So much to say about Terra Madre, I’ll have to break it into bits.
A food meeting with a difference: Terra Madre included a large open space to allow delegates to throw a blanket on the floor and sell – or just show – their wares.
Biodiversity is a big thing in Slow Food’s mission. So much of today’s food has been bred into narrow, profit-oriented channels and lacks the flavour, seasonality and suitability to its terrain that traditional foods had evolved around. Here, a selection of local rice varieties from Thailand…
..and here, a selection of almond varieties from Afghanistan.
Green eggs from Temuco chickens, at the Chilean stand.
One of the many remarkable things about this event was the presence of simultaneous translation — into the 8 official languages of Terra Madre. It wasn’t always perfect or easy to hear, but it was an amazing achievement to do as much as they did. Some of the translators worked between two or three languages.
Some listeners demonstrate what could be described as the house style for positioning the translation receivers for maximum effect…
And someone offering henna services…
