A few months ago, I bought some organic milk at the supermarket and only noticed when I got home that it had the tag line “milked right in your neighborhood!” I had to laugh out loud. It was a laughter filled with irony and sadness because at that time there had been a huge oil spill in the river that runs through my town. I know cows don’t swim in the river. It wasn’t the same as buying trout and hearing that it had been caught “right in your neighborhood!” But still the idea of a cow grazing on the banks of a polluted river on the sprawling outskirts of the city was both sad and absurd.
I really like the idea of being a “locavore” or of living all “kilometer zero,” but can you really do that when you live in a city that is, uh, more than a tad polluted? I really don’t know the answer to that question, but I will continue to ponder it. Thanks to Judy’s blog, I read about the big Earth Market in Bologna sponsored by the Slow Food movement. I did some research and found out that, wow, we have one here in Milan as well. I’m going to go to the next one, which is on Saturday, June 19. Apparently, all of the farmers and vendors are local, and you can taste their products and even have lunch in the park where the market is held. It sounds great. You can get more info here.
Below is a video I found with some images of the Earth Market in Milan.
Then I just found out about the first ever Milano Food Week being held this week. There are tons of cool food and wine events going on, and tonight there’s going to be an “American street food tasting” in some old warehouse turned food lab while a graffiti artist does his thing with the spray cans. Could be a weird pairing (like drinking a cappuccino after – or God forbid, with – your pizza) or could be kind of cool! All of the events end this Sunday, and I wish I had found out about it sooner or I definitely would have made a point of tasting Barbera wines on a tram or taking a gastronomic tour of the city’s various ethnic neighborhoods. But, for all my talk of eating well, I’ll probably be stuffing my face with pizza and potato chips and drinking beer this weekend as I watch a few of the World Cup games.
Your post really made me wonder about the pollution issue and local produce. Thanks. I’ve added it to my top 10 this week over on http://www.italytutto.com
Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it.
It’s a good question you ask. Do you think Kilometri zero is the right name for the concept? , which is great but it seems to me that nothing can really be kilometri zero unless you grow it yourself. Kilometri pochi maybe.
I went to the Slow Food Earth Market here in Milan this morning and most things were labeled as to how many kilometers away they were produced (nothing “chilometro zero”) – it was almost all from around 30-40 kilometers away. Probably better – away from the pollution!
I agree pollution is an issue – but unless you live on a farm, you have to go somewhere for your food…. most (all? almost all?) cities have plenty of farms within 100 miles. Isn’t reducing the carbon footprint and being kind to yourself the point?
Thanks for the thoughtful post!
All of the farm stands I saw this morning at the Slow Food Earth Market were around 30-40 km away. That sounds about right, and yes, reducing the carbon footprint is much of the point. Thanks for the comment!
Yes, moderation in all things.
A chip here, a donut there, a scrape of polyunsaturated margarine…
FRIED FOODS! Mai oui! What’s that Japanese stuff- Tempura! Closer to home, mmmmm Arancini- those fritte from Naples- potato croquettes, fried zucchini flowers.
I can just picture those Piemontese patatine.
Quite subtle if you bear in mind that In England they used to wrap them in newspaper,- ( oops- you’re a journalist)- fry them in lard/ suet ( NOT vegetarian).
Need I add that in today’s England hot chips are still eaten WITH THEIR HANDS!
But where you are, do you get that cardboard frilled-edge rectangular tray and the coloured “fork” and ketchup?
Sorry if I seem irreverent . It’s just that I had to giggle at that part of your post with the fries.
Thanks. I enjoyed that.
Gianna
Gianna
Gianna
No rectangular tray and colored fork and ketchup here. Unless you go to McDonald’s, I guess. Selling fries on the street is not big in Italy, which is probably a good thing because I LOVE french frieds. Unless they are fried in lard, that is…Yuck. Hope you are well, Gianna!