the cannon in question — a smaller version that Arnold uses in his lab — is often used by Asian street vendors for the same rice-puffing purpose.

Arnold's lecture kicked off the 2013 speaker series, which continues through December with talks by the likes of Jordi Roca, José Andrés, Nathan Myhrvold, and many more who may or may not set things on fire.

· Dave Arnold Educates, Evacuates Packed Harvard Lecture [Eater Boston]
· All Dave Arnold Coverage on Eater [-E-]