2015/02/27
Our guide to EXPO 2015 (I)
Day 1
Biodiversity Park
We need a day for...1000 plants, crops, orchards, gardens, installations, digital interaction, applications, games, performances; this theme unfolds 8,000 square meters of parkland and eight large greenhouses. Making food available for all without compromising the overall health of the ecosystem is an attainable goal. We will try to give answers to fondamental question: what kind of future do we want? We will have in this sections some guidance all the time, because it is very important that we learn something from this visit. Maybe, some meeting with the researchers who contribute to organise this area.
We need a day for...1000 plants, crops, orchards, gardens, installations, digital interaction, applications, games, performances; this theme unfolds 8,000 square meters of parkland and eight large greenhouses. Making food available for all without compromising the overall health of the ecosystem is an attainable goal. We will try to give answers to fondamental question: what kind of future do we want? We will have in this sections some guidance all the time, because it is very important that we learn something from this visit. Maybe, some meeting with the researchers who contribute to organise this area.
Day 2
Arts & Foods.
Rituals since 1851 We will have the opportunity to see works of art, drawings and architectural models, films, objects, documents, books, menus, and album covers , in the interior and exterior spaces of the Triennale (about 7,000 square meters, comprising building and garden); this global panorama of the interwoven aesthetics and design of eating rituals that uses a variety of media to offer a view across time, from the historical to the contemporary, of all levels of expression, creativity and communication from all areas of culture will offer us th eopportunity to learn more than in our lives about art. So, it would be better to take part to the work shops organised in this areas, or to meet various artists who did create special bond between the visual arts and the topic of food and of eating together in positive terms, both to reveal rituals and specificity, and to emphasize any idiosyncrasies or problematic areas.Arts & Foods will be organized in chronological order, starting from 1851 up to current times, interweaving testimonies of artists, writers, filmmakers, graphic designers, musicians, photographers, architects and designers. They will range from Impressionism and Pointillism to historic Avant-Garde movements, from Pop Art to the most recent findings, all contributing to how we envision and consume food.
Rituals since 1851 We will have the opportunity to see works of art, drawings and architectural models, films, objects, documents, books, menus, and album covers , in the interior and exterior spaces of the Triennale (about 7,000 square meters, comprising building and garden); this global panorama of the interwoven aesthetics and design of eating rituals that uses a variety of media to offer a view across time, from the historical to the contemporary, of all levels of expression, creativity and communication from all areas of culture will offer us th eopportunity to learn more than in our lives about art. So, it would be better to take part to the work shops organised in this areas, or to meet various artists who did create special bond between the visual arts and the topic of food and of eating together in positive terms, both to reveal rituals and specificity, and to emphasize any idiosyncrasies or problematic areas.Arts & Foods will be organized in chronological order, starting from 1851 up to current times, interweaving testimonies of artists, writers, filmmakers, graphic designers, musicians, photographers, architects and designers. They will range from Impressionism and Pointillism to historic Avant-Garde movements, from Pop Art to the most recent findings, all contributing to how we envision and consume food.
Day 3
The last route for us: Future Food District (located on the south side of the Expo site where there is also the Open Air Theater and the walkway which connects with Cascina Merlata) with some possible scenarios for the application of new technologies at each step of the food chain, to explore different interactions between people and food.
This would be an interesting place for us, where new technologies and natural elements will co-exist and we will have an interactive supermarket experience where everyone can be a producer and consumer at the same time, with the help of professional chefs.
Of course, we would like to have our friends from SLOW FOOD team with us, all these days.
2015/02/22
2015/02/21
Chocolate's Festival in Partanna
The Spanish
invaded Sicily in the Middle Ages and brought cocoa beans from southern
America, and the the Aztecs’ recipe for making it into spectacular chocolate.
2015/02/16
2015/02/15
2015/02/14
2015/02/13
2015/02/10
Exhibition of recycled objects
Exhibition
of recycled objects, with prizes for the best works, at our school.
Here you
can see some photos about it.
One of
the most appreciated recycled objects was a small model of “M.Cipolla High School”,
completely realized with recycled paper.
To do it,
we followed these steps:
We teared
the paper into small pieces and put it a
a pot.
Then we
poured the water until it covered the paper.
We left
it there overnight so as to get the
right absorbtion.
We stirred
the soaked paper with a wooden spatula.
We drained most of the water.
After
that, we added the wheat flour.
We
stirred it more and more, until it
became a smooth dough.
Now,
using the paper dough, we started modelling the shape of our school.
We left
it under the sun .
Once it was completely dried, we painted it!
2015/02/08
2015/02/07
Stop waste!
