Taste This!

Food is Love

What a week! I’ve tried to grasp it, understand it and realize what transpired but I remain utterly amazed. Ever since I set foot on Italian soil I’ve been overwhelmed by the people, the food and the energy that surrounds me. Even though I spent months daydreaming about how it would be here before I actually arrived, I never imagined it to be like this. Officially, class hasn’t even begun yet but I’ve already been hunting wild boar for the first time in my life! (Stay tuned for more on that adventure)

Sure, I picked an exceptional time to start my year here. To be honest, I might not be fully sane nor sober writing this. Getting sucked in to the preparatory madness of one of the biggest gastronomic events in Europe (Salone del Gusto & Terra Madre) immediately on arrival certainly had its impact on me. Nevertheless, I’m fully convinced that I’ve found a place where my heart, my soul and my appetite will dance and laugh in delight, even when the “Salone reveling” will set.

In a nutshell, the Salone del Gusto & Terra Madre -fair was an absolutely dazzling experience. I couldn’t have wished for a better welcoming party. Actually, it’s better to call it a five-day long food orgy because that’s what it was: five days of joyous food-loving people, mind-blowing flavors and unforgettable taste experiences. Where ever I’d look there were smiling faces from all over the world, all reunited to eat well and enjoy the pure and simple things in life.  Half of the time I thought that I had died and gone to foodie heaven. I’m sure I’m not the only one still feeling a bit dizzy.

After day two, I expected the fatigue to slow people down at some point, myself included, but I was totally wrong. Sleeping was the last thing on everyone’s mind. Turns out, when you eat the best produce this world has to offer, you hardly need any sleep. Each time I was a little low or was lacking energy, one of my many new friends I had the privilege to encounter at the fair would come up to me with a bite of something so delicious that I was back in the game in a flash. A friendly tip: start your day by filling your belly with beautiful fresh mozzarella and topping it off with the most exquisite olive oil. You’ll be on cloud nine, I can guarantee that!

During the five days I was really racking my brain to understand what exactly made the event, in particular the atmosphere and the energy, so special. It turned out to be very simple. Food is love. And once you surround yourself with it and people who experience it as you do, you reach a state of divinity. What more do you need?