https://whereskiva.cargo.site where's kiva? Thu, 12 May 2022 10:32:28 +0000 https://whereskiva.cargo.site en https://whereskiva.cargo.site/info Tue, 10 May 2022 09:57:38 +0000 where's kiva? https://whereskiva.cargo.site/info oh hey there (that’s a midwestern hello).&nbsp; my family jokes that i’m always on some adventure, equating me to that sneaky childhood book character waldo. my friends call me carmen sandiego, international spy-adventure-lady. “it’s like we’re playing ‘where’s kiva?’ where in the world is kiva victoria?!” they’d laugh. and so, where’s kiva came to be a fitting reference.i was introduced early on and frequently to travel and places of “other,” and what started as a general interest in culture, history, art, and the humanities grew into a trajectory towards exploration and insatiable curiosity, often leading to side quests, obscure adventure, and tangential gigs. a bachelor’s, graduate certificate, and master’s degree later, i still feel like my pursuit is incomplete, and may perpetually be...the urge to keep on learning, listening, and expressing is ever-present.&nbsp;and so, without further adieu, i present this: my “personally professional portfolio” - a general collection, ensemble, an ongoing compilation of my travels, my studies, my work, my thoughts. some are visual, some are written. some are personal, some are academic. some are old, some are new. red fish, blue fish, one fish, two. there’s probably something about fish, too... with love and gratitude,&nbsp; kiva kiva victoria talty &nbsp;︎&nbsp;linkedin.com/in/kivatalty ︎unisg.it/en/docenti/kiva-victoria-talty/ &nbsp;︎ culinaryadventuress@gmail.com &nbsp;︎ k.talty@unisg.it ︎ @whereskiva <img width="400" height="400" width_o="400" height_o="400" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/06b4bdb91f68c3ab28afecf91f2229bd32f4a5df773c64469989954ec238a56a/Headshot-UNISG.jpg" data-mid="228106739" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/400/i/06b4bdb91f68c3ab28afecf91f2229bd32f4a5df773c64469989954ec238a56a/Headshot-UNISG.jpg" /> https://whereskiva.cargo.site/photos-page Tue, 10 May 2022 09:57:38 +0000 where's kiva? https://whereskiva.cargo.site/photos-page <img width="3072" height="4096" width_o="3072" height_o="4096" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/71f5da6b88dc54a204dac6aad9294f4fb41cbf15fc3b9595035093d76c7b2296/IMG_20260606_124640429.jpg" data-mid="250212219" border="0" alt="exhibit research at the butter museum of cork" data-caption="exhibit research at the butter museum of cork" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/71f5da6b88dc54a204dac6aad9294f4fb41cbf15fc3b9595035093d76c7b2296/IMG_20260606_124640429.jpg" /> <img width="768" height="1024" width_o="768" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f6621c7310292c573590b83f1fadf07a1c5b1b82a22119e91dc66a52663029a1/Ricetto-museum-work.jpg" data-mid="182525193" border="0" alt="object placement within il piccolo museo delle cose di cucina e pasticceria" data-caption="object placement within il piccolo museo delle cose di cucina e pasticceria" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/f6621c7310292c573590b83f1fadf07a1c5b1b82a22119e91dc66a52663029a1/Ricetto-museum-work.jpg" /> <img width="1200" height="1600" width_o="1200" height_o="1600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/66064fc0986fab5de86f0de18a88cabb55feb7f1598be574df9fc44829a4bcd7/Sindaco---Kiva.jpg" data-mid="215967961" border="0" alt="receiving recognition from the mayor of candelo" data-caption="receiving recognition from the mayor of candelo" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/66064fc0986fab5de86f0de18a88cabb55feb7f1598be574df9fc44829a4bcd7/Sindaco---Kiva.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1331" width_o="2000" height_o="1331" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e35db1b90fea017bcae0e2dedf5c3f51d9c94f73a82a91fbec0834df06a0255a/UNISG-ventennale-we-ar-gastronome.jpg" data-mid="212479467" border="0" alt="&quot;we-ar gastronome&quot; for the ventennale of unisg" data-caption="&quot;we-ar gastronome&quot; for the ventennale of unisg" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e35db1b90fea017bcae0e2dedf5c3f51d9c94f73a82a91fbec0834df06a0255a/UNISG-ventennale-we-ar-gastronome.jpg" /> <img width="1280" height="1920" width_o="1280" height_o="1920" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/50c6f1e7a66caf3f52168edd49304618b1416c4c56f2d51fb2ea2243b76f0c69/Boat-2.jpg" data-mid="142151453" border="0" alt="photo by daniele roberto: danieleroberto.com" data-caption="photo by daniele roberto: danieleroberto.com" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/50c6f1e7a66caf3f52168edd49304618b1416c4c56f2d51fb2ea2243b76f0c69/Boat-2.jpg" /> <img width="1103" height="1654" width_o="1103" height_o="1654" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/42ddea22ed087efc40cd69e1366096a2950c5a2efeb322a691a8381903cc0731/3D8A8764.jpg" data-mid="215967948" border="0" alt="panelist for student lavazza competition at pollenzo food lab" data-caption="panelist for student lavazza competition at pollenzo food lab" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/42ddea22ed087efc40cd69e1366096a2950c5a2efeb322a691a8381903cc0731/3D8A8764.jpg" /> <img width="768" height="1024" width_o="768" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5eb01878c7fa14438a967c1faaf7c1e0481469d7b29855048490f52aa34d7c21/IMG-20221017-WA0155.jpg" data-mid="199488631" border="0" alt="graduation from gastronomy school" data-caption="graduation from gastronomy school" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/5eb01878c7fa14438a967c1faaf7c1e0481469d7b29855048490f52aa34d7c21/IMG-20221017-WA0155.jpg" /> <img width="1024" height="768" width_o="1024" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/87f0338ee58e7adc9513d9b6e075462b31eb9cf0de32f319b769f6d2a936b31e/Havana-National-Library.jpg" data-mid="142151445" border="0" alt="la habana national library" data-caption="la habana national library" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/87f0338ee58e7adc9513d9b6e075462b31eb9cf0de32f319b769f6d2a936b31e/Havana-National-Library.jpg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/38c8c23db46137f2af0378be82add54caab71f2909039efc1af2250aec6d2e51/Cardo-Gobbo.jpg" data-mid="145373986" border="0" alt="cardo gobbo producer visit, nizza monferrato" data-caption="cardo gobbo producer visit, nizza monferrato" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/38c8c23db46137f2af0378be82add54caab71f2909039efc1af2250aec6d2e51/Cardo-Gobbo.jpg" /> <img width="1280" height="1920" width_o="1280" height_o="1920" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d14fddf725418e942c8c5f9520a215ee97fa3e656e6a1c51ade3f99f98c1bcb3/Greenhouse-3.jpg" data-mid="142151454" border="0" alt="photo by daniele roberto: danieleroberto.com" data-caption="photo by daniele roberto: danieleroberto.com" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d14fddf725418e942c8c5f9520a215ee97fa3e656e6a1c51ade3f99f98c1bcb3/Greenhouse-3.jpg" /> <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3950a7e22aa4713f1a374841ec5a0a968dfbd2b92c93bb96db5433e996403c58/MPM-1.jpg" data-mid="142151458" border="0" alt="milwaukee public museum, collections care" data-caption="milwaukee public museum, collections care" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3950a7e22aa4713f1a374841ec5a0a968dfbd2b92c93bb96db5433e996403c58/MPM-1.jpg" /> <img width="854" height="781" width_o="854" height_o="781" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/88bf2349afe37b001a1c70b90035e6101f00080034bf0499f071238716b549e5/Learn4Earth-Presentation.png" data-mid="198520244" border="0" alt="learn4earth seed saving presentation" data-caption="learn4earth seed saving presentation" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/854/i/88bf2349afe37b001a1c70b90035e6101f00080034bf0499f071238716b549e5/Learn4Earth-Presentation.png" /> <img width="1440" height="1800" width_o="1440" height_o="1800" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/805045135510a1f0facc0d8b960999d193fd1a84b464e16d5d311b060c2f51ec/Fassona-steak.jpg" data-mid="151939433" border="0" alt="what's left of a kilo of fassona at porta palazzo" data-caption="what's left of a kilo of fassona at porta