From the mountains to the sea... Molise... Food for you and me

In Molise food is important, and that is rather an understatement.

It is an ESSENTIAL part of life, and perhaps they have got it right.

 I have to admit that I am not really what we in England now call FOODIE... 

I am not really one of those people who adore FOOD, likes trying out recipes and watching cooking programmes

I have spent my whole life battling with my weight 

so do not have a very good relationship with food.

However this blog and my forthcoming series of books are not about me, but about MOLISE, and its relationship with FOOD.

Here in this region and indeed most of Italy the majority of people like to cook, and even if they don't cook they still like to talk about it. .

Why ?

Simply because it is such a BIG part of peoples lives here. 

Most of the produce consumed here in Molise is still fairly local, so it falls neatly into the ZERO MILES box. 

Even though now far fewer people in the region produce their own fruit, and vegetables, or keep their own chickens there are still many who do....

do. 

And if they don't often there is someone in the family who does. 

 

Almost certainly in this region, there will be someone in the family still growing tomatoes for their passata.

A parent, a grandparent or even an aunt or uncle will still be making their own Olive oil.

For many families, it is all "hands on deck" when the olives need to be harvested, although many younger people are less reluctant to help now than they used to be.

Here in the small village of Lucito where I live the majority of contradini (small farmers) are well over fifty, some an awful lot more.

Age does not seem to come into the equation though, if you can still drag yourself onto a tractor, wield a hoe, or stoop down to pick tomatoes off the plants then that's what you do.

 An old proverb often quoted in England, is apparently American, is attributed   to   American president, Benjamin Franklin, although these wise words were originally from the philosopher Aristotle 

"It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom....

I am afraid it does not always apply to me, as I am often up very late writing, but as I have animals now I do try to drag myself out of bed by 8am, which for a farmer is very late.

It makes sense here, of course, to start early in the morning, especially in the summer as the days get very hot even towards mid morning. 

"Old habits die hard" 

So they say, and the majority of people here whether they are working on the land or not sit down to a substantial lunch, but eat very little in the evenings.

This is actually better for one's metabolism, as eating late in the evening as many people in Northern Europe and the States do is not good for the digestion. 

We are more prone to put weight on too if eating later in the day according to some research.

• https://health.spectator.co.uk/later-meal-times-make-us-more-likely-to-put-on-weight
• /https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/why-eating-late-at-night-may-be-particularly-bad-for-you-and-your-diet/2015/08/24/ad8b85ac-2583-11e5-b77f-eb13a215f593_story.html?utm_term=.681b4f3189a4

Therefore apart from rediscovering the benefits of eating a healthier diet, we perhaps ought to think about ditching our packed lunch and sit down to a bowl of pasta instead.

Sadly however certainly in the UK, and in many other places we say we never HAVE TIME ...

  TEMPUS FUGIT... TIME FLIES 

We are always in a hurry to eat, grabbing a coffee in a paper cup from one of the chains of American Style coffee shops now in every town, and cities across the UK and most of central Europe, as well of course as the States, Canada, and Austrailia

Long gone are the days in the UK when we sat down every morning to Bacon and eggs.

And for lunch, of course, most, or indeed many people gobble down a sandwich, or even perhaps a burger, many without even leaving their desks.

  We have DEADLINES to meet !!!  

  Do we have our priorities all wrong?

Having lived here in Molise for a year now, I can actually say with conviction that I think we do.

At a festival earlier in the year I met with a group of people involved in the SLOW FOOD movement. 

They are concerned that MOLISE and other areas of Italy are going down the same route we in the UK followed, where we want to do everything in a hurry

Many British people do not make time to ENJOY FOOD, and in the UK it costs more to eat a healthy balanced diet than it does to eat a nutritionally poor one.

If you scan the shelves at a local supermarket the majority of food on sale is high in CALORIES, SATURATED FATS and SUGAR....

But it easy... and all in FIVE SIMPLE STEPS

BUY IT

Take it home 

Chuck the wrapper in the bin  

Pop it in the microwave

EAT IT ... 

You will not even have a dirty plate, as you can eat it straight from the tray. 

Some might even call the local pizza delivery firm, settling down in front of the TV to eat it from the box.

Supermarket chains and large stores selling ready made meals cash in on the TIME ELEMENT as well.

EATING TOGETHER 

In the UK very few families sit down together to eat a meal. A few may still get together for a traditional SUNDAY LUNCH but this too is in decline.

Sadly here in Molise, this is changing too, although slowly most people still sit down with their families at the weekend and often in the week as well.

The  SLOW FOOD movement is battling to prove to people that the "old ways" were the best,  but they may be fighting a losing battle.

Fast food chains like MacDonalds are already very popular, although they are very different to those in the UK.

Most make real Cappuccinos, and you even get it in a REAL CUP.....

The only UPSIDE to visiting Macdonalds here is that it has  FREE WI FI

CHIPS TIME.... or other chains offering chips in a paper cone with a variety of sauces, 

even Nutella, 

are becoming increasingly popular, too, although mostly with people under 40.

MEDITTERANEAN DIET

It is inevitable that if current trends continue they will take their toll on the traditionally healthy diet eaten here in Italy.

Let's HOPE  that here in Molise, that waistlines do not continue to expand as they have done in the UK and the USA.

The British have not spent more than forty years doing less and eating more.

In some areas of the Uk, nearly 65% of adults are overweight. 

Is Molise going the same way? 

Life here in Molise reminds me of one of Aesop's famous fables ..

The Tortoise and the Hare ............

We need to follow the footsteps of the Tortoise...

or perhaps remember the phrase used so often here ...

PIANO .....PIANO 

actually means slowly, slowly... or take your time, after all, what's the rush?

Let's get back to GRASS ROOTS and take A FRESH LOOK at some of the OLD RECIPES, and FOODS here in Molise. 

You can Email me at.....  blackandwhitemolise@gmail.com if you want to join my mailing list, 

Or message me on FACEBOOK with any comments, suggestions or questions.

And in the meantime .. REMEMBER