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Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre 2014: Day One

October 30, 2014 by Valerie Lugonja 16 Comments

Slow Food International’s Bi-Annual International Food Conference and Global Market of Taste

1 Terra Madre 2014

After 20 hours enroute to Torino, Italy, for my first visit to Terra Madre (Mother Earth), I arrived at the Olympic Oval for Delegate registration. Overwhelmed would be an understatement.

2 Terra Madre 2014.

Alongside 3999 delegates representing 950 food communities in 158 countries, I was and am extremely honoured to have been selected as a Slow Food Delegate from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, via the national Canadian network to attend Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto 2014 for my years of volunteer service within this vast and important world changing organization.

3 Terra Madre 2014.

Delegates pay airfare and are then hosted completely by Slow Food International. Sometimes, a delegate’s local convivium (chapter) will raise funds to pay for the airfare. Sometimes there are government grants or sponsors that pay for airfare. This is very important for delegates that receive this honour, but cannot afford the airfare. To imagine that 4000 of us are picked up from the airport, housed in hotels or homes via billeting, fed three meals a day, transported from accommodations to and from the event every day, provided full entry access to Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto and then driven back to the airport at the end of the 6 days is mind boggling from an organizational standpoint. Yet, Slow Food International does it, and does it well. After registration and over 24 hours without sleep, the water on the table in the canteen was worthy of a photograph. I sat. I gulped, then sipped. Then sank, deeply into my chair and looked around.

4 Terra Madre 2014

The room was not full, yet filled with people from all over the world, in clusters, alone – chatting, eating, plotting…. or simply exhausted. I had passed by a few laying on the cement floor at registration entry, sleeping. We were to check our bags, refresh in this space, eat the hot and hardy meal provided, somehow recharge and attend the opening ceremonies in another location at 7 pm. Our bags were to be taken with us to that location, checked, and then taken with us to our accommodation check in at 11 pm that evening. Oh, to be young again, and able to tolerate such plans!

5 Terra Madre 2014

There were 5 U-shaped food stations at one end of the huge canteen space. Two were open at this time.

6 Terra Madre 2014

Plates, napkins and cutlery were at the start, followed by an ever changing choice of three salads. This was the same for every lunch and dinner. Breakfasts were provided at the accommodation location.

7 Terra Madre 2014

I could not possibly taste it all. I was almost too tired to open my mouth. The farro or spelt salad was appealing.

8 Terra Madre 2014

The quinoa salad looked delicious. I wandered how tasty the grated carrots would be, yet was impressed by the choices, considering the vast number of palates and cultures this food had to appeal to.

9 Terra Madre 2014

This was a treat. Every meal there was some kind of unexpected “special” treat.

10 Terra Madre 201414 Terra Madre 2014

Today there was a plain rice at the end of the salad bar. This was always there as was a plain pasta.

11 Terra Madre 2014 12 Terra Madre 2014 13 Terra Madre 2014

Five hot dishes followed at every meal. I am missing the vegetarian lasagna and the beef and gravy in the above array.

15 Terra Madre 2014

Sometimes cheeses, and always an assortment of breads came next.

16 Terra Madre 2014

Usually one pastry or dessert followed by a large bowl of fresh fruit which you can see behind the bread, above.

17 Terra Madre 2014

Spying this spinach lasagna somehow pumped motivating energy into me, and I ate it – all. This was a luxurious, nutmeg infused velvety welcome to Italy. How can canteen food taste so good? Only in Italy.

18 Salone del Gusto 2014

No opening ceremony for me. Of course, I had looked forward to attending. At this point, accessing my physicality, completely out of the question. Taxi, please! Wandering past the canteen, I found myself in the global area of Salone del Gusto which was opening tomorrow at 10 am. How in the world would this be ready by then, I wondered?

19 Maxime Gauvin and Christina Allain Salone del Gusto 2014

Turning my first corner, I ran into 5 people from Canada! Only workers were in the room – and then Canadians! Christina and Maxime were welcome faces. I was so happy to see them. Hugs felt great! A photo of them with their Canadian Acadian flag was a must. These two young people are taking Slow Food in Canada in a direction it has needed to go for a very long while. That is “far”! Maxime Gauvin and Christina Allain are both from the Cocagne Acadie convivium in New Brunswick.