palazzo" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/805045135510a1f0facc0d8b960999d193fd1a84b464e16d5d311b060c2f51ec/Fassona-steak.jpg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8c16d9bc3a9a95ea234900af6bc5bd5ab864b0ea930886f0d8d2a4621df7d9e5/Cafe-queen.jpg" data-mid="145373982" border="0" alt="cafe queen, trieste" data-caption="cafe queen, trieste" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8c16d9bc3a9a95ea234900af6bc5bd5ab864b0ea930886f0d8d2a4621df7d9e5/Cafe-queen.jpg" /> <img width="1816" height="4032" width_o="1816" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/34d016683d8a568f64a23c1ba3e7e163b8ddd22a3ebe14ce7c559114fcc7873e/Plant-dyes.jpg" data-mid="145373987" border="0" alt="food psychology plant dye project, with kavita malstead" data-caption="food psychology plant dye project, with kavita malstead" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/34d016683d8a568f64a23c1ba3e7e163b8ddd22a3ebe14ce7c559114fcc7873e/Plant-dyes.jpg" /> <img width="1024" height="690" width_o="1024" height_o="690" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b1f8ab85aa0397d020591aafa8e28dc2f6afe87bc97bf323909ad05c2fdb3c1b/Blooms-n-Brews.jpg" data-mid="142151436" border="0" alt="blooms &amp; brews 2019, headdress by floromancydesigns.com" data-caption="blooms &amp; brews 2019, headdress by floromancydesigns.com" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b1f8ab85aa0397d020591aafa8e28dc2f6afe87bc97bf323909ad05c2fdb3c1b/Blooms-n-Brews.jpg" /> <img width="768" height="1024" width_o="768" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dbc61a6f44e3a2e781ed287533e491f6f4656c56c27f054fcf00538c06ea94f3/IMG-20220608-WA0003.jpg" data-mid="199488628" border="0" alt="chai masala tea service w/ classmate alex capurso" data-caption="chai masala tea service w/ classmate alex capurso" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/dbc61a6f44e3a2e781ed287533e491f6f4656c56c27f054fcf00538c06ea94f3/IMG-20220608-WA0003.jpg" /> <img width="2082" height="2776" width_o="2082" height_o="2776" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/01afdb03979de5253cb51db27a014b4370f78e7fccbb12ea75cd5fb04ffdde12/Harvest-4.16.20.png" data-mid="151560670" border="0" alt="harvest day at naples botanical garden" data-caption="harvest day at naples botanical garden" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/01afdb03979de5253cb51db27a014b4370f78e7fccbb12ea75cd5fb04ffdde12/Harvest-4.16.20.png" /> <img width="768" height="1024" width_o="768" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/23c03e16a0b8e30f605e7c8a00c6699fbad1ac8b7e1368887b040cd2a627f356/IMG-20221005-WA0051.jpg" data-mid="198520143" border="0" alt="saussy rolls in bristol" data-caption="saussy rolls in bristol" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/23c03e16a0b8e30f605e7c8a00c6699fbad1ac8b7e1368887b040cd2a627f356/IMG-20221005-WA0051.jpg" /> <img width="1536" height="2048" width_o="1536" height_o="2048" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/137484117092c4151b9812e9a35d727165005feebd3bd1a3e0ab1a862015bd41/IMG-20220918-WA0005.jpg" data-mid="198520142" border="0" alt="floribbean lunch preparation w/ friend + associate matteo bigi" data-caption="floribbean lunch preparation w/ friend + associate matteo bigi" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/137484117092c4151b9812e9a35d727165005feebd3bd1a3e0ab1a862015bd41/IMG-20220918-WA0005.jpg" /> <img width="900" height="1600" width_o="900" height_o="1600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7e3bb9c269cb068aa5899647850ca39254bfd04d3c438777cf36a357783b1513/IMG-20221006-WA0000.jpg" data-mid="198520145" border="0" alt="pub meals w/ friends" data-caption="pub meals w/ friends" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/900/i/7e3bb9c269cb068aa5899647850ca39254bfd04d3c438777cf36a357783b1513/IMG-20221006-WA0000.jpg" /> <img width="768" height="1024" width_o="768" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/159c06a09456571f5dc92fb4ad185a050e5300efd8b311e5de5146e71228aacb/IMG-20221005-WA0064.jpg" data-mid="198520144" border="0" alt="welsh cheese in the park is a beautiful thing" data-caption="welsh cheese in the park is a beautiful thing" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/159c06a09456571f5dc92fb4ad185a050e5300efd8b311e5de5146e71228aacb/IMG-20221005-WA0064.jpg" /> https://whereskiva.cargo.site/writing Tue, 10 May 2022 10:44:39 +0000 where's kiva? https://whereskiva.cargo.site/writing freelance writing italy segreta freshwater feelings: seeking a swim away from the coast easy cheesy: a guide to italian cheese for the lactose intolerant in good humor: digestion rules italians still live by argentina’s gnocchi del 29: from sainthood to supper superstition sicilians in the big easy: muffuletta, mardi gras, and migration grapes, sweat, and tears: a piedmont vendemmia top 50 farmers il chioso | federico chierico&nbsp; coming soon ;) the new gastronomecoming soon ;) my wordson being stuck &amp; struggling on snail mail oblong optics how long do you wait for a sunset? waiting on the 49 show ‘n’ tell comes in the form of a to-go container this chair heartbreak in the time of covid - for harry monthly correspondence a la carte i moved to the piemonte region of italy in the autumn of 2022 for a master’s of gastronomy in world food cultures and mobility at the university of gastronomic sciences of pollenzo. in my best efforts to reflect while also keeping up with friends and family from home, i began a monthly email. they became sort of an anthology, sort of an ethnography, and a lot of a memory-keeping trick for me. i’ve collected and kept them here.suggested pairings: barolo, barbaresco, arneis, or dolcetto wine (or...all?). toma or robiola cheese. grissini. happy reading:&nbsp; ottobre 2021 novembre 2021 diciembre 2021 gennaio 2022 febbraio 2022 marzo 2022 aprile 2022 ...then clearly these ceased being written around the end of my classes and the beginning of the summer.&nbsp; https://whereskiva.cargo.site/ottobre-2021 Thu, 12 May 2022 10:12:14 +0000 where's kiva? https://whereskiva.cargo.site/ottobre-2021 monthly emails: ottobre 2021Ciao tutti! Familiga e amici... Firstly, I'm sorry it's taken me this long to write, but I think a monthly update will do the trick! At the moment, I'm writing with mostly-chilled fingers from the fireside. The Piemonte region of Italy is notoriously humid and rainy on account of being in proximity to the Alps and the Ligurian Sea. Besides dusting off the majority of my "winter clothes" from Florida and bringing them here, I still seem to be lacking the warm blood that keeps the Piemontese active during the day. I'm building up my tolerance, though! The walk down the hill from my home in the San Michele neighborhood gives me a good warmup before school, though it's the cappucinos that really do the trick. I arrived here on the 4th of October in weather just like this, getting drizzled on at the train station with my three duffles. Gianmarco, one of my three roommates, was contacted through my friend Callum (thanks Callum) and told him I'd arrived. We zipped to the tabacchi, then zipped up to San Michele. When I say we zipped, I really mean we zipped. Gianmarco is from Rome which is apparently home to some of the craziest drivers. As a Floridian, I can relate. The house is on the side of one of the hills that overlooks Bra on the NE side. The hills sort of ripple, so while I can't directly see Bra, I can see across two valleys, my own neighborhood of San Michele and a deeper ridge that provides views of Pocapaglia and San Giacomo. We have fruit trees, vegetable gardens, a bocce court, a homemade sauna, and two bonfires. We had chickens and rabbits until an incident as of late which may have involved a hungry badger or fox. Let's just say I had to change my rabbit name suggestions from Bonnie and Clyde to Lone Ranger. Getting to school is a breeze even though we live a bit out of the city center. By bus is my secondary option to a free ride with one of the guys - Gianmarco's little Fiat, Niccolo's Brixton motorcycle, or Jonas' scooter. The options! We take a beautiful back road that starts just behind the Chiesa di San Michele and winds through farmland and little outskirt towns on the way to Pollenzo, once a Roman village named Pollentia. The Battle of Pollenzo took place in 402 between the Visigoths and the Romans, and later served as an important seizure by the Sardinian King Savoia. We casually have Roman ruins on various parts of our