Parma, Italy

The lack of posts can be easily justified by the explanation of the utter chaos and insanity that has been endured in the past 3 weeks of my life. I know most of you come to this blog to read about the adventures of my stomach, but this time the only thing my stomach wanted to do was flip and eject itself from the rest of my body (no I did not suffer a digestive virus).

Here is the a list of events that may contribute to the development of my unforeseen schizophrenia:

1) The organization of Italian Bureaucracy is like a scene out of a 3 stooges film. One person bumping into the next, running in circles around each other trying to feign some thread of structure. This has thus made my immigration process absolutely laughable….to say the least I was given an appointment in MARCH to meet with the immigration office.

2) I currently live in a hotel, and my residence naturally, has been booked by someone else in January, forcing me to find a new place to live in very little time. The upcoming Christmas season does not help.

3) I GOT A JOB! As a gastronomic tour guide for Parma Golosa, a food centered travel agency here in Parma. I’ll be giving Americans tours of Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto, and Balsamic Vinegar factories here in the area. They’re even giving me a car!

After all this mess, I’ve come to realize that my life is like a Woody Allen film…only perhaps a little bit less intelligent.

We’ll have to see what’s in store for the next installment of “My Life is a Mess.”

Tortelli d'Erbetta

Curious to read about Parma’s art history? Want to cook some of the traditional meals from this area from home? Click on this link and buy some awesome cook books and art history books from the heart of Parma… available both in Italian and English.
CLICK HERE TO BUY

*Also if you buy this book you will probably help me on the road to landing a job (paid) with the hotel, and thus will aide in the continuation of Grassroots Gourmet does Italy.

Rosa Prati Blog

It was my last day in the school provided housing, I desperately wandered the cobblestone streets of Parma, eyes glazed over by the overwhelming pressure to find a place within 24 hours of my predetermined departure. This was crunch time. I went to the center of local classifieds which turned out to be like a scene from Midnight Express. Little pieces of handwritten housing requests pinned up on a never ending wall of pixelated colors. I left the office discouraged and mentally trying to prepare for my return into the United States.

As a final effort, I found myself in Parma’s historical center in Piazza Duomo at the famous and elegant hotel Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati. I knew this hotel doubled as a long-term residence and I asked the man at the counter how much I would have to spend to rent an apartment in the next 24 hours. He gave me a price of 1600 euro and my mouth dropped open. I felt a sense of overwhelming doom, feeling my vision closing in. Like a rat’s final attempt of escape from the grip of a cobra, I somewhat jokingly asked him if I could work for the hotel instead of pay….a kind of ‘dishwasher’ deal.

BUT THERE IS HOPE! I have an interview with Barilla (yes the lord of pasta) on Thursday for the potential to have a 6 month marketing internship living in Parma and doing what I do best… eating. I am crossing my fingers and toes that this works out, but as most things usually happen for me, the best things come at the last minute.

My other option is running away to my friend’s house in the hills of Tuscany to hide from the government as my visa expires.. This is a highly highly probable idea.

Thanks to Salone del Gusto, the Slow Food event of a lifetime, I have to go shopping for a larger pants size and maybe a visit to the doctor to control my liver function.

Arriving at the Lingotto Convention Center in Turin’s city center, I was blown away by the sheer size of the event. Comprised of 5 expansive pavilions, 3 dedicated to Italy’s regional cuisines, and the rest to the international community, there were more than enough foods to taste and people to meet. The sheer size of the event justified the fact that I was there for 4 days, though certain products definitely kept me coming back for more free tasters

Unlike many of the patrons of the event, I went with a mission, to promote Ferrarini’s Italian food community I Sapori Della Nostra Terra by handing out information cards and giving mini presentations to the various producers there. Let’s just say I made a lot of friends, connected with people both professionally and personally, through the free tasters offered at their booths.

In a delirium of wine, artisan beer, cheese, cured meat, and sweets, I lost myself in the labyrinth of Italy’s regions. This past weekend, I ate enough bread dipped in olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano, Sicilian Cannoli, cured meat, Parmigiano Reggiano, and unidentifiable fried delicacies to induce immediate cardiac arrest. Fortunately however, my body is used to gluttonous abuse from the way that I’ve been eating/drinking for the duration of this past year at the University.

To seem more official, I presented myself to producers as “Michelle Aspis, a student at the University of Gastronomic Sciences,” in a desperate effort to find work, and share a moment with the producers I have met over the past year in an effort to evade my quasi-inevitable return to the US.

Salone del Gusto, in a way, was a culmination of my entire gastronomic education. A truly Grassroots Gourmet experience, the Olympic tournament reserved for those with a stomach and a heart for good food and unforgettable people.

I once read a book called that tried to explain why Italians constantly talk about food, but only in experiences such as this can one truly understand the depth and importance of the world of food for a culture that depends so heavily upon cuisine to progress economically, governmentally, and most importantly, emotionally. Being at Salone del Gusto was like sharing a meal with the entire country, a nonverbal understanding between food lovers about what it means to live to eat, to eat to live, and to survive in a world that seems to sometimes spin out of control.

Though both events are sponsored by Slow Food, they are each directed at a particular target. Terra Madre is basically a UN type megameeting for invited representatives of Slow Food from all over the world. With over 5000 representatives present, this five day conference unites food communities, cooks, academics, artists, and youth who share the common goal of promoting sustainability in the food world.

Over the course of 5 days, various lectures and conferences take place about the current state of the world’s environmental health, learning traditions and cultures of others, and discussing crucial issues of these subjects that pertain to assuring a better future. Sounds a little bit idealistic… Kind of like the final part of “It’s a Small World” at Disneyland, where all the animatronic dolls of different races are mechanically bouncing up and down and rejoicing in their diversity. Haha…..just kidding.

