L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 L'Italo-Americano T w e l v e m o n t h s ago, during the f i r s t l o c k d o w n caused by Covid- 1 9 , I t a l i a n s rediscovered the pleasu- res of cooking. Don't get m e w r o n g , c o m p a r e d t o other people in the world, we spend an awful lot of time in the kitchen, but sheltering at home gave us the opportu- nity to do it even more. The first months of the pandemic were dedicated to comfort e a t i n g : w e a l l d i d i t . W e baked, we cooked, we made pizzas and pasta at home and cakes every day. We had t i m e a n d w e n e e d e d s o m e t h i n g g o o d t o b r i n g those serotonin levels up. Then, sheltered life beca- me our new normal and we settled into new routines. E a t i n g h e a l t h y b e c a m e important again, this time around also because we wan- ted to be strong and well equipped against this evil, invisible enemy: while nutri- tion can't beat Covid, eating p r o p e r l y d o e s h e l p s t r e n g t h e n t h e i m m u n e system, so there's only to gain from it. Research carried out in Lombardia by private medi- cal center Auxologico shed l i g h t o n h o w o u r h a b i t s c h a n g e d i n t h e p a s t 1 2 months. Spending more time at home modified considerably the way we shop: during the first weeks of the pandemic a n d o f t h e s t a y a t h o m e orders, sales of basics such as flour, pasta, tomato sauce and canned ingredients rose considerably: we were all afraid the world was going to run out of food, or that we wouldn't be able to leave the house for weeks. That was o u r n a t u r a l , i n s t i n c t i v e answer to it. There was a 3 7 % i n c r e a s e i n s a l e s f o r b o t h c a n n e d a n d f r o z e n goods, against a mere 10% for fresh produce, and pasta, rice and flour saw sales tri- p l e d w h e n c o m p a r e d t o 2 0 1 9 . I n t h e w e e k b e f o r e E a s t e r 2 0 2 0 , t h e s a l e s o f ingredients used to prepare cakes and baked goods rose t o i n c r e d i b l e n u m b e r s : y e a s t ' s s a l e s w e n t u p o f 226% (you couldn't find it at the supermarket anymore in some areas), flour's of 213%, butter's of 86%, sugar's and eggs' of 54%, mascarpone's of 100% and honey's of 68%. W e a l s o a t e m o r e m e a t (+30% when compared to 2019), but not much more fish (only +14%) and, in spite of jokes doing the rounds about needing a drink to get through confinement, sales of alcohol rose very little. What can we deduce from these raw data? Well, that our eating habits did change. Perhaps because we spent more time at home and we could dedicate more of our day to baking and cooking, perhaps because we were grabbed by the ancestral fear of not finding food anymore, much like it had happened during the last war to our g r a n d p a r e n t s a n d g r e a t - grandparents. There are more considera- tions to make. For instance, in the past 12 months we started having breakfast at home again: in pre-pande- mic times, Italians tended to skip it altogether, or to have it on the run, perhaps with a coffee and a croissant at the café near the office (enters the iconic cappuccio e brio- che). Teenagers, who would often bypass a healthy home breakfast to sleep longer, would end up having a slice of pizza or a cereal bar on the way to school — I used to do i t , a s a t e e n . A n d c e r t a i n h a b i t s r e m a i n t h e s a m e across generations. But with the pandemic, they went on distance learning for most of 2020 and began enjoying having a balanced early mor- n i n g m e a l a g a i n . A m o n g adults and children alike, cereals, paired with milk or yogurt, have been the most common choice. The way we have lunch changed, too, again because of the fact we had to work from home or we were on distance learning. In 2019, before the pandemic, about 50% of Italians had lunch out, often with sandwiches, p i a d i n e a n d p i z z a s : t a s t y choices, but potentially not the healthiest. At home, in the past year, we've been e n j o y i n g l i g h t e r l u n c h e s , with plenty of vegetables and salads, and we've increased our consumption of fruit, too. And what about dinner? D i n n e r r e m a i n e d o u r main meal, the one where we relaxed with the rest of the f a m i l y , o r i n f r o n t o f T V . While many Italians appear to have explored new recipes and types of cuisine during the lockdown, data show that o u r b e l o v e d r i c e t t e d e l l a nonna remained a favorite. Many turned, in fact, to the frugal, hearty style of our g r a n d p a r e n t s ' e v e n i n g meals, preferring simple and wholesome soups and fruit to more elaborate dishes. We have breakfast again, we eat better lunches and healthier dinners, we make more stuff from scratch: so, we've been eating healthier, right? Well, not so fast. The past year showed a peak in sales for snacks, processed foods and chocolate bars, which means we have been eating a lot more of those, too. Perhaps it was comfort eating, perhaps it was becau- se we missed aperitivi, but chips and candy became a larder staple. Ouch! for our health. L a s t b u t n o t l e a s t , o u r habits changed also outside the kitchen. Being at home most of the time meant wat- ching more TV (+55%) and online shows (+41%). The use of internet in general a l s o i n c r e a s e d , p e r h a p s because we needed to keep u p t o d a t e w i t h a l l t h o s e C o v i d - r e l a t e d n e w s , o r perhaps because we wanted to find the right yoga video to stretch those muscles and ease that stiff back. Will we maintain all chan- ges even after we'll finally be out of this dreadful nightma- re? Who knows, who can tell. For the moment, let's try to enjoy the pros of eating bet- ter and make an effort and stir clear of all the chocolate. LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Are we still eating the same way — spaghetti included! — after a year of pandemic? (Photo:BLACKDAY/Shutterstock) FRANCESCA BEZZONE Did Covid-19 change the way we eat?

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