campus, including in the Banca del Vino and in our gardens, all which encompass a palace built in the 1800s that now serves as the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo. My cohorts in the Master's tracks (just two this year so we've become close - Culinary Arts and World Food Cultures and Mobility, mine) come from all backgrounds - Canada, Malaysia, Japan, India, New England, Mexico, Israel, Sicily, Milan, France, Germany, Switzerland, West Coast, Texas, and even Florida among others. Everyone brings their unique story and interest, though the large majority come from industry/service background like restaurants, bakeries, suppliers, farms, etc. Some are fresh out of college while others chose to continue their passion before retiring with plenty of variety between. I've already completed two courses, one on Philosophy of the Environment and Sustainability and the other in Food and Environment. The former explored the way we see and feel about ourselves and nature, focusing on how we've assumed a separation from that which is nature - we are animals after all. The latter was a frightening and much-needed look at the reality of current food production, consumption, CO2, and our generally declining state of sustainable existence on Earth. Talk about ripping the bandage off the warm-fuzzy feelings of philosophy the week prior. We as humans have some work to do...This month takes us into our Food, Taste, and Sensory Analysis courses, specifically on olive oil, wine, and cheese as well as Italian Language courses and some Mediterranean and Seminars from visiting academics. One student from the Culinary Arts program has offered to host a Thanksgiving (Ringraziamento), so I have that to look forward to among other interesting activities. Niccolo, one of my roommates from outside Venice, is an avid forager, and Jonas, the other roommate from The Netherlands, works directly under Carlo Petrini, so we get insider-access to events and ongoings (like the Fat Ox Fair). Though there aren't many boring days here, chores are still ongoing. I've been practicing my fire-making skills for our fireplace in our kitchen, which will heat this room and serve for half our cooking during the winter months. Our house is also palace-like and constantly needs cleaning, not to mention sorted trash and composting. It's helped build a routine I can appreciate, no matter how tedious. Going to the market is interesting and a great opportunity to practice what little Italian I have, though my roommates have been a tremendous help with my vocabulary. In exchange, they've gotten a few Midwestern and Southern sayings down along with a few token American meals. Chicken fried steak was an absolute hit, and they're looking forward to gumbo, jambalaya, chili, Thanksgiving, and casseroles. I have found a place that sells yucca and plantains, so a Caribbean dish is definitely in the works. Though it's been a big life change, I haven't really yet felt homesick. I'm sure on cold winter nights I'll be craving a cooldown dip in the Gulf, or after busy days the creature comforts of home and family and friends. For now, this is life, and it's pretty darn neat!Sending each and every one of you warm wishes and hugs from afar. I'll do my best to get back to you via email if you'd like to talk or send an update back (or ask to be removed or don't want updates - no problem here!)Until next month's update! And please feel free to share with any friends or family that I may have missed. I'll be sure to add them to the next month's :)Ciao! https://whereskiva.cargo.site/novembre-2021 Thu, 12 May 2022 10:14:40 +0000 where's kiva? https://whereskiva.cargo.site/novembre-2021 monthly emails: novembre 2021Ciao tutti! To all those who are getting this for the first time – welcome! And thank you for being interested in hearing from me. To give you the quick, speed-dating version: I am pursuing a Master’s of Gastronomy: World Food Cultures and Mobility from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy for the 2021-2022 school year. And, no, I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it – I hope to find out! I’m writing these monthly-ish to inform friends and family of my ongoings. Keeping up on a more frequent basis has been a challenge, and I’m also doing this for selfish reasons as it can double as record of my experiences and reflections. Glad you’re coming along for the ride! Setting the scene(s) while composing this month’s correspondence: back row of class (what’s new) while watching a documentary on couscous and the fellahin, who are some of the remaining growers of ancestral varieties of grains; taking a study break in Aula Magna, a portico-clad, brick-ceiling auditorium where our exam on olive oil history, technology, and tasting will take place this afternoon; and at my desk at home, which is finally organized enough for me to use instead of just collecting wine glasses and tea mugs, receipts, and Euro coins. November has been a month of settling into a new normal. Though I began my program at the beginning of October it’s taken me until now to really feel like I am here. I know where the outlets are in the house, how to start a sauna-sized stove and a proper fireplace, and how long it will take me to get down from my house into the city (taking into consideration shoe choice, temperature, bus availability, bags carried, and if I’ve had any wine). I can ask in broken Italian about my landlord’s dog and rabbits (he’s getting two new ones after the “murders” last month), and I can ask strangers if I can pet their dog, which really requires a bit of buttering up. My understanding of the casual bureaucracy that is Italy has taught me patience. So. Much. Patience. I was corrected the other day by another student (Mallory, from Key West, takes care of the garden at our home in San Michele) when I mentioned, “I live in Florida.” “No,” she said, “you lived in Florida. Now you live in Italy.” She’s not wrong – I’ve finally just gotten my permesso di soggiorno, which is one step above a study visa and on the path to claiming residency. Another fun component of Italian bureaucracy included a 2 hour wait outside of the immigration office (one of twelve people at the time), a “one-in-one-out” policy that was mostly confusing and hardly followed, and a final doorstep call for appointment-only patrons to come inside followed by a rushing throng of eager folks stating their cases on why they should enter. I don’t speak much Italian still, let alone Piemontese Italian, but tone means everything...What I can tell you is that I now know a great place to open a café for consistent business. All bureaucracy and paperwork aside, the pace of life here has shifted a few gears down from the madness of American daily life. It’s a startling difference. The average day begins around 8am for the market and grocery, and 9am-ish for the rest of the city, taking into account if the store owner has arrived on time and whether or not they’ve had their coffee yet. My classes usually begin around 10am, so I’m up and out the door before 9am if I ride with one of the roommates or by 916am at the bus stop. That one is also a give and take – sometimes it’s 915am, sometimes it’s 922am. I no longer spend my unpredictable wait at the bus stop incessantly checking the schedule but rather come up with new dance routines and moves to keep myself warm, or walk up and down the block greeting the dogs behind their fences. This confidence in transportation that rarely keeps a schedule is secured by the fact that I may literally be the only person to ride the #6 bus from the San Michele neighborhood – my presence at a bus stop causes a “oh shit” type of downshifting from the driver once he sees me, yet I’m greeted warmly before we zoom off again. Upon arrival at the central station, I transfer to the #1 bus that will bring us to the small village of Pollenzo, where UNISG is, after a switchback commute down the side of the hills and through farm fields and satellite villages. There’s usually a strong pungent scent of cattle or manure, sometimes burning if the weather is right. Whereas farms in the U.S. are largely rural and far outside access to the average city-slicker citizen, here I can see where beans and wheat are grown, where cattle roam and where horses graze. Picturesque and transparent, present and incorporated into the infrastructure, these aren’t the farms of large-name companies but rather family farms and collectives. By the time we arrive at school, it’s time for – you guessed it – a coffee, and if they have any left, a focaccia or brioche (which is technically a croissant but they refuse to call them that even though the French border is just under two hours away). In Piemontese, I order my “cappuci” (pronounced kah-pooch) with a wee bit of miele, *plop in goes the stirring stick which doubles as my spoon when I scrape all of the delicious coffee-soaked creamy foam. If that could be made alone, I would eat buckets of it. Off to class, which is followed by lunch and, if the mood is just right, a glass of vino from the Banca del Vino, a wine project started by Carlin Petrini after UNISG was established. The intent is to conserve, display, and share the variety of wine produced in Italy – by region, style, terroir, technique, and history. Situated in the basement of one of our buildings, the portico ceiling and soft lighting gives this cellar space a dreamy and decadent feeling. The presence of Roman ruins and archaeological evidence within the cellar adds to the Italian-ness of this space. If I have afternoon class, I’m at the uni until about 6pm. It gets dark quickly here, as the sun dips behind the Alps just before 5pm. We take the evening bus back to Bra, which usually takes longer with commuter traffic heading back into the city, people returning home or going out for dinner. If we make it back in time, I have the pleasure of taking a warm “private” bus ride up to San Michele. If it doesn’t, I get a 35 minute stroll home through the streets. Oftentimes, I prefer to walk as the city’s businesses are open and bustling until 730pm. Similar to Spain, Bra goes into a sort of siesta-mode for a few hours between 1pm and 3pm or 4pm, so they split their day for lunch, smokes, and a nap. Closing times are hard-set hours – Italians get very bothered if you stay too long. This was another culture shock, for after needing to buy last minute groceries for home, one could say I was practically escorted by security to the cash register at 730pm promptly. If I don’t have afternoon class, then I’m off to Bra for errands or adventures and the likely aperitivo. This month I explored beyond my usual cappuci or café for an afternoon pick-me-up (the former which can only be ordered in the morning – an afternoon cappuccino is sacrilege). I’d like to introduce you to one of the most decadent drinks – bicerin (pronounced bee-che-reen). It’s like your childhood dream came true. I remember the forbidden desire when we were kids – mum would doll some coffee up with sugar and a heavy hand of cream, sometimes adding chocolate or vanilla syrup. This is that – espresso layered with drinking chocolate (and pure chocolate at that, none of that powder), sweet cream and whipped cream. It’s just the drink you want when you’ve walked through frigid Alpine humidity after the sun has cast it’s shadows over the city. Sometimes, sometimes, this can lead to a need for a digestif or glass of wine. Just depends on the day 😉 I suppose I shouldn’t spend this entire email on just my daily schedule, as that’s quite dry to read about. Not a good indicator of time spent, either. So, naturally, let’s talk about food! This month’s tasty tidbits have included (but are not limited to) the following: Focaccia di ReccoSquash a la Nico (this means Nico buys “funky looking gourds” and puts them straight on the fire, or occasionally carves them out, stuffs them with other veggies, and does the same)M**Bun burger and fries meal, an Italian “slow-fast-food” franchise that flips the status quo on American fast food; using Piemontese beef, wheat and grains from Piemonte, and local suppliers of produce, they make fast food way less suspicious and a lot more transparentFace mask recipes – okay, this one needs an explainer!To non-celebrate my birthday, I hosted a ladies’ spa day at our home in San Michele with bonfires, sauna, and treatments for hair, skin, and nails. A lovely day spent with some fantastic ladies! Usually I’d spend my birthday with mum at a spa, but since that couldn’t happen this year, I had a little homemade spa day! I bought ingredients to make all natural masques – yogurt, honey, coconut oil, sea salt, sugar, lavender, oats, turmeric, rose water, essential oils, lemon, olive oil, coffee grinds, and beyond. Some masque combos were edible. Fan favorite was yogurt, honey, lavender, and oats.Olive oil. So. Much. Olive. Oil. Two courses covering olive oil history and olive oil tasting and techniques required us to sample many, many olive oils. What I learned was surprising – Spain is actually the largest producer of olive oil, extra virgin olive oil is a highly bureaucratic and elitist, and most Americans are eating rancid olive oil (though you can hardly tell if you haven’t had freshly pressed oil).Wine. So. Much. Wine. Two more courses covered wine history and production as well as wine tasting and techniques. What I learned was less surprising and more annoying – all those standards for wine, vocabulary, etc. were only created in the 1960s. Before that? Wine was wine with a lot more accessible understanding and appreciation. That’s not to say there isn’t validity in tasting techniques and the work of sommeliers, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is whether or not you like it.Orange saffron pistachio cake, made by a classmate for someone’s birthday. So good it was noteworthy in this email!Pumpkin cream tortellini featuring one large turkey-shaped tortellini!Bugs! Specifically Tenebrio molitor, Schistocera gregaria, Acheta domesticus, and Zophobas morio. Generally speaking, that covers locusts, grasshoppers, and soon-to-be-beetles. Insects are garnering more ground as a potential source of protein. Do I think that insects can replace animal proteins entirely? No. I think there are a lot of cultural hurdles and ideas that need to be revamped to accept insects as an option on a mass scale. With that being said, I think they have amazing potential to be a supplementary or substitute protein. Their flavors can be described as earthy, like mushrooms or toasted nuts. Their texture? Not for me…though cooked and crushed into a powder could be a real game changer, and I can even imagine using as a powdered additive to dips and seasonings.Cave cheese? Not sure how to describe this one…essentially really old cheese that tasted like the smell of my grandma’s basement. Like mothballs. Not my favorite. But really interesting to learn how it was produced using cold and damp conditions as well as the power of insects. This cheese was literally alive with microbes.Cachi marmalade…twice! Once with grill-roasted cachi (Japanese persimmon) on toasted sourdough, a beautiful golden-orange color with glass-like transparency. The other time was a blended applesaucey version made from unripe fruits, which I incorporated into an apple-cachi cinnamon crisp pie.Pink pearl apples – sweet little things with a stunning pink flesh.Vin brule (not sure how to add the proper accents here, but put a little tent over the u and an accent on the e), an Alpine tradition and Piemontese staple, from the Italian military veterans named the Alpini. Their hats? Fantastic. Their jokes? Cringey but charming. Paired with a seasonal classic, roasted chestnuts.And finally, last but not least, not one but two absolutely stunning Thanksgiving meals. Featured dishes included Beet Wellington, chocolate bourbon walnut pie, guinea fowl, turkey, artisan bread stuffing, spiced pear cider, stuffed focaccia, radicchio salad…simply feasting. I was blessed to attend two Thanksgivings and share with so many other people this holiday. The list above of course doesn’t cover everything I’ve eaten and experienced. Many days have included polenta…honestly, just a lot of polenta. Cheap, delicious, and easy to bring to school for lunch. Gianmarco, one of my roommates, is a pasta fiend so we’ve been making pasta almost weekly. Nico, another one of the roommates, forages quite a bit so we’ve eaten relatives of chicory and dandelion and other leafy greens I’ve never met before. Jonas, the selective vegetarian of the house, is a big soup guy and has introduced me to a variety of legumes and plant proteins that are abundant and commonly used here. Peers in my program