Terra Madre is an exclusive invite only event for members of the Terra Madre network, my being a student at the University of Gastronomic Science has granted me access into an event that continues to make history (we hope).

Salone del Gusto, on the other hand is a public event for anyone who is passionate about food. I would use the word ‘foodie’ but I find it degrading. This is a convention where artisan producers, wine makers, chefs, and academics come together to celebrate their love of good quality and delicious foods. Producers from all over Italy as well as abroad come here to set up a stand and share the fruit of their labor with hungry patrons. Needless to say, this is THE place to be if you consider the pleasure of food to be on par with the pleasure of sex

Ferrarini, the company I’m interning for, will also have a booth at Salone del Gusto, where they’ll be selling non GMO Parmigiano Reggiano, non GMO Butter, Prosciutto di Parma, Salami, and other delicious traditional specialities. We’ll see if I will be able to pull myself away from their stand to try the rest of the goodies offered, though it is difficult to separate from Parmigiano Reggiano; at this point it runs through my veins.

I’ve been picked up! Aside from the many Italian suitors that want to take me out for aperitivo (haha), Made In Kitchen, an Italian food website, has given me a column on their website. To them, I am the token American who has fallen deeply in love with their cuisine, excited to share my eating and drinking experiences with Italians who are hungry for an international opinion.

Every Wednesday, one of my articles will be published, exploring my discoveries of their beloved comestible specialties. The only problem? I HAVE TO WRITE THE ARTICLES IN ITALIAN! At first this proved to be an enormous challenge. Hell, I have been writing about food for the better part of 2 years, but now I have to do it in another language?! oy.

The first of my articles was published this week, and though my grammar is sub-par, I was able to get the message across that I am an absolute glutton for delicious food.

Here’s the link: An American in Parma…. Though my English speaking readers probably won’t understand the article, I consider this a serious achievement. I wrote about my experience at the Prosciutto di Parma factory. Living in Parma gives me some serious access to good eats, I may as well capitalize on my surroundings!

More articles to come, and considering my ‘bi-lingual’ writing abilities, this will definitely be an interesting development, both for Grassroots Gourmet, and my personal self worth

If you want to follow my posts on Made in Kitchen, create an account, it’s really easy. The only problem is my articles will only appear on the Italian version of the site.

Keepin’ it Grassroots folks, or as they say in Italian, dedicato ai miei radici (dedicated to my roots).

Lambrusco Grapes

In Italy’s designated land of pork and Parmigiano, there’s always room for a vineyard.While Emilia-Romagna might not be particularly well-known for having an extensive or flourishing viticulture, the region produces a large amount of Lambrusco and even some international grapes including Chardonnay and Cabernet-Sauvignon.

Working for Ferrarini S.p.A., a company with a lot of land producing a large variety of Italian specialty products (Prosciutto, Parmigiano, Balsamic Vinegar, Wine, etc.) I get the opportunity to follow the entire production process of these things on a first hand basis. Yes, I even get to taste the grapes from Ferrarini’s vineyards. I can’t exactly say my life sucks.

During the month of September into the beginning of October, the grape-vine reaches the height of excitement in its life. Kind of like graduating from high school, the grapes that have been in the process of growing the entire year, are now being picked and transformed in to bigger, better, and more alcoholic things.

Being an American, I have always romanticized the picking and crushing of wine grapes. Having seen that infamous “I Love Lucy” episode far too many times, I expected to see a group of ageless women in checkered dresses with handkerchiefs on their head, picking and stomping grapes to the beat of a distant accordion. Instead, I saw that the people harvesting grapes were actually students, round together every year to make a quick buck during the harvesting season.The harvest is 100% manual, which is surprising considering that Ferrarini has over 20 acres of their land designated for viticulture.

Because this area of Italy is not particularly famous for its wine culture, the general approach for wines from this area is quantity above quality. Lambrusco being the regional wine, is a simple table wine that pairs well with fattier foods, with a light carbonation and acidity that helps cut the heaviness of what’s being eaten.

Running around with Ferrarini’s enologist, Luca Torreggiani, I was filling pages and pages of my notebook with wine facts that any wine-dork/food-freak would find fascinating. A conversation with Luca, my comprehension degenerating with each sip of fermented grape elixir, I pushed myself to understand the intricacies of it all..

The Q&A’s with Mr. Toreggiani

• Q: What is organic wine?
• A: I am convinced that it can’t actually exist 100%. Sure grapes can be grown in an organic environment, without using pesticides, etc. But once they leave the vineyard, Sulphites almost absolutely have to be used in order to create the right fermentation environment for the wine. Sulphites are fundamental for extending the longevity of wine, as well as conserving it’s color and flavor. Organic wine? I’m not convinced.

• Q: Why are grapes always grown on a slope?
• A: Slopes are very important in viticulture. Especially for white wines. By growing the white wine grapes on a slope facing east, they are never exposed to the direct heat of the sun, and the flavors are not burnt or compromised. Red wines on the other hand need heat, so they are grown facing West on a hill to have the best sun exposure.

• Q: How come drinking a sip of Champagne or other sparkling white wine makes me feel immediately drunk?
• A: Well, it’s actually not the alcohol content of the wine that makes your head spin immediately like that, it’s actually because sparkling white wines or “Spumanti” have a higher level of sulphites that have that side effect.
  

Making wine is not a simple endeavor. It requires an extensive knowledge not only of climate (Ferrarini uses specialized technology to specifically monitor weather patterns), but also a good background in science, and a passion for the product itself. I have a passion for drinking the product, but something tells me that’s not enough to open my own vineyard. As far as a Grassroots Gourmet wine production goes, for now all we have to rely on is the moonshine eating away the plastic of my bathtub. I should probably just stick to drinking and enjoying wine, leaving the rest to the pros.