Last weekend, I went back to Perugia to visit some of my most lovely wonderful friends that i had the luck to make when I studied here 2.5 years ago. My motivations to go were of course to see them but also to experience: Eurochocolate. A ten-day long festival that converts the entire downtown area to a chocolate wonderland where you were bombarded by hot chocolate stands, cakes with hot chocolate sauce, bulk artisan chocolates, chocolate truffles, chocolate salamis, handmade pistachio cardamom chocolates, chocolate beer, chocolate novelties such as chocolate kebab (not on a stick, but shaved chocolate inside of a crepe to simulate a pita like kebab) fair trade chocolates, free chocolates, dog treat chocolates, fruit dipped chocolates, chocolate making classes, chocolate liquor shot bars, oversized lindt balls the size of volleyballs, etc. Basically I carried a chocolate baby in my belly the whole weekend. At the end of the weekend I was annoyed with all the crowds since I realized that YOU COULD BUY ALL THIS CRAP IN THE STORES! AND GET THIS! FOR CHEAPER!!! Uffa!!!!!
It was ridiculous that this commercialized festival that was basically hosted by Perugina (recently acquisited by the Nestle world-ruiners) and Milka, people all batcrazy to fill any public walking space, shoving thru crowds shoulder to shoulder in order to navigate this small quaint etruscian city. Let me sum up the food politics as to not completely bore you: Chocolate quality? i doubt it. Were all this chocolate producers in africa, asia and latin america properly compensated for supplying the magic that makes Eurochocolate possible? Ha. maybe for the one Fair Trade stand out of the other 600. Sugar? tons of it, also probably from exploited countries. There was a section of the festival that was dedicated to fair trade and sustainable chocolate production and we got to taste some delectable indonesian chocolate sweets from a gemmed heart gentleman who made them in his house the morning of. This sweet looked like a creme and brown striped block of glycerin soap, but when you bit into it you felt the perfect dance of coconut, vanilla and chocolate and with a texture that reminded me of a smooth like firm jello.
This midterm week has been pretty pointless. We were assigned 3 presentations and 3 coinciding research papers. Really? all in one week? Whatever it is what it is and I guess its not all that bad. Well, yes it is. Why should we have been stuck becoming laptop zombies for the last 2 weeks preparing for this nightmare week. Again, whatever. its going to get better. i think.
On a more positive note, we're going to chill out in the Tuscan countryside on a agro-tourism farmstead next week. Makin' pizza, goin' hiking, learnin' farming....its gonna be fab, i can feel it. But first, I get to harvest olives to make olive oil at one of my friend's family olive grove in Umbria this weekend...YES!
Ciao!
"Te Ne Dico 4, Non Sono D'Accordo!"
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