have invited me to dinners and lunches, pizza al taglio and kebab are not uncommon, and endless salumi and formaggi, of course! This next month is filled with less school and more adventure, and my next update email will likely be written from a country home in Ihla Sao Miguel, Azores. A small teaser to look forward to! Love and gratitude from the Piemonte https://whereskiva.cargo.site/diciembre-2021 Thu, 12 May 2022 10:21:24 +0000 where's kiva? https://whereskiva.cargo.site/diciembre-2021 monthly emails: diciembre 2021Greetings and salutations, and happy 2022 to all! The current setting: fireside with a cuppa tropical tea in an Azorean traditional home, letting my hair dry after being caught in a rainstorm mid-hike this morning. My 2022 was rung in two nights ago in a mostly anti-climactic scenario: I took a shower and heard most of the celebrations from my shampoo-soaked, low-pressure shower. *slaps forehead* This was entirely unplanned on my part and I attribute it to my long-spent day walking around the city of Porto. Maybe it was the fatigue, maybe it was the impatience to wait until midnight, or maybe it was forgetfulness – whichever way, I amusingly appreciated Porto’s celebration through the next morning’s confetti remnants, closed shops, rejected alcohol splatter, and sluggish partygoers loitering the streets and sleeping on corners or benches (even at 930am!). I also received a free wake-up call from what I guess are the elder shop owners around the building from my Airbnb. Drunk incantations in Portuguese at 530am are no more pleasant than ones in any other language. I will share that I enjoyed a lovely solo dinner accompanied by red wine, churrasco steak, and patatas fritas to polish off what was a very full day for me, and my only full day in Porto. As an amateur gastronome, every day of course includes food! My itinerary was as follows: Walk uphill to breakfast in the city center, a cappucino and two pasteles de nata, sweet egg and cream custards hailing from Portugal.Walk around the city center, taking audio recordings of main streets and pedestrian streets. Stop for photos of murals and azulejos in Sao Bento Station and peppered across shop fronts.Stop in Casa Guedes for the caldo verde, a collards and potatoes soup, and a Super Bock pilsner, an underwhelmingly average beer (would be the perfect choice for beer pong or flip cup…) but went well with the traditional Portuguese soup.Keep walking and stumble upon an overlook that frames the Ponte Infante Dom Henrique, Ponte Luis I, and the Ponte D. Maria Pia bridges which tower over the Duoro river. Get a glimpse over what appeared to be ancient yet still occupied terraced gardens on the cliffside.Walk down to the riverfront and play “dodge the tourist” on the Cais da Ribeira, a photogenic riverwalk peppered with street performers, artists, and cafes.Cross the Duoro via the Ponte Luis I, built by Gustave Eiffel (does that name sound familiar?) and play the same game on the other side but in Gaia. Check out some of the old porto transport boats floating on the river.Plop down at Sandeman Winery’s patio to eat potato chips and drink porto (a 10 year tawny) and vinho verde.Meander home to change clothing before scrounging for any restaurant that will take a solo diner with no reservation. Luck out at a steakhouse and indulge in churrasco and red wine. Evening tea following at a nearby bar before heading home for Netflix, packing, and a shower.After about 22k steps over Porto’s city terrain, it’s no wonder a shower closed out 2021 for me! This stopover here may have been the most relaxing part of my 3-week holiday thus far, though this upcoming week in the Azores may out-relax even that, especially as is evidenced by my current setting. Before Porto, I had the pleasure of catching up with friends in two different locations to kick off my holiday. Mick Abram and Emily Buck (and their two chihuahuas Badger and Clover), friends from Spring Hill, hosted me in their new home in Belfast, taking me to a pub or two, the Giant’s Causeway, hiking, and even a chicken farm! The entirety of Ireland (North and the Republic) have my heart in a special way. After Belfast, I found my way to Valencia, where I was hosted by the Kiraly family for Christmas. Kim Kiraly has been a friend since high school and a travel buddy since college. Along with Kim came her boyfriend Jerad, her sister KyleAnne and her boyfriend Dani (who live in Valencia – a teacher and a salesman/supplier for a vineyard, respectively), and Kim and KA’s parents Marcia and Dan, who live in my hometown of Glenview, Illinois. Valencia and Barcelona were both adventure-packed experiences, and I loved the chance to flex my Spanish language muscles. It’s too much a challenge to describe in great detail my ongoings in those places, so I’ll be updating my Google Photos Album right after I click “send” so you can see for yourself the events. Photos and videos also speak louder than words, though I do plan on expanding on those times and adventures had when I update my blog later this week. Teaser: a LOT of food, beautiful sites, great people. I’m on week three of four weeks straight of travel, for as soon as I return to little old Bra (which will really feel little after visiting big cities like Belfast, Valencia, Barcelona, and Porto), I have approximately 24 hours to do laundry, unpack, repack, and report for our first study trip with my Master’s program. Drum roll, please! The location is…the Piemonte. I’ll be honest, there were mixed feelings and responses to this for many of the students, as Bra is situated smack-dab in the middle of the Piemonte region so it doesn’t feel very different, foreign, or new and exciting. As part of our course of study, we have three study trips – one within Italy, one within Europe, and one global one, so this will count towards the Italian trip. I’m just grateful we’re not taking a virtual field trip! I can also imagine it being difficult for the Tutor Office, who runs these programs for us, to coordinate ~30 students during a pandemic. I may have experience and background in coordinating groups at Naples Botanical Garden but, let me tell you, that seems like easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy right now compared to what they have to tackle: EU COVID Digital Certificate requirements, capacity limits for restaurants and attractions, pre- and post-activity testing, and creating an exciting itinerary focusing on taste/smell/touch. Woof. Planning that hectic day is for later, of course. For now, I’m enjoying my tea and the lovely Azorean stone home that protects me from the blustery winds outside. In a way this weather reminds me of a tropical storm on the Gulf Coast. It’s familiar and welcoming, but also just a tad terrifying as evidenced by the landslide remnants on streets and hiking trails seen today. Those things are very not Gulf Coast! After attempting three different trails today, I had to call it quits not only because most were roped off a bit distance in, but because wet, wet rain (the kind that gets you really soaked) swept in quite suddenly. Free shower? Sure. Also justifies my next load of laundry! I think that’s enough rambling for now. I’ve got some relaxing to get back to! And to those that have responded…I promise to get back to you! This time around I don’t feel like I’m cramming this email in-between studying for my wine or olive oil exams and making it to gastronome holiday festivities. As fun as they all were, they were also quite draining. It’s been a welcome reprieve to sit and do nothing, at least for a few days before the adventure of life in Italy continues! Big love from the Island of Sao Miguel in the Azores https://whereskiva.cargo.site/gennaio-2022 Thu, 12 May 2022 10:25:06 +0000 where's kiva? https://whereskiva.cargo.site/gennaio-2022 monthly emails: gennaio 2022 Gennaio = January! I thought a little Italian-language practice wouldn’t hurt anyone here… The last time I wrote, I was settling into Azorean life on my last week of holiday break. Now I’m back in Bra, settling into Braidese life after 4 constant weeks of travel and adventure. These days, that means reluctantly waking up and lifting the heavy metal curtains/shutters that keep the heat in at night. After assessing the weather, I slip into my fuzzy robe and slippers and shuffle to our frigid kitchen to put a pot