I
greatly appreciate the link between food and culture, but more importantly how
that link is different for each culture. Most notably, I have realized that the
link between food and culture is one many Americans take advantage of. As a
sophomore in the college of agriculture (my former home), I had the opportunity
to travel to Tuscany to learn about food production. This truly was a dream
come true! I was going to spend 8 days in ITALY learning about food and culture…oh
and eating!
As part
of the class, we met weekly and researched history and production of the foods
we would be seeing, this research was compiled into a presentation for the rest
of the class (16 in all) to learn! We also had weekly Italian quizzes, something
I wish I would have taken more seriously.
After a
day of travel, we landed in Milan, where we would spend a day before heading to
Florence. Florence was our base and from there we went out to see various
producers including: parmigiano
reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar, parma hams, gelato, chocolate, and numerous vineyards.
We attended two cooking schools in Florence; both were amazing but offered a
different perspective on cooking. The first was very serious and professional
while the second was much more laid back. While attending the second cooking
school, we went to the market. The market gave me a great insight into the culture
of Italy. There were fruits, vegetables, baked goods, seafood, and cuts of meat
that I had never seen before. The seafood part wasn’t too surprising; I did
grow up in Kansas after all!
What I
really learned from the trips to the market (we also visited one in Venice),
was food is a central part of Italian livelihood. In the US, few individuals
sell things they grew or caught themselves. In addition, meals are eaten on the
run and not enjoyed as they are in other countries. One of our meals lasted 3
hours, not because we ate that much, but because we were in conversation with
one another and enjoying the atmosphere we were in!
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