The Slow Road

The last 5 years of my life have been a beautiful, intense whirlwind of cultural, spiritual, and intellectual exploration, ultimately taking me on a wild ride. I eased my way onto the road by living with an elderly couple in the south of France while studying at a local university. Accelerating ahead, I moved in with Italians found on the internet as I undertook a gelato apprenticeship and did cultural study in Rome. Hitting “metal to the pedal” I journeyed to Chile as a missionary, living and working in a small coastal town. (Not to mention side trips to visit friends throughout Europe and climb Machu Picchu) To say I’ve taken the path “full steam” would be the understatement of the century. Although my exploration continues, I’ve opted for the slow road on the newest leg of my journey as I head to the Piedmont region of Italy as a graduate student of gastronomy at the University of International Sciences.

Gastronomy. For most of you, this means that my “education” will center on eating “high cuisine,” and understanding the fine dining food, experience, and industry. To a certain (and very minimal) degree, you’re on the right track. The purpose of my gastronomy course, however, goes far beyond understanding foie gras and Barolo. Gastronomy, as I am here to more fully understand, is far more holistic, including the politics, history, sociology, anthropology, and sciences involved in food systems.

Here’s a glance at my journey towards becoming a “gastronome”:

“The gastronome is a new type of professional who understands the connections between food production and consumption, from agriculture and zoology to processing and distribution to cookery and communications. Gastronomes safeguard society and the environment, and build food-system sustainability while acting as cultural interpreters between food-world communities. As leaders in making change and creating successes in food and wine tourism, product and regional marketing, project management and food innovation, gastronomes add value along the entire length of the food production chain.” http://www.unisg.it/pagine/eng/why_unisg/what_is_a_gastronome.lasso

The idea is to learn how to move from merely having a great appreciation for food to possessing a thorough understanding of the cultural, political, environmental, and economical aspects of it in order to work towards a better, more sustainable, just, clean global food system. It’s likely that the road will be very long and full of congestion and conclusion—as much as I would love to strap on a sort of super-hero apron and single handedly save the world’s food system, I know that I cannot. Yet, I am hopeful that my year in gastronomical training will leave me with a “conductor’s license” to transport communities towards more flourishing realities. As I forage through vineyards, farms, ecosystems, and seas, I invite you to come along for the ride. So take a deep breath and buckle up—you might be thrown about more than you’d think.

***More information about the University of Gastronomic Sciences: www.unisg.it
***Slow Food International: www.slowfood.com