on. I don’t exaggerate when I mean frigid – as only our rooms are heated with radiators, the rest of the house embraces whatever temperature outside. Most mornings I see my breath and steam up the kitchen just making tea! I shuffle back to the warm-ish corridor, do the bathroom thing, and go back for the tea. Return to bedroom, pull out the day’s outfit and put on the radiator to warm up before committing to the strip-down-and-suit-up, a practiced, efficient activity completed next to the radiator that limits exposure to the wintry chill. I consider it like a quick yoga and a calisthenics. Once the layers are on, I brave the kitchen anew and make quick work of breakfast, usually a Camille (an orange and almond muffin-like baked good that reminds me a bit of a Magdalena) and a cuppa for the trip to uni. My 6 bus has started to show up more on time, likely thanks to the new female driver on the route (sorry gents). If I have enough time, I usually walk up and down the block to say hello to all the dogs – one pitbull, three short scruffy little brown and black mutts that I’ve dubbed the San Michele Street Dog Gang, two St. Bernard (one adult, one puppy), an older black lab who loves a good ear rub, a German Shepherd who gets a distanced wave, and a nippy little white foo-foo dog who is all bark and a lot more bite. Then it’s onto the bus to the central station, the 1 bus to Pollenzo, and then I usually have about 10 minutes to get a cappuccino and focaccia from the coffee bar at school. Then it’s down to the academics! Gennaio courses have covered continuing topics from before the holiday break, as we’ve bridged over to finish off our cheese course with history and law and now we’ve segued into food communications. In Italy, it’s quite common to plan for your finals after the holiday break, a free gift of looming study stress from the Italian education system. For this reason, it’s been very quiet socially this month as many programs have had final exams to work through these past weeks. A seemingly stressful time at uni, but since our specific track is built differently and a bit more dependent on projects and papers, it was a relatively relaxing time for academics. COVID has really rocked our schedule, with a handful of cases post-study trip and from other programs. Our visiting professor on honey was postponed until the end of the month and our food communications courses begin just this week, so my time has been spent on my remote internship with Roots &amp; Routes Intercultural Collaborations on their Pluriversity team for the semester. I’ve also been working with an experimental lab at school to foster better student-staff relations for the Tavole Academiche, the lunch commons where visiting chefs and culinary experts would come to cook for us. COVID has suspended that program but we are working with them to reopen in feasible steps by creating tea times for visiting professionals to roundtable discuss with students. This way, the space can reopen and trial having larger occupancy indoors and match participation with staff and material needs. It’s where we can be now, but we’re shooting for more as boosters become abundant and restrictions loosen. Coming with a “Western/American” perspective, my attitude and efforts, even in the most minimal of capacities, receive an overwhelming amount of gratitude. It’s mind-boggling culturally, really, to have our work-your-nubs-off culture be seen as beneficial and inspirational. I have to remind myself that time and schedules work here differently, and it’s certainly a change in pace from the high tourism seasons of Florida. My former coworkers may especially appreciate my next exasperated statement – UNISG, my school, pays for a Google license, yet not ONE PROFESSOR nor student uses the scheduling tools, availability finders, nor any other software components of the system. *flips table* Even with restrictions remaining and varying anxieties over the virus, our study trip the second week of Gennaio was an absolute success and joy to be on. We roamed the Piemonte, visiting vineyards and wineries (like…way too many – I couldn’t stomach a glass of wine until this week), artisanal producers, restaurants (again, we ate way too much, sometimes two three-or-four-course meals every day), distilleries, historical sites, and stunning vistas. My favorite experiences included visiting a young (as in a 19 year-old) producer of cardo gobbo, a Slow Food Presidia cardoon that is manipulated in the winter to produce a soft, white, mild stalk typically paired with bagna cauda, an anchovy-based hot-dip of the Piemonte. I highly recommend watching the videos I uploaded to my shared album from this experience – winter farming is no joke. My toes were absolutely frozen! We also visited a stunning ricetto near Biella, Il Ricetto di Candelo. Only a few intact ricetti remain, which served as refuges during Medieval times for towns and surrounding countryside when under seige. The ricetto in the Biella region was designed for storage, production, and safety, uniquely being created by, for, and owned by the people since its inception. Farmers and producers could store equipment or produce here, and process their products as well for sale or distribution elsewhere. This isn’t a dusty visitor center these days, it still is a functional commercial center for restaurants, producers, and townsfolk to use – a fantastic example of living history and continued-use spaces. It’s been full-throttle chill mode since after the trip. With the handful of COVID cases put most of our Master’s in quarantine and with the recently surprisingly pleasant weather, it’s been too easy to attend class virtually from our kitchen patio, which is luckily still an option instead of in-person. I think I even got a tan one day! A Full Florida Kiva came out from the chilly interiors of the house. Weekends include ski trips now…well, at least that’s what I’m trying for, but the previously mentioned pleasant weather is the nemesis of the Alpine winter, as we haven’t had a proper snow since before the New Year. I spent the past weekend in Bardonecchia, just on the border of France and Italy dead west of Turin. A classmate is a ski instructor and a former Alpine ski racer, the latter which she managed to omit mentioning until we arrived at her grandmother’s condo in the town with the walls peppered with her image and shelves covered in her trophies. You can see why, after 5 hours of snowsports with my ass to the top of the hill, I sarcastically laughed at her when she referred to the 2006 Olympic Run behind her as “not that hard.” It was that hard, and nearly an 80 degree angle. It made our apres ski Aperol spritz after it all the more appreciated. For the first time in a while I’ve had free time to be and to read. I’m currently working on Salt by Mark Kurlansky, which has proven to be ever-helpful in understanding anchovies in Italian cuisine. They’ve never been appetizing to me, yet I’ve found myself now depending on olive oil and anchovy paste to start off my sofritos for soups, risotto, and pastas. Before my winter holiday, I finished Destination Anthropocene: Science and Tourism in the Bahamas by Amelia Moore, an environmental anthropology publication that gave supportive and contradictory points of view to my limited knowledge of environmental tourism, but has certainly planted a seed in my mind for further interest and research. Potential thesis topic? We’ll see! I’ve had some projects to turn in and exams submitted, and although they still haven’t been graded yet, I thought I’d share one of my projects that I found to be personally and academically rewarding. A special thanks to my family for helping to compile the information and photos included in this cookbook project, attached in this email. I hope you find it as interesting as I did, or if you don’t, feign interest 😉 I’ve scrolled this email a few times now and realize that these must be big blocks of text when viewed on a mobile device! Your persistence and commitment to reading these is humbling - I appreciate all of you who have stayed along with me for this ride. Until next month, famiglia e amici! https://whereskiva.cargo.site/febbraio-2022 Thu, 12 May 2022 10:27:45 +0000 where's kiva? https://whereskiva.cargo.site/febbraio-2022 monthly emails: febbraio 2022 I nearly forgot to write this email this month…things