L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2021 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 T he sixth Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, promoted by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, along with the consular network and the Sistema Italia, is not only a panoramic shot of our recipes and of the products of our rich national culinary tradition. Nor is it an overview of enticing flavors and scents, of delightful combinations to explore and try. It isn't a marketing maneuver to support the export of our many protected products (DOP, IGP, DOCG, DOC, IGT, and biologico), nor a way to bring attention to the many restaurants and retailers around the world specializing in Italian food. It isn't simply a creative way to valorize our cuisine, nor a mere initiative to make the goodness, quality, and taste of our products - products too often endangered, shadowed, and even "offended" by the Italian Sounding trend - internationally, even if that'd be a more than worthy goal. This year's Week of Italian Cuisine in the World is all of the above or, even better, it is a piece of the large mosaic that our culinary and food-and-wine heritage represents, an occasion Sustainability: the best recipe for solidarity comes from an Italian kitchen From the Editor to learn more and to focus on some of the most distinctive signs of our identity, history, and culture: those connected to food and being together. Sharing and conviviality are profoundly rooted in Italian culture, so much so that this year's theme is "sustainability," a topic deeply connected to the historical moment we've been living. The pandemic reminded us, regardless of where we are from, a series of things: the importance of supporting one another and of teamwork; the necessity to create a network; the social fracture created by loneliness and the urgency to protect and help each other. But in truth, the seeds of such a culture were sowed years ago, when no one thought about pandemics. Actually, the context was the exact opposite, it was Expo 2015, an international exhibition that, from Italy, showed the importance of creating global connections. Expo 2015 had already synthesized essential guiding principles - some of which have been recently proposed again by Cop26 - in the Carta di Milano (the Milan Chart): quality, sustainability, culture, food safety, right to food, education, identity, territory, biodiversity. The project was created to support the food-and-wine sector, but the idea of approaching raw materials the right way, and the benefits associated with such an approach, were in fact an invitation to respect the planet and to take care of its dwellers. Today, sustainability also means reducing food waste and creatively reusing it, which is nothing new when it comes to Italian food if you think ours is the ultimate cucina povera, that of our countryside, where traditionally nothing is wasted, not even yesterday's leftovers. Actually, many believe you can recognize true chefs by the way they can create amazing dishes with simple ingredients, including wild greens, turnips, and potato skins. Cucina povera is into Italy's culinary DNA, so much so you easily find it even on the menu of the most sophisticated restaurants. Sustainability, however, means also supporting one another through action, it means being proactive when society needs to refocus on primary needs. In this context, the Refettori project created by Bottura are a beautiful example. Bottura himself served as an ambassador of Italian cuisine in the world, and is one of this year's Time Magazine's 100 most influential people, in name of his work in support of those in need. Refettori offer a place to meet, and meals prepared with ingredients that would otherwise go wasted. They were created in Milan, during the Expo, six years ago. The following year, Food for Soul, a no-profit association bringing together food waste reduction and social inclusion, began to finance a series of projects, also in the US, aimed at creating a more inclusive and sustainable food system. Food for Soul was created with the very goal of encouraging public, private and no-profit organizations to implement and support soup kitchens around the world, and to get professionals from a variety of fields - chefs, artists, designers, distributors - to promote projects where communities can actively create change, enabling a positive cycle that benefits everyone. But the point we should always keep in mind is the i m p o r t a n c e o f h a v i n g a m o d e l t o f o l l o w , a s o u r c e o f inspiration. In Medieval literature, the exemplum was a tale with a didactic-religious moral and aim, a genre that was to become quite popular. It was a true-to-life, believable tale where the protagonist, thanks to a specific behavior, reached a positive outcome, usually his soul's salvation. In the end, giving back social dignity to people and strengthening local communities through food is a worthy objective. It means believing that people's wellbeing should be everyone's bread and butter. Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italiana all'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano 610 West Foothill Blvd. Unit D, Monrovia, CA 91016 - Tel.: (626) 359-7715 PLEASE SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO P.O. BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian newspaper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Giudici SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTORS Catherine Accardi Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Chiara D'Alessio, Paula Reynolds, Nicoletta Curradi, GenerosoD'Agnese, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Alfonso Guerriero Jr., Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio © 2020 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano PO Box 6528 Altadena, CA 91003 Mail form and check to L'Italo-Americano, P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003

• Cover