Chef David Chang Believes Silence Is the Enemy of Invention

Chef David Chang spoke at Wired's inaugural design conference Wired by Design last week and revealed a principle that could apply both restaurant kitchens and the design community at large.

Chang explains that there are "two enemies of invention": Two kinds of silence. The first type of silence is that created in any kitchen or environment where the boss is dominant and "allows no viewpoint but his own" which buries the ideas of others. The second is a silence created in an environment where "criticism isn't honest" and everyone accepts everyones' ideas out of fear of hurting one another. So what is an ideal kitchen? To Chang it is one where "criticism flows constantly, but so does the idea to keep trying."