have ramped up incredibly in just the past few days as March has magically appeared and we’re into full-swing, in-person coursework. I start this email from the back corner of our Food Psychology class where the only room’s outlet hides. We’re discussing and critiquing a case study of the family paradox on food preferences, which hypothesized in the ‘90s that parents who agree exert more influence over preferences. This course has a lot of cross-over with my previous anthropological studies and recalls some of my studies from undergrad. Our class, a highly diverse conglomeration of world food cultures, is quick and strong to critique the study…118 students from an Indiana university hardly compares to the realities of metropolitan German households or being raised by grandparents or eating foods like kimchi instead of casserole. It’s in moments like these that I’m really in awe of the sheer amount of differences yet equally large amount of conviviality we have in our learning spaces. We’re all working on two different projects classes, a Food Communications project on salsiccia di Bra, a raw beef sausage from this area, and a Food Psych project on how ideas can be used to change people’s food choices (and hopefully the food system). Within this timeline I’m still working with the student body to get Tavole Academiche open for professors and visiting chefs, may take on a position as Treasurer for the Student Council, am completing a bit of my Roots and Routes Intercultural Collaborations internship (which admittedly I am glad to be over with…that program needs a lot of development!), and getting ready for personal travel. March is sure to be busy! Most of this month was spent on the sunny terrazza of our house in San Michele. With virtual as an option until February 28, and the weather getting up to 18 or 19 C every day, it was hard to ignore the potential of sunny-day studies and virtual class. And so, I taught my roommates a thing or two about being a Floridian and set up sun tea, snacks, and tracked the sun’s rise and descent every day to get optional Vitamin D exposure. It was a weird shock coming back to class in person – having to socialize and to actually dress up in classroom-appropriate clothing felt like coming back from a Caribbean vacation. I’ve had quite a few amazing culinary experiences this month. February has been a gift for my palate and stomach! We kicked off the first weekend of February with a pasta al scoglio terrace lunch. Gimmo, the “mussel man” of the hour, cooked a big ole pot of pasta with seafood from the market in Alba. What started as a well-planned morning was ran off the tracks by not one but two parasites found in the baccala (dried and salted cod), which thankfully Gimmo found when slicing the filets after hydrating. Had we not seen those, we wouldn’t be alive – we sent off photos of the parasites to one of our professors notified us to the fact that one of the two parasites is deadly. It’s certain to say Gimmo had words with the individual who sold it to him. We hopped in the car and drove off to where we thought there was a seafood vendor. Turns out, the vendor lists their storehouse address on Google Maps but in reality are at the market for retail sales in Alba. So after a neat hour and a half backroad tour of the Roero region, we made it to the market for a seafood selection (and two free filets after we shared our cod horror story). Back in Bra, a group of my girlfriends joined us up at the house and brought wine, salads, flatbreads, baked goods, tea, and fruits and veggies. It was a beautiful terrace spread on a sunny Saturday – a surreal moment. That terrazza holds some magical power, I swear. There’s really something to be said for physical spaces and layouts as it relates to food. Last night, Gimmo had friends over from his program, six guys and me. One of them, Lorenzo di Pollenzo, is a meat aficionado – he could name every breed, every cut, every best use. He formerly worked for an importer and brought with him Albertan Angus, which we grilled over the fireplace and served with chimichurri and quinoa salad. The whole room smelled of wood burning and beef fat, only cut by the occasionally cold burst of air from the terrazza where smoke breaks and fresh air were sought. Our patterned tiled floor with the glow of yellow lamps against the white walls made the kitchen cozy, warm, welcoming, slow, and relaxing. A truly homely setting. The sense of familiarity is growing on me here. I cringe when I think about my reluctance and uncertain pit-in-the-stomach feelings I had when walking around my first two weeks here. What was I so afraid of? Besides the occasional bitter old Italian lady, which I really only find midday at the supermarket (eerily similar to Florida), everyone here is pleasant or minding their own business. Somewhere in the past month, studying abroad has slipped into living abroad and, hopefully, working abroad. Maybe it was when I was greeted by name at the local wine bar, or being able to suggest a restaurant or café to a new student, or finding conscious oblivious peace when completing bureaucratic procedures; one day, at one moment or another, I really asked myself, “Are you going back? Will you go back?” Food for thought. No, I don’t have the answer. Timelines here work differently than back in the States. There lacks a looming cloud of future plans and workflows. There is more on the focus of here, now, doing what you are good at and love, and enjoying life while doing it. So, that’s just what I’ll do. The next weekend I head to London with my friend Marisa to visit Callum just in time for the Eng. V. Ire. Six Nations match. It’s been a familiar reprieve to find other rugby fans here – sometimes, in our studies and our world, we get far too deep into the gastronome mindset, living and breathing food, and burnout seems close behind. To sit and watch a sport over a beer has this tinge of normalcy, downshifting into average daily life. After London, I come back for a week before I slip off to Dublin and then Waterford for a long weekend to visit a high school friend, Isabel, who just moved there for work from the States. Then back again for a Tash Sultana concert in Milan and a few days later to Croatia on our second study trip. With the Ukrainian-Russian war and subsequent crises, we’re staying tuned to see how that visit might go, if at all. Although I’ve been exposed to war through various mediums and context, I’ve never lived in the same continent as an ongoing war. Even when I lived on a Naval base in Bahrain for a few months it felt more like a college campus than a neighboring island to Saudi Arabia and conflict zones. Being here as war breaks out has brought to my attention events and experiences only briefly encountered on Instagram timelines or headlines on the web, from US sources soaking in American bias. Active protests, supply donation gathering, discussions and safe spaces, day-to-day updates, NATO and UN critics and supporters, soaring gas prices. Being engaged in politics and international relations is also different here. Involvement is both personal and collective, non-binary, and based in morals and ethics more than political lines. Certainly there are outstanding examples as within any place, but perhaps this side of the political realm is far more present being on a university campus in a university town. I’m wrapping up this email sitting in the same spot in the back of sake class now. Yep, class about sake. This is the second part of our brief but intensive study into Japanese beverage culture, specifically looking at the chado matcha tea ceremony and sake production. We have a seminar/conference tonight on “Cooks and Diets: The Kitchen Accounts of an Aristocratic Household in Florence, 1895-1904” prior to a private student-hosted wine tasting, where we’ll be sampling some “really nice bottles” and cheese produced by the student during her school internship on a goat agricoltura (an agribusiness-like farm). The reality I live in incredibly niche, and it seems borderline cliché when I write out my daily itinerary like so. Yet, this is life for us university students here – we dive in deep. Whether that’s deep into the vineyard, deep into the frying pan, or deep into the text, we’re all learning from professionals, academics, and each other almost every moment. I’m working