All About Slow Food, ~Salone del Gusto &
Terra Madre~
2004 is the year of the Salone del Gusto.
The fifth edition of the Salone del Gusto＜http://www.salonedelgusto.com/＞
will take place October 21 to 25, 2004, at Turin’s Lingotto
Fiere exhibition center; an event that has by now achieved
internationally renowned. The Salone del Gusto is organized
by Slow Food and the Piedmont Region, with support from Lurisia,
De Cecco, Lavazza, Parmigiano Reggiano and Hitachi.
As in previous years, the goal of the Salone is to bring together
and promote excellence in the field of eno-gastronomy, but
above all to transmit to the public the human and social aspects
of this extraordinary agro-gastronomic patrimony. This year
the Salone will focus on the people behind the products that
give us so much pleasure to consume, whose skilled work is
often overlooked and underappreciated.
Slow Food and the Piedmont Region, hoping that we can count
on your presence at the Salone del Gusto 2004, would be happy
to organize your participation in workshops and event and
to help create occasions for reflection and moments of conviviality.
Food and Community
The Salone del Gusto, a biennial event now about to be staged
for the fifth time, continues to grow in size and clout. A
champion of artisan producers and a window on traditional
foods from all over the world, it has now become a happening
of truly international importance.
The Salone del Gusto is not a stagnant event: it evolves to
reflect the developments within the Slow Food organization.
Slow Food and the Piedmont Regional Government choose a word
or phrase to characterize each edition. In 2000, it was Individuality,
and the Salone presented 90 Presidia, tailored projects to
assist the communities that produce artisan, traditional foods.
In 2002, the theme was Knowledge, and the Salone organized
a myriad of Taste Workshops, Food and Wine Forums, and opportunities
for consumers to meet with producers to encourage a deeper
understanding of what we eat.
In choosing the 2004 theme, Slow Food’s contemplated its own
role as a movement dedicated toeco-gastronomy, aware that
food is the expression of two fundamental elements: the land
from which it arrives, and equally important, the communities
of people who cultivate, transform, commercialize and prepare
it.
This year, the expression we have chosen is Food Communities.
It refers to everyone from the farmers of the Andes who cultivate
indigenous potatoes to the cider producers of Somerset, England.
In short, people involved in all steps of food production
will be at the Salone to represent their communities. The
place to come face to face with these communities will be
the market. Not just for simple monetary transactions, it
will be a locus for meeting, talking, browsing, tasting and
exchanging ideas; the center of the grandest Salone del Gusto
to date.
2004 is the first year of the TERRA MADRE
World Meeting of Food Communities
Turin, 20-23 October 2004
An alternative to the current industrial food production
system exists: one where food quality and variety are valued,
rural regions thrive, and links between producers and consumers
are strong.
Terra Madre established a forum for those who seek to grow,
raise, catch, create, distribute and promote food in ways
that respect the environment, defend human dignity and protect
the health of consumers.
Terra Madre has been a gathering of an unprecedented scale,
drawing 5000 people from dozens of nations. All participants
were members of a 'Food Community' - which means they are
part of a chain of production, linked by a common product,
ethnic identity, region, history, or approach.
Terra Madre was conceived to rediscover the links that connect
the primary producer to the vendor: the grain grower, the
baker, and the bread shop.
Participants in Terra Madre met to exchange ideas and solutions
about how to promote a healthy, dynamic, and diverse food
system.
Terra Madre took place in Turin at Palazzo del Lavoro. The
program included two days of plenary sessions and two days
devoted to 61 theme meetings: the Earth Workshops.
(Quote from "The Slow Food Press release")
For this event, we are inviting Tokuoka Kunio of Arashiyama
Kitcho, Japan and the most the best chefs from both parts
of the world. We are talking about Tokuoka Kunio, chef at
the Kitcho restaurant in Arashiyama, the most authoritative
exponent of traditional Japanese cuisine in Kyoto. The Salone
del Gusto will offer a unique opportunity to demonstrate his
dishes, techniques and find out about his culture. The demonstration
is expected to as the first chef who introduces the real Japanese
Cuisine to Italy.
Tokuoka Kunio of Arashiyama Kitcho was formally invited to
this event. I join him on his visit to Italy and cover him
and event pretty extensively. I doubt the Japanese Cuisine
will sit well with a Italian audience.
|
