Thoughts on a day in Pollenzo

On Friday, we spent a great day at the headquarters of the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy. The university was founded in 2004 by Slow Food International and currently has nearly 600 students from all over the world, studying sustainable farming, biodiversity, and artisan food production. I wish I was 20 again, because this was definitely the university for me. I thought I would write about it in case there was someone out there looking for something different. The school is housed in the beautifully renovated country estate of King Carlo Alberto of Savoy and the surrounding area is safe, clean and tranquil.

We were also very fortunate to have been present at a meeting with Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food (that is us, the founders of Jovial with Mr. Petrini in the last photo). There are so many things wrong with our food supply today, but so many fascinating people are working hard to make a difference. I just thought I would mention one thing to consider. Mr. Petrini frequently talks about how many years ago in Italy, food was never wasted and people knew how to use everything and were masters at preparing delicious dishes with leftovers. He said that millions of people in the world suffer from malnutrition while many us have so much that we waste. Many of the problems caused by industrial agriculture could be made better if we found ways to be satisfied with less.