on being more diligent with recording my anecdotes, and may hopefully have some accompanying audio clips to upload to my blog. So, for now, let’s just both opt to ignore it until I actually start giving you all something worth looking at. My writing this is serving as personal shaming and reminder-making for myself. Photos and videos on my shared album will have to do, along with what little (or lot) I can fit into these emails. Sending each and every one of you good vibrations during these extra weird, extra different, extra busy times. To my friends and family entering the high swing of season in Florida – may the odds be ever in your favor. Warm salutations from the chilly but bright Piemonte https://whereskiva.cargo.site/marzo-2022 Thu, 12 May 2022 10:29:40 +0000 where's kiva? https://whereskiva.cargo.site/marzo-2022 monthly emails: marzo 2022 Any other month, I usually would have shot for an email within a few days of the start of the month so as to at least attempt some form of a schedule. Alas, here we are ten days into April and I've just now had a moment to breathe, take in the sun, sit, and write. Happy spring to you all - at least we have spring coming in gracefully here. The magnolias were the first to tease us with their bright pink and white buds, only rivaled by the bursting cherry blossoms which seem to have blessed Bra with a spring floral snow. The animals at the San Michele home are now free range - the cats, Brando and Julio, the dog, Franco Bombo Shelby (more about him in a moment), the chickens, and the two sheep, Dolly and Renato. They're in a frenzy over the fresh green grass, dandelions, and insects that now cover our yard. I'm just now sitting on our patio watching sunset as I type this. The weekend was spent recuperating from a study trip to Croatia. Last night's sauna, this morning's tea, and this afternoon's dose of sun and water(side...the local river is less appealing to the average swimmer) have set me up for the rest of this week, not to mention all the laundry I managed to wash and dry in just two days. For surviving and thriving on nearly two weeks of a rigorous gastronomic and sensory-filled itinerary, it's been both welcome and strange to return to some sort of normalcy, including our new rescue Terrier named Franco Bombo Shelby from the Puglia region of Italy. While Ghiotto has been (mostly) trained, he's happy back at his family's farm chasing chickens and lollygagging in the woods. Gianmarco took on FBS after a friend of a friend reached out. His name was quite the decision - first Bombo because he was rescued by military firefighters in the region, then Franco because Gimmo likes the name, and Shelby because he's a Peaky Blinder, of course. Franco "Il Bombo" Shelby is his wrestling alter-ego, though he is yet to be doing any stage appearances. Franco Bombo was much surprised by my return, as I brought a plethora of smells from the Istria region of Croatia on my luggage, including goats, sheep, horses, other dogs, oysters, prawns, fish, orchards, farms, dusty museums, boutique hotels, and our collective class scent after countless rides on our touring bus, among a mosaic of others I've since forgotten in the overload. The days were spent spectacularly - I am still processing, but perhaps a highlight or two might shed the beauty of the experience from the littlest moments to the grand scheme of things. I'll do my best to provide snippets, anecdotes, one-liners that might best paint my impressions. "Tony" of Tony's Oyster Shack (he jokingly says in a thick Croatian that is his "adult film name" for tourism) shucks mollusks and oysters over a stainless steel processing pan. As he speaks, I'm distractingly taking a sip of the sparkling Malvasia wine our tutor brought to accompany our oyster tasting. As I turn back, he asks for my hand as part of the presentation - a slip of the knife, a press on the side of the oyster, and out a watery fountain of grey lands on my hand, dripping over my palm lines. Another hand, another fountain of white, both now dripping, he remarks to our class, "Oyster babies. Thousands of oyster babies." Sitting on the dockside waiting for our ferry back to the mainland from Cres, I'm dangling my feet over clear blue, aquamarine, and teal water. It sloshes on the cement and rusted chain used to anchor something off across the way, maybe nothing at all, or maybe once a while ago it did. The glassy water reveals slightly distorted sea cucumbers, black rocks, beer cans here and there, anchovies, and sunken boat parts. From the side of a dinghy a white watery ghost floats towards us. Laced in complementary blue, the jellyfish seems to notice us sitting there, dangling our feet. It makes a graceful u-turn and returns to the wider expanse of the ferry port. Out of their home and work studio, a man who looks like a far too realistic idea of a Wisconsinite walks out onto his patio to address us. As the tutor turns over to welcome him, he jumps right into the routine of how he and his wife make essential oils. Their house is not a farm, although they have a roost and a pen for an alarming amount of territorial birds (my least favorite kind). Rather, their house and garden is planted just so - like a house and garden. Yet each plant is harvested for their business. Rosemary bushes line the driveway heading in, juniper trees are surrounded by beds of lavender, St. John's wort is planted in pots next to pots of succulents and pothos vines. It's all very humble and wholesome. I'm avoiding stepping in sheep shit when I finally make it to our gathered circle for the lamb slaughter. By the time I look up, he has lifted one onto the table and shown the knife he has used since he was a kid. It's a swift move across the lamb's neck, it's fluffy fur blocking the more visceral part of this moment for our eyes. His hand is over the muzzle when he cuts, his other hand dropping the knife and moving to hold and comfort the lamb as it bleeds out. It's not violent, but it's not peaceful either. It was knowingly watching death, knowing we had eaten lamb the two days prior and would likely again on this trip. It was knowing that this is but one way of committing this act, and probably one of the kinder ways to do it, by the hand of the one who helped raise and care for this lamb. ...I hope my photos speak to this experience. I was lucky, along with a handful of my classmates, to have attended, as the week prior a wave of COVID had passed through and hit our class in particular. While my second (maybe third) stint with COVID was mild, others suffered some rough pains and symptoms. We're all glad to have been able to attend and enjoy after negative tests...we just brought a lot of tissues with us! Before this study trip took center stage for the month, however, March was quite busy! Coursework covered tastings of sake and matcha green tea, food psychology and food and public health, and a few parties here and there...a film night at San Michele (Star and Barb Go To Vista Del Mar), a St. Patrick's Day Super Saturday Party for the Six Nations final day and St. Patrick's Day, and a fun-filled London weekend with Callum and my friend Marisa. We dined at Silo London, went sightseeing, and frequented a local pub...or two...or three. Shortly thereafter, our class was hit with COVID so quarantine came and went, luckily only missing two days of classes and having the rest of our time off until our study trip. I finish this email from our first course in the Latin American and Caribbean Cuisine course, hosted by Luciana Bianchi. I highly recommend you give her a search - amazing how we are gifted with such incredible, talented, and intelligent professionals! There's hardly a day that goes by where I'm not in a moment - at a cafe, on the terrace, driving around town with Gimmo, hanging laundry on the line, leaving Whatsapp audio messages - that gives me a strange sort of floating moment of recognition that I am where I am. I hope you'll take a gander at the photos from this past month and are enjoying this album as it grows. I send warm wishes and salutations to you and your loved ones, and hope you find little moments of Italy wherever you are ;) Con amore https://whereskiva.cargo.site/aprile-2022 Thu, 12 May 2022 10:32:28 +0000 where's kiva? https://whereskiva.cargo.site/aprile-2022 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