The Culture of Food

Sustainability has always been a word that I thought I understood. In my core classes during my freshman and sophomore years at Carolina I took Introduction to the Environment (Environmental Science 101) and Oceans and Society (Marine Science 201). Both were mandatory intro core classes that had labs attached to them. I wasn’t terribly excited to be taking either class when I signed up for them because I thought they had nothing to do with what I wanted to do in the future. I was wrong. In these two classes I was exposed to different theories and concepts regarding sustainability and how humans treat planet Earth.

 

As mentioned, before I thought I knew all there was when it came to sustainably. I recycled, my family composted, and I drove my car maybe once a week and walked instead. Little did I know that countries in Europe were much further advanced, not only in their actions, but also in their thinking when it came to preserving Earth.

 

In these classes we discussed what pollution and littering are doing to our oceans, what types of governmental policies set in place, the effects and impacts of global warming, etc. It is one thing to talk about these in a huge lecture hall and then see them play out in a lab, but it is a whole other thing to travel and see just how poorly America is taking care of the place she inhabits.

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When I first arrived in Italy, I knew that life would be a bit different than in America when it came to sustainability. I figured city life would give way to a need to have less waste, but I didn’t know to what degree. For example, I knew that I had to bring my own bags to the grocery store, but little did I know that I would have to separate my trash into three different containers. In the beginning this felt tedious and sometimes gross but after a week or two it became second nature. In my American home, my mom is a big advocate of recycling and trying cut back on plastic use, but the Italians bring this to a whole new level.

 

Each item that you throw away must be placed in a certain container. There are containers for glass, organic waste, paper, and plastic. If you do not sort your trash into the correct containers you can be finned.  After doing this almost every day when you took the trash out (trashcans in Italian homes are smaller than America) it really made me conscious of how much and what I was throwing out. This made me think back to Environmental Science 101 when we talked about sustainability or “living within our planet's means”. We also discussed how the US has a much larger footprint than many other developed countries which I witnessed first-hand in Italy. 

 

My experience with sorting trash abroad also made me consider Marine Science 201 because I knew that a lot of the plastics might end up in the ocean. Living in another country that seemed to be on a much faster track to being sustainable made me really think about the importance of continuing that lifestyle when I returned to America. It made me feel like we were not carrying our weight over here and that seemed extremely unfair since we all share the same Earth.

These European countries seemed to think about our purpose on Earth as one to make it better. Though out my travels, especially in Italy it seemed like the people understood that they were to give back to the Earth and take only what they needed. In America sometimes it feels like it is all take and no give when it comes to natural resources.

 

While also in Italy I was given the opportunity to travel to multiple “agriculturismo”. These are small farms where you can stay the night in a room and enjoy the fresh farm air and farm-to-table style cooking. Everything that is served at the agriculturismo was made within a certain distance of where you eat it. At these farms everything from the milk and cheese, to the pasta and wine was local and you could taste the difference. When we would tour these beautiful farms, the owners would tell us about their animals and plants and typically how this farm had been in their family for years. This was another eye opener to how sustainable people are abroad in comparison to American. Miles away from Rome, and they are running a thriving farm and living off the Earth.

 

While also in Rome I had the opportunity to take a cooking class. I expected this class to be fairly easy, but I was very wrong. After the chef explained to us that we would be making a traditional seasonal dish we spent the next four hours slaving away in the kitchen. There were about 15 of us and every single person was put to work. We had a wonderful lunch that was well deserved. One major thing that stood out to me was that the chef usually doesn’t know what he will be cooking until the morning of. He told us that he goes to the market and buys whatever is available, looks good, and can be bought for a reasonable price. This blew my mind. I figured the chef would have everything prepped and planned days in advance.

 

This was my first or second week in Rome and I was still learning about the food culture. Everything is fresh and you don’t go to the grocery store with your mind made up. You use what is fresh and available and go from there. There were many days when I walked into the grocery store only to find that what I was looking for was out of season or out of stock. Also, in Italy you typically do not “stock up” on food but go multiple times throughout the week. During my stay, I was at the grocery store every other day. This is partially because you can only buy what you can carry and also because the food is so fresh it won’t keep much longer than 1 or 2 days.

 

Most of the times I found myself in open air markets since the produce is much better quality. Here you are really not supposed to touch the food as it is likely not treated with pesticides and can compromise the quality of the food. I found this to be really interesting that these people were farming in a more sustainable way, and that they food didn’t seem to be overpriced and certainly tasted much better and fresher than the produce in America. This was another aspect of their sustainable culture that made me think back to my science classes at USC where we discussed the harmful effects of pesticides and run off. These pollute our water, harm other organisms, cause erosion, and land damage.

 

Domestically I believe Americans can already see the damage and impact the way we live has on our planet. Older people in general have seen a lot of change in policy, and social norms when it comes to the way we treat the environment.  In my Marine Science class, was given the special opportunity to interview my grandfather regarding his thoughts on the state of our current Earth. This opened my eyes once again and further confirmed my belief that something needs to be done in order to push our country towards the sustainable life Italians lead.  Even with something just as simple as bringing your own grocery bags to the grocery store, we can make a difference. After seeing where they end up (in the ocean, in the bellies of sea turtles, and in landfills) and then seeing and living the lifestyle where reusable bags is not only the norm but the expectation, I feel like my eyes have been opened up and the concepts taught in class have been confirmed and implemented.

 

After living in Italy for five months I think that the reason they have such a different food culture, which leads to a more sustainable way of life, is because most of Italian life revolves around food. Most meals in Italy are four or five courses with wine to accompany. You do not rush through meals. I remember having 3 hour lunches some days. Even the coffee is slow there. To-go cups and boxes do not exist and when you walk down the road you will hardly ever find chain restaurants. Food is a way of life. You socialize during your meals and spend lots of time eating great food with great company. It was by visiting the country that I realized that this isn’t “slow” this is “enjoyable”. Italian’s take their time and do not rush through things and this is seen in the quality of their cooking, and living. They make a huge effort to ensure that this culture of food continues to live on and one part of making sure that happens is taking their sustainability and impact on the earth very seriously.