In Their Own Words: Terra Madre 2010

Emily Malnati at Salone del Gusto

Emily Malnati writes about her first day at Salone del Gusto, "Following fellow students, we found the entrance gate to Salone del Gusto where officially dressed Italians glanced at our tickets and ushered us in.  So began our tour of three giant rooms: one filled with international venders, and two more filled with venders from northern and southern Italy.  We arrived early, so many venders were still setting up, but by mid-afternoon the exhibition was filled.  Never have I seen so many venders, so many different people, or so many different languages spoken in one place.   That in itself was amazing.  Trying to push through crowds of people who began to appear more and more primitive by the hour was not so amazing.   At one point a man oinked and made a grab for some olive-oil-soaked bread that was in front of another student.  I started to feel overwhelmed when suddenly we came upon a gelato booth.   Motioning, and mumbling “Assaggio…marscapone?” my first sample of this heavenly concoction melted away my feelings of anxiety.  It was smooth, sweet, creamy and simple; undoubtedly the best frozen dessert that I have ever had.  [I would go back for a bowl every day over the course of the next three days.] 

Wandering around in a smaller group, we asked directions to the opening ceremony of Terra Madre without great success. Per usual Italian organization, several people told us we could walk, while another said it was impossible to get to without bus.  Needless to say, we ended up spending the entire day appreciating the vast variety of exhibits. Each booth presented a slightly different offering, and it became clear that each region had their own specialty products.  I took mental notes of booths I wanted to come back to speak with, and enjoyed just about everything that every vendor had to offer: cheese, bread, sausage, sundried tomatoes, olives, honey, candy, cookies, gelato, wine, limoncello, beer and much, much more…"