Creating a Puerto Rican superhero to save the world

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Puerto Rican Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez grew up in the Bronx, New York. By the time he was 18 years old he'd lived in 22 different places, but one constant in his life was his love of comic books. Edgardo was a natural artist and storyteller and even at primary school he would write stories for the other children. He is now a highly successful graphic novelist and has created a series based on a female Puerto Rican superhero called La Borinqueña. Her mission? To fight for social justice and save the world from climate change. Growing up near the Italian city of Milan, Michele Crippa was passionate about food, and even as a young boy he would analyse the taste of different foods for his family. He is now a Professor of Gastronomic Sciences and an expert in food culture and history. He uses his talents in sensory analysis to teach aspiring chefs to hone their skills of taste and smell. But after catching Covid-19 in March 2020, Michele lost his sense of taste and smell in a matter of seconds. Devastating though that was, he tells Outlook's Dany Mitzman how he and his colleagues have found a way to help retrain his brain to recognise the taste and smell of different foods. Get in touch: [email protected] Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producers: June Christie and Gaia Caramazza (Photo: Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez with La Borinqueña. Credit: Photo: Kyung Jeon-Miranda. Artwork: Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez)