Ci spiace, ma questo articolo è disponibile soltanto in English.
Nel 2003 Rebecca ha iniziato a scrivere dei saggi per il sito Slow Travel, raccontando la sua esperienza di ragazza di città che dagli Stati Uiniti si è trasferita nella campagna umbra.
Le sue riflessioni sono riprodotte qui.
Umbria Slow:
Oh wait till I tell the donne around here that even in Umbria the men do the work…great post :)
Rebecca you may have outdone yourself on this post. You know, you should plan a book and just hunker down and write the damn thing (easier said than done, i have a plan in my drawer too).
So i read this post while eating my cereal for breakfast (alla faccia ai biscotti) and the butchering scenes you might have spared me, but it’s a well written story and i totally see your point.
However. Sadly, not all meat in italy is butchered (or raised) in this happy way so i remain convinced that whatever meat people buy in the supermarket have SIMILAR issues to that purchased in the USA (although i have some reason to believe that it’s not AS bad, but the reason is simply that everything is better in Italy.)
And on the note of the Bitter Expat, I am, apparently, the opposite. My mother is still mad at me cuz when i last went to canada apparently nothing was good enough for me as “in italy this, in italy that”. Boh! all i do here is complain ;-) !
baci – Alexandra
I grew up in Italy, in Baia (vicino Napoli), and participated as a child in the yearly pig harvest, and this post brought it all back –beautiful post! I know these childhood memories formed the underpinning of my life-long nose-to-tail approach to eating and animal husbandry, and I’m deeply grateful for that.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
An excellent post and a real lesson in respect and open-mindedness.
Wonderful post reminding me of a time when our relationship with animals was a lot healthier and so were we.
Stressed animals develop cortisol just as stressed people do and cortisol –>cholesterol. I have a friend whose cattle live happy healthy lives and are the meat of choice for a local cardiologist.
Thanks, everyone, for the great feedback and comments! You always hope to make a splash with a blog post, but never did I imagine the the hog kill story would be so popular…
@Alexandra…I mulled over the pictures for quite awhile, but then decided that in keeping with the integrity of the story I couldn’t gloss over the visuals. The ones I finally chose were relatively tame, however. And I absolutely agree about supermarket meat. Just one more reason to support your local farmers!
If you are interested in knowing more about artisan butchery and making charcuterie, try Savoring the Whole Hog- an Old World view at http://www.goingwholehog.blogspot.com/.
“Two Cooks. Two Teachers. Two Friends. Judy Witts & Kate Hill share their European farmers, butchers, recipes, pigs & passion for authentic food arts from Italy and France.”
Thanks, Judy, for giving me the heads-up on this!
Nice post, Rebecca. Well written. My wife and I live largely on various meats and cheeses, not because of any ethical concerns (those are largely beyond me), but because we are much healthier. That not withstanding, we are looking forward to Umbrian pasta when we come stay with you in late September.
I totally get it! I’ve been a vegetarian since I was a child, and in Valle d’Aosta, the diet is very heavily meat-based. I also live on a cattle farm in Aosta. It’s been a bit of an adjustment, involving lots and lots of cheese, to figure out how to eat a balanced diet in Italy while still being a vegetarian. Luckily my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are Italian vegetarians, so that helps!
Great post, and interesting observations!
loved this! i have been vegetarian for more than 20 years, became one in college after taking a women’s studies class that associated animal rights with women’s rights…. long story…. i went head on in to the animal rights side of things and now 20 years later am very proud of the changes that have been made in the united states regarding the food we eat and how we take care of farm animals (although we have a LONG way to go). that said, i totally understand why you would support the way animals are raised, slaughtered and eaten in italy. i think i would not be a vegetarian had i lived in a society that treats their animals this way. it is with respect and even though i hate the idea of killing animals, if they are to be eaten, then this is the way to go. i, like you, would not eat meat now because it has just been so long since i have, but i could definitely embrace the humane farming practices you described. thank you for such a wonderful perspective with the vegetarian twist. loved it!
Leslie, thanks so much for your wonderful feedback…you made my day!
Diana Baur mentioned you on Facebook today. I’m so glad to make your acquainance! It was pure pleasure reading this intelligent post! Definitely makes me long for Italy. Our daughter was in Perugia for a semester; we have been back a number of times since. Your farm looks like our kind of place! I’ve bookmarked it. :)