monthly emails: aprile 2022

And so here we are again, a bit behind schedule. I suppose that's a good sign, no? Of time spent elsewhere and getting caught up in the swing of life here. These emails serve as a great way to reflect, though. So thank you all for being interested! It gives me a reason to write.

Today's email is accompanied by back-patio, laundry-day rainy weather. We had a glorious spot of Florida-worthy sunshine yesterday, but it's been almost a full week since we've had dry weather. The newly planted greens, tomatoes, hops, and dog are loving the watering. That dog could nearly plant himself and I'm convinced potatoes would grow from him - he loves a good day in the dirt. Even better if it's damp dirt. Even best if it's mud.

This month...this past month has been quite a bit. School has cranked into full swing - courses have covered Black American Foodways, Food History, Latin American and Caribbean Cuisines, Food Ethnobiology and Foraging. There was a grateful break between returning home from the study trip and Easter break, which was spent at Davide's hometown of Reggio Emilia in Emilia-Romagna. There's something distinctly overwhelming with how those from that region eat - meat, on cheese, on meat, with bread, in cheese, over pork fat. Zampone Modena, erbazzone, and of course Parmigiano Reggiano. "Sucking the nails" took on a whole new meaning...decadent gastronomic experiences abound. The Easter weekend rounded out with Pasquetta, the Monday after Easter in which Italians basically celebrate Easter all over again. An exhaustive and euphoric experience was spent eating and exploring the region, from cheese and balsamic producers to artisanal mills and garden parties.

Shortly after Easter, I caught up with a Floridian friend and her friends from England and Ireland in Roma for a weekend that included cocktails, carbonara, and avoiding tourists, a nearly impossible feat. The glasses of wine spent under the enoteca umbrellas, however, were like something out of an indie film - a chain smoking Italian man with a Cockney English accent, a bartender and lithographic artist, and an Airbnb owner from Trastevere seated among us gals made for a starkly edgy, Dead Poets Society energy in contrast to the endless stream of Instagrammers snapping photos of "Rome's Best Tiramisu!" across the street, conveniently served in cheap disposable clear plastic cups with plastic spoons. Perfectly aesthetic.

These have been weekend highlights, however. Among the adventures and aperitivi, I am attending classes, writing papers, or in seminars. There are educational opportunities abound: when the world is framed around food, it's hard to find an experience or moment that doesn't somehow relate back to it.

Sometimes, it's overwhelming to talk about food - going to a specialized university makes it almost drone on at moments, a frustrated groan of, "Why do we always talk about food?" Yet, it is pretty much everything: the world is constantly consuming and expelling, as are we, the humans, and our pets, and our plants. We eat to live, and we take life in order to eat, vegan or not - the death of a leaf, the death of a ferment, the death of a future plant. It's not as depressing as it sounds, I promise. In a way, it's given me perspective in a big poetic way, but also in a small, daily way.

Pushing those introspective thoughts aside leaving room for premature nostalgia, I have now just about two months left of my classwork before the summer months creep in. They're to be filled by some travels, work, and internships between the States, UK, and potentially Cuba before returning here by October for graduation. I'll be working on my thesis between now and then, but I'm still in the early stages of planning and developing. It's too much to think about now as I type it out...but oh, what a stacked schedule I've made for myself.

I have to politely dismiss myself and my discourse now, as I have more than enough readings, writings, and projects to work on to fill my time these coming days and weeks. Though, I'll repeat what I said before - these are a joy to write, a moment to review and refresh, and to think thoughtfully, not just academically. So, I owe my thanks to each of you for being a recipient.

Gratitude, and spring salutations