20 Salone del Gusto 2014 21 Salone del Gusto 2014 22 Salone del Gusto 2014 23 Salone del Gusto 2014

There was Slow Food Radio, a Slow Food Bookstore Booth, booths from countries around the world. In the middle of this space I would later learn was the display of the Ark of Taste Foods and a space for free tasting workshops. Where was a taxi? How would I find one?

24 Salone del Gusto 2014

Moving from this stationary spot through a labyrinth to what I would later learn would be the Enoteca (wine tasting space) and the three Italian halls that house booths for Salone del Gusto. One for the world and three for Italy! This space was not so clean. How would they be ready for tomorrow?

25 Brooke Fader and Chef Oliver Kienast Salone del Gusto 2014

Turning the next corner, and I do not tell a lie, was Brooke and Oliver! Two more welcome faces! Oliver Kienast is the Chef at Sooke Harbor House on Vancouver Island and Brooke is his wife and convivium leader of the Vancouver Island and Gulf Island Convivium as well as an integral leader in Slow Food in Canada’s Slow Fish campaign. So wonderful to see them with so few people passing by!

26 Salone del Gusto 2014

The Italian market had a completely different vibe than the quiet global market. It was alive with disorder, conviviality, life and confusion. Chaos in every direction, I had no idea where to go… so I just went…. on. I am not sure how, but I found myself moving forward, completely dazed.

27 Salone del Gusto 2014 28 Salone del Gusto 2014 29 Salone del Gusto 2014 30 Salone del Gusto 2014

The theme for Terra Madre this year is the Family Farm as the United Nations declared 2014 to be the year of the Family Farm.

31 Salone del Gusto 2014

And then I am outside. Endless vans and trucks line the back road unloading… but no taxi, and so I continue…. on.

32 Salone del Gusto 2014 33 Salone del Gusto 2014

I took this photo the following day, but walked past this empty space and did not even recognize it as the entrance.

34 Salone del Gusto 2014

The accreditation offices for The Press are at the doors, above.

35 Salone del Gusto 2014

This long building is The Lingotto and goes on for a few blocks. It was built in the 1920’s and was then a state of the art Fiat Factory. In  Inside of it are the Terra Madre workshops and tastings. On the second floor is a mall. On the roof are outdoor cafes and who knows what else. In the mid 1980’s the building was reconfigure into a modern complex including concert halls, theatres, a convention centre, shopping arcades and a hotel. The headquarters of the Automotive Engineering faculty of the Polytechnic University of Turin is also located in the building. The original race track was retained on the roof of the shopping mall.

36 Salone del Gusto 2014

Do you see what I see? A Taxi! There is my man. Above, to the left. Forty Five euro later I found myself at a gorgeous little hotel that was housing all Canadian delegates 30 kilometers out of town.

69486-1-vald-hotel-val-della-torre-to

The bus was leaving for the event tomorrow at 6:45 am. Still overwhelmed and disoriented, but relieved to have such a nice clean room. Time for a shower and bed.

Vald Hotel room

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Filed Under: Reviews (Products, Books, and Events) Tagged With: Italy, Salone del Gusto, Slow Food, Terra Madre, Torino

About Valerie Lugonja

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Educator, Writer, Gardener and Traveler who believes in buying and eating locally, and most importantly cooking at home! As a brand new Gramsy, so be prepared to hear a lot about this new role in her life!
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Comments

  1. Liliana says

    October 30, 2014 at 5:35 pm

    What an incredible experience it must have been! The food looks amazing and I am sure I would have loved the Slow Food Bookstore. I am looking forward to your next posts on Terra Madre

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      November 1, 2014 at 12:01 pm

      Liliana!
      WHere is your family from in Italy, again? You would be crazy over this event!
      🙂
      V

      Reply
  2. Catherine Gill says

    October 31, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    Wow! What an amazing and overwhelming convention. It’s quite a way from Tatamagouche, too. I am enjoying all of your posts.

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      November 1, 2014 at 12:00 pm

      Thank you, Catherine,
      I have been to Italy many times as a tour guide for my students over many a spring break through my lengthy teaching career, and again with my husband a few times – but was still completely unprepared for these two events.
      Plan to go one year. YOu must!
      🙂
      V

      Reply
  3. Denise says

    October 31, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    Loved your pictures and description…hope there is much more to come. My cousin, Tom Mueller presented at #salondelgusto. He lives in Italy and is an expert on olive oil. Thank you very much!

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      November 1, 2014 at 11:58 am

      Denise!
      Tell me more about Tom! I am sad I missed his session…. Canadians are the top of my list to support as we must grow Slow Food in Canada – but, you will see as I am writing more, that I had to make many decisions to not “do it all”. It would be impossible, in any case.
      🙂
      V

      Reply
      • Denise says

        November 1, 2014 at 3:07 pm

        Tom lives in a small village in Luguria with his family. His website is extravirginity.com. And his writing is about The a Truth in Olive Oil. He has traveled the world to talk with the folks growing and processing olive oil and working to expose the fraud that is putting chemicals/detergents etc., in olive oil and then having it passed off as “extra virgin.” Think you will love it.
        I totally understand wanting to support and encourage Slow Food Canada. It is important that we all do the work where we are planted.
        Keep up the great work!
        Denise

        Reply
        • Liliana says

          November 3, 2014 at 3:33 pm

          My mother was from Palermo, Sicily and my father was from Campobasso, Molise. I would love to go to this event. You’re right, I would go crazy with excitement. I would be in food heaven.

          Reply
    • Jennifer Cockrall-King says

      November 11, 2014 at 8:53 am

      Denise. I went to Tom Mueller’s talk. And I have read his book. His Italian is impeccable…and he did his talk in Italian. I listened on headsets to the English translation. Let him know that I thought his talk was very important and excellent. I think he was talking at the same time as Carlo Petrini in another room, so the audience was sparse for Tom’s talk, which was a shame. But this is the paradox (so I’ve learned) of Slow Food. It’s ALL happening AT ONCE.

      Valerie, thanks for this report. I had a very different experience, as a non-delegate. It was good but there was so much I wish I’d known for this, my first trip to Salone del Gusto / Terra Madre / Taste Workshops, etc. Like you, I’m trying to quickly chronicle my trip so I don’t forget. I mean for it to be a help for people going in 2016. Yours certainly is too. Thank you!!!

      Reply
      • Valerie Lugonja says

        November 11, 2014 at 9:34 am

        Thank you so much, Jennifer.
        As I am stepping down from the board this year, I have decided my next Volunteer Project will be to take on the Terra Madre Canadian Delegation. I will be the conduit to their experience, provide lots of concrete information in advance and an orientation tour and touch base opportunities throughout the time there so those alone, like me, and those new – like both of us this year, can have a superior experience and take advantage of more of the opportunities there. I am motivated to go again! Let me know if you are interested in joining my committee!
        Sincerely,
        Valerie

        Reply
        • Jennifer Cockrall-King says

          November 11, 2014 at 10:16 am

          I think Sara Harker is also heading up something to do with the Canadian delegation or booth for 2016. Maybe you should coordinate as to not duplicate. I’ve already expressed my offer to help out with whatever Slow Food Canada 2016 projects I can. I’m sure many initiatives will rise to the surface in the next month or so. I was not a delegate so I can’t speak to that experience, but I’ll help with what I can. So yes, if there’s a way I can contribute to the Terra Madre Canadian Delegation initiative, I will.

          Reply
          • Valerie Lugonja says

            November 15, 2014 at 5:03 pm

            Great!
            Completely different committee, Jennifer.
            🙂
            Valerie

            Reply
          • Kari Macknight Dearborn says

            November 17, 2014 at 12:20 pm

            Hi Jennifer,

            If you are interested in helping with the booth for 2016 you can hook up with me. I’ll be emailing everyone shortly to start the conversation for next time.

            Kari

            Reply
            • Valerie Lugonja says

              November 17, 2014 at 3:20 pm

              Love that we are “fighting over” or wooing volunteers for each of our respective committees! Slow Food Rocks!
              🙂
              Valerie

              Reply
  4. Denise says

    October 31, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    I bet you came home with lots of new ideas for recipes! Can hardly wait.

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      November 1, 2014 at 11:57 am

      Denise
      I am still so overwhelmed it will literally take two full years to digest this learning and to assimilate these new ideas and experiences before Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto 2016. You are SO right!
      🙂
      Valerie

      Reply

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