Monitoring two weeks food waste in our class, we had these following results:
| Fruit | first week: 890g | second week: 390g |
| Vegetables | first week: 480g | second week: 160g |
| Dairy | first week: 350g | second week: 355g |
| Pasta/rice | first week: 440g | second week: 380g |
| Bread/pizza | first week: 190g | second week: 310 g |
| Meat/fish | first week: 280g | second week: 160g |
In the second week, as you can see, there are a reduction at: fruit, vegetables, pasta/rice, meat/fish.
Our plan:
Students and teachers will be involved in modeling healthful eation behaviours to others students.
Let kids preparing themselfs their lunch/snack.
Students groups will be involved in creations of artwork promoting food waste at school.
Composting waste for school garden.
Collaborating with local farmers on composting or food-scrap project;
Students and teachers will be involved in modeling healthful eation behaviours to others students.
Let kids preparing themselfs their lunch/snack.
Students groups will be involved in creations of artwork promoting food waste at school.
Composting waste for school garden.
Collaborating with local farmers on composting or food-scrap project;
Collecting excess wholesome food after mealtimes to donate to charitable organisations.
2015/02/06
2015/02/04
Old photos
Last
weekend I visited my grandfather. He had found some fascinating old photos that
I had not seen before.
I asked him
what it was like to be young after the Second World War, and he answered me
this way:
Grandad: We
were a bit short of money, so life was really hard.
Me: What
did you use to eat?
We used to
eat essential elements that included above all
vegetables and land products. Most foods were homemade and we also used to have
some animals in the courtyard, just like hens, geese, etc…. We only used to be
able to buy small amounts of some food.
Me: Were there any shops where you could buy it?
Grandad: Shops were very small and they only sold
necessary things. We didn’t use plastic bags but only straw baskets that were
filled with different things. From time to time, such sellers as milkmen, greengrocers
passed from house to house to sell their products and we lowered a bucket tied
onto a rope down from our windows or balconies and the sellers put inside it
what they had sold.
Me: How did
you get water in the olden days?
Grandad: There
was electricity in the houses but we had no running water, that had to be
fetched in buckets from an outside public fountain. Sometimes people dug wells
deep into the ground which accessed bore water.
Me:Were
houses confortable?
Grandad: We
had no facilities inside our houses. Many a time, they faced an inner
rectangular courtyard, onto which other houses faced . The closet was nothing
but a walled in door-less hole, in a corner of the courtyard, over a huge
septic tank; when it was full it had to be emptied by hand and you could use the
contents as fertilizer. There was no heating, thus we used to wear very heavy
clothes.
Me: Did you
go to school?
Grandad: Poverty was widespread, thus we were obliged
to go and work when we were very young. I only attended the elementary school.
I remember I had to wear an infantile smock like the rest of my classmates!
Me: What
did you use to do in your free time?
Grandad: We
danced all together in the courtyard. Of course, we didn’t use to have digital
music players….
Me: What do
you think about today’s life?
Grandad: Nowadays,
there are so many electronic gadgets, but I’m not sure that life is easier…
Me : What
do you mean by that? Do you think young people are much more spoilt than in the
past?
Grandad: Maybe,
sometimes…Now children have got so many toys, even electronic toys, while we
only had a doll or something like this. Many a time, we also built our toys by
ourselves!
Me: Didn’t
you use to have a scooter or a car?
Grandad: In
the countryside we used to ride a horse
or we used bikes, carts…
Some rich
families used to have a small car, but it was not usual .
Me: Oh, my
dear, I prefer living these days!
Grandad:Well,
I do not think so at all! These days the world is more polluted than in the
past because of consumerism…
Me: Then,
according to you, which solutions could we adopt to save energy or even go
without it?
Grandad:
Well, use
less, conserve more. Don’t waste make up, toilet paper, printer paper, etc just
to name a few. Maximize: Generally speaking,, get the most out of your
clothing, food, personal energy, resources, etc. Prioritize:
think about what really matters for you. Don’t waste your money and time! Keeping
in mind these principles of simple living will make you live in a better, less polluted world!
Source:
Laboratorio della Memoria: Montevago
2015/02/03
2015/02/02
Have a nice Sicilian meal!
Sicilian Spaghetti Sauce
(Ragu)
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon basil
- salt and pepper (optional)
Directions:
- Add the olive oil.
- chop cloves of garlic and add to the oil.
- sautee and add the onions until they are clear or translucent
- Try not to burn the garlic, as it will become bitter.
- Combine the meat and fry the meat, breaking it apart until it is browned and cooked.
- Add all to the sauce and continue to simmer for 40 minutes or more.
2015/02/01
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