Often, in American films,
people go home and do not prepare dinner and do not set the table. Each
person opens the refrigerator, grabs something cold, throws himself on
to the sofa, switches on the television and starts eating and drinking
directly in front of the box.
One has a clear impression that food doesn'
t interest him at all, and neither do the other people.
This habit is spreading in Italy as well . Some consider it a leap forward, an expression
of greater autonomy, of greater emancipation . I have serious doubts. In
reality, that way of eating is a clear sign of social disintegration, of
anomie. Food has ceased to be a value as much as it has ceased to be a
unifying ritual.
Eating is still considered
important in Italy. Even the most unassuming restaurant presents a table
set with a clean table-cloth, plates, knives and forks, goblets. But also
at home, many have the habit of preparing the table. Even if only two people
have to eat. Then, they talk about food, they comment it, they compare
it , they judge it.
Each thing acquires a meaning, a certain depth through culture and history .
Once in Australia i roamed
around for days on end and I can' t even remember a thing of the landscape
that I saw . Because those rocks , those deserts, did not have a history.
Whereas I recall all the details of the landscapes of Egypt , Syria and Morocco , charged
with memories. Similarly, I remember having dinner in a small Italian restaurant in
Stockholm, chosen by the Accademia Gastronomica Italiana.
I had been invited by Ambassador
Solari Bozzi. Some of the members were illustrating the historical and regional
roots of the dish that was being served, others were talking about the
wines; eventually every - body gave their grade.
Thanks to this initiative
the restaurant maintained its traditions and created new dishes. Food is
culture and history. Without these, restaurants deteriorate and end up
serving, as Italian food, cold, over-cooked pasta and ten-centimetre-high
pizza with Dutch cheese.
A people who do not know
their history disappear. The Jews survived the most terrible trials because
each and every individual learnt to bear witness to his community.
Each individual is acquainted
with the history of his family, he knows from where it came, which stages
it went through, he remembers his family ties, he hasn't forgotten the
persecutions suffered.
Only the nobles recall their
genealogical tree in the same way. However, they do not have the unanimous
memory of the Jews, and such a strong sense of solidarity.
The second thing that saved
the Jews was the conservation of their customs. After the destruction of
the Temple, wherever they were, in the middle of any people, they continued
to respect the Torah's meticulous rules.
Many believe that the memory
of the past and the conservation of rituals means putting a brake on creativity.
This is not true. We become creative only when a thing interests us profoundly,
in a vital manner.
Pleasure, taste, beauty,
are essential to us Italians.There fore, food is important.Not only the
ingredients , the packages we buy at the supermarket , but also the way
we set the table , the table-cloth, the plates , the porcelain , the way
we cook, serve and eat . It is only against this social , aesthetical ,
cultural and " tasty " background that we can assimilate the experience
of other countries , other cultures , create new dishes , invent . Only
in this way can we became capable of creating our own gastronomy and our
own food industry .