Recreational farming

An interesting triptych today on farming as recreation. Kind of, anyway. From Vietnam, an unfortunately rather brief article on how foreign tourists can become farmers for a day at Tra Que village. The piece doesn’t say whether that’s the same Tra Que which is being protected by trademark, but I would guess so. ((Incidentally, there was news today of the European Union protecting another few agricultural products through geographic indications.))

There was also today an article about the Konso of Ethiopia, who are apparently sometimes referred to as “the toughest farmers in Africa.” A so-called eco-lodge has been set up, “whose mission is to tie tourism and community development activism through permaculture together, delivering tangible community benefits.” Again, as in Vietnam, the idea is community immersion, though for longer than just a day, and in rather more difficult circumstance, I expect.

And finally, to the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Connecticut. Actually it’s a bit of a cheek including this with the previous two stories. The people attending the Centre, and others like it, are in earnest about learning to farm in a way that follows the Law: “One-sixth of the Talmud deals with agriculture.” Some, indeed, will take farming up as a profession. But not all: “We don’t all need to be farmers. To have farming be a little part of every Jewish person’s life, that’s our goal.”

Nibbles: Aquaculture, Geographical indications, Arable, Beetlejuice

  • First Nation takes Canada to court over its salmon stocks. Lawyers exult.
  • “Radicchio di Verona”, “Zafferano di Sardegna,” “Aceite de La Alcarria” and “Huîtres Marennes Oléron” protected. Lawyers exult.
  • Germans to set aside 100 fields to conserve Caucalido-Adonidetum flammeae and the like. That’s arable weeds to me and you. Nobody exults. Oh come on, some of them might be crop wild relatives!
  • Beetle threatens Florida avocado orchards with deadly fungus. Mexico exults?

Indigenous pasta sauces

I don’t think we nibbled it here, but I did post on Facebook a news story about how Italy is thinking of banning ethnic restaurants. This elicited more comments than I usually get. One friend said he’d send me a kebab in the mail. I politely declined, citing health concerns. Another suggested such a ban would be a good idea, as most ethnic restaurants in Italy are terrible, even when — or is it because — they absorb local ingredients and ways of doing things. ((As dissected so admirably for Chinese restaurants by the writer Jennifer 8. Lee (李競) in a recent, wonderful, TED talk.)) My wife wondered whether the move might set off tit-for-tat bans on Italian restaurants — including pizzerias ((Talking about absorbing local ingredients, is there a more spongiferous food than the pizza?)) — around the world. And another commenter wondered what Italian cuisine would be like if pasta sauces featured only indigenous agrobiodiversity. That means no tomatoes. One sauce that I could think of that is composed solely of ingredients that could be said to be native to Italy — whatever that might mean — is pesto. Anyway, one thing is for certain, such a cuisine would probably drive me to kebabs.