…and We’re Back!

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September 30, 2013 by MM

After a long European-style summer vacation in the south of Italy, Phat City is back in the Fat City, choosing to look ahead to wine harvest and pumpkin season rather than mourn the days of eating figs off trees and picking wild arugula from the side of the road.

Turns out, Puglia has quite a few varieties of figs.

But before we roll up our sleeves and enjoy the bounty of fall in a country that doesn’t confuse the harvest celebration with the genocide of native peoples, one teensy little food story broke this week that warrants a mention. About a hundred kilometers down the road in Parma, pasta giant Barilla finds itself in the center of a public-relations nightmare, after its CEO made comments about gay families that sparked outrage and calls for a Barilla boycott around the world. My personal thoughts on the subject can be found here:  http://imofflikeapromdress.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/where-theres-barilla-theres-bigotry/. Whatever your opinions on the topic, the scandal has proved to be a strong reminder that our food choices are inherently political, whether we would like them to be our not.

And now, Italians and Americans can all go back to contemplating the shutdown of their respective governments.

Happy fall!