Today I realized why I haven’t been able to bring myself to write about Terra Madre, which was in late October. My fellowship was over at the end of November, and we always referred to Terra Madre as one of the last major things we would do during our stay. So when the event rolled around, denial set in that our time was almost over. In fact, we are still in denial that it is over now that we are already back in Los Angeles. In addition to the denial factor holding me back from writing, the event was just so big and overwhelming that I am still working to form my opinions about it.
Terra Madre is a 4 day, international Slow Food event that happens every 2 years in Torino. This year there were over 6,000 participants from over 160 countries. To give you a sense of the size of the event, here is the venue for the opening ceremonies, which were held in the arena built for the 2006 Olympic games.
The idea is to bring together food producers, activists, and educators from across the world to share experiences and generate new ideas. Here are representatives from each country as they entered the opening ceremony.
I had been accepted as a US delegate for the event, and Paul as an observer. This conference occurs side-by-side with an even bigger, public event called Salone del Gusto, which is an exposition of sustainably produced artisan foods and wines from across Italy and other parts of the world too. Needless to say, these 4 days were absolutely packed with opportunities to meet new people and try new things.
There is likely no other event worldwide where artisan food production is celebrated so vibrantly. If you don't believe me, all you need to do is see the photo of the d.j. at the Prosciutto di San Daniele stand.
The conference sessions were ongoing, and meanwhile there were other events and tastings occurring simultaneously. It was impossible to do and see even a small fraction of all of the things I would have liked to while there, which initially left me feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. But, as I reflect more on the event, I realize that despite some of the logistical constraints and ensuing sense of chaos, there were many moments where I was able to feel grounded and present, and make meaningful connections.
What I liked most about the experience were the things that made it most personal, such as:
--Spending a morning working as a chef delegate for the Eat-in, which was one of the youth organized conference events. As part of this event, Paul and I had the chance to spend the morning at a local, family-fun gastronomia, or specialty food store/deli. Giovanni, the owner of the store, welcomed us and gave us an insider's look into how he and his family run the business. Here we are with Giovanni and his wife, center, and one of the cooks (right).
Here I am inside the shop with Giovanni and Laura, a student from the University of Gastronomic Sciences, who was also appointed as a chef-delegate to the gastronomia.
Behind the scenes, in the kitchen, we learned how to make a number of their specialty dishes, including bagna cauda and lasagna Bolognese.
Here I am learning how to make an insalata russa and Paul learning how to use the slicer.
This food was shared at the Eat-in event, which is like a cross between a protest and a potluck, similar to the events we planned across the US during the Time for Lunch campaign in 2009 when we worked to raise awareness about improving school food. The Terra Madre Eat-in was a chance to network with other youth activists and to partner with the community in Torino, such as with Giovanni, who joined us for lunch.
--Another one of my favorite Terra Madre experiences was helping my friend from Slow Food Bologna, Hande, conduct interviews and surveys for a project she developed to ask participants from various cultures about their views on food and health. Here I am with Hande interviewing an indigenous woman from Costa Rica who had a number of very valuable insights.
--I also really appreciated the chance to meet other Slow Food leaders at the US Chapter Leaders meeting.
Here I am with some of the other leaders from the Southern California area.
--Despite its size, Salone del Gusto started to come alive with personal connections. Paul, knowing his family was from Puglia, spent quite a bit of time in the section that featured foods from that region. He even found a stand featuring red onions from Acqua Viva delle Fonti, the small town where his great grandfather was born.
At that stand, Paul met Angelo, who we later coincidentally met while in Acqua Viva delle Fonti. As Paul mentioned in his post on our trip to find his family roots, Angelo turned out to be a very close friend of our new relatives.
--Even standing in lines led to random personal connections. One day, in line for an espresso, I met Alexandra Agajanian. It turns out that she is also based in Los Angeles and works for SEE-LA (Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles), the non-profit that supports the Hollywood Farmer's Market and other local markets and programs. Alexandra was handing out gifts from the farmers, such as the little bag of pistachios that she proudly shared with me. After 10 months away from home, it warmed my heart to randomly receive a gift from the farmers at my favorite hometown market.
--Speaking of connections, I do also want to mention an important new relationship between Paul and some very smelly French cheese. I couldn't appreciate it quite as much as he could, but trust me, that cheese brought Paul some serious joy. It is not that I don't like smelly cheese, but when I say that this was strong, I mean strong to a whole new level that I never knew was possible.
In four days I think he must have visited the stand at least 8 times.
So as you can see, even though we didn't hear all of the speakers we hoped to hear, participate in all of the workshops we wanted to, meet all of the people we could have, or taste all of the things that were offered, we managed to have very personal, unforgettable Terra Madre experience.
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