The New Gastronomes

For those entering into retirement and changing the patterns in their life, gardening gives them a new form of identity. Two important aspects of allotment gardens are that social relations are cultivated and retired workers continue to provide by putting food on the table.
Here in Parma, Italy, my classmate Kate Johnston and I conducted [...]

Moving to Italy, especially to Parma/Colorno, I did not know where to begin or what to pack. The school guide told us to bring bed sheets, towels, and other personal belongings, but coming from Chicago, I feared this move into the unknown. My two giant suitcases cost a substantial amount in overweight charges, and I [...]

The answer to overfishing and the loss of ocean species might be on your plate: eat less fish, not more.

In 1759 Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on a dilapidated brewery at St. James’s Gate in Dublin. £45 per annum was the sum and a down payment of £100 was exactly the amount 35-year-old Arthur had inherited from his Godfather. Sixteen years before John Hancock is reputed to have put his name to the [...]

Since moving to Italy and not only studying but living with 23 other foodies, the UNISG
students have learned to throw some pretty fun theme parties. Once,
everyone dressed up as something that starts with the letter ‘p’, another time everyone
brought something he or she had created. There was also a Latin party
with some mean [...]

Smiling makes you live longer, so they say. Love, too.
If the attention and care towards a creature can be considered a form of love, then gardening is the best way to add years to your life. It’s a healthy love, one with no bad vibrations and no sad side to the story. Plants will never [...]

Palm pastry diary:
New stories, some more pastry.
Latest edition:
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Torrential rain. It was the first day of our fieldtrip to Crete and the day’s much-anticipated activities had been cancelled. The tutors were nervous; what to do with a group of 24 disgruntled gastronomy students? Fortunately our local guide, Kostas, knew the answer: feed them!
Lunch was a lavish affair, the nearby Zissi’s taverna serving up [...]

*“280grams with Parmigiano Reggiano; a unique flavor combination.”
Last fall, patrons walking into McDonald’s in Italy may have been surprised to find Parmigiano Reggiano (P.R.) as a topping on their burger. I know I was surprised to see an advertisement like the one above. So this January, when our [...]

What do you do on a lazy, sunny Sunday? In Rome, you do as the Romans, but in my case, you do as the Donostiarras. Donostia, also known as San Sebastian, is a quaint, small city in the Basque region of northern Spain. Well known for its shell-shaped beach, La Concha, and its gastronomic [...]