Boston Food Festival

Right down the street from Wellesley, Boston recently had a food festival on October 6th! 
It turned out to be a beautifully sunny day for the month as I made my way to the Peter Pan bus stop.

My friend and I made our way to Copley Square and was greeted with a lively scene of food enthusiasts.

We decided to take a walk around the square, starting with food trucks. First food truck was actually a drink truck. Illy, the espresso company, was handing out free samples for their delicious coffees. We carefully avoided the caffeinated line and went on to the other displays.

Kickass cupcakes tooted the craziest flavors with the best ingredients. All cupcakes are baked fresh daily without hydrogenated oils, trans fats, artificial flavors or preservatives. You can also find gluten free and vegan cupcakes!!! I was particularly excited about this fact and intend to try one of their Cinna Punkvegan--a spiced up pumpkin cupcake topped with cinnamon frosting and dusted with Saigon cinnamon. Check them out on their website for their hours and location.

Kitchen conversations, is exactly what it sounds like. Dedicated to increasing the public's awareness of food and food systems, Kitchen Conversations archives different people's memories of and relationship to food. People were talking about topics ranging from the science of cooking to family food traditions. 

A team of volunteers stood around these garden beds, explaining the different vegetables to curious visitors and explaining its feasibility. The exchange of information about food between total strangers touched me deeply. It was so inspiring to see how food truly connects everyone. 

This truck was one of my favorite exhibits. Acting as an organic grocery store, the truck drives to parts of Boston that do not have access to fresh produce. Their mission is to improve health in Boston by providing access to fresh and healthy produce, no matter the location or the income level. 

The setup is essentially a large school bus that has been gutted out and replaced with hanging produce containers.

MMMMMMMM AVOCADOOOOO

Continuing our round around the square, we came across tents of discussion on seafood sustainability. We even saw Wellesley representing with Professor Beth DeSombre! 

Past the tents, beautiful and informative posters on sustainable practices were on display.

 

We finally made our way around to local food businesses.

Fancypants Bakery, a family owned business, came from East Walpole MA to hand out delicious Crunch!Cookies. 

Ripe is a beverage company that specializes in organic cocktail mixes with flavors like Agave Mojito, Agave Margarita, San Marzano Bloody Mary, Agave Lemon Sour, and Agave Punch. 

Alas, a food festival is not a festival without fresh goat cheese, generously given out on tasting spoons...

or fresh cookies and local milk! 

After all the tastings, our stomachs were growling for some real lunch. Bon Me's truck it was!

I hastily scarfed down my roasted soy and paprika tofu and brown rice bowl with pickled carrots, radish, and bean sprouts. I laid out on the grass in my post meal bliss.

Slow Food President Sophia Garcia! 

A couple other Wellesley friends joined us and we couldn't have had a better Saturday afternoon. 

This weekend, Boston will be holding a vegetarian food festival so don't forget to check it out! 

Union Square Farmer's Market

As weather gets colder and days get shorter, I sometimes like to look back on old summer photos, especially photos of the colorful produce.

This summer I got to visit the Union Square Farmer’s Market, a famous NYC farmer’s market that attracts chefs, food aficionado’s, and farmers from far and wide!

There were baskets of various salad greens and edible flowers that you could pick and choose for a to-go salad

and vibrantly covered tomatoes, eggplant, and tomatillos!

As autumn comes along, hurry out to your local farmer’s markets for crisp apples, delicious pumpkins and squash.

What does Slow Food Mean to You?

Italy, the land of the olives, beautiful food, beautiful people, and the birth place of Slow Food. 

Now an international nonprofit organization, Slow Food was cofounded in 1989 when McDonalds had first opened a restaurant in Rome, Italy. Manifesto of Slow Food states its mission as an "alternative...begin by cultivating taste...by stimulating progress, by encouraging international exchange programs, by endorsing worthwhile projects, by advocating historical food culture and by defending old-fashioned food traditions." The snail was chosen as its logo to symbolize "a better quality lifestyle...an idea and a way of life that needs much sure but steady support." 

Slow food is a movement that can be as inclusive as you make it. Unlike a dietary restriction, Slow Food is centered around a general appreciation for food and its making. During my summer trip to Italy, I discovered what slow food meant to me. 

Napoli is a majestic port city, holding a beautiful and eclectic mix of old fortresses next to skyscrapers. But one thing was the same: the narrow cobblestone roads that wound themselves around the city, with each new corner presenting a new adventure and story. I wandered the apartment buildings that were more cramped than even NYC and found myself face to face with the culture of the city. 

After hours of wandering, I was starving! I settled in at a seaside café for some good ol’ Naples pizza. I chose to go simple and traditional: a margherita pizza, grilled veggies, and a delicious cappuccino. As a coffee fiend I was ecstatic to start trying the espressos that Italy was so famous for and this one was not a disappointment. Also, when I ordered the pizza, I did not expect to get a full sized pizza but it was definitely a pleasant surprise!

Unlike the American style of pizza, this one’s crust could not hold the weight of the meaty mozzarella and required me to cut into it with a fork and knife! As I held the perfect bite of crust, sauce, and mozzarella, I prepared myself for a mind-blowing experience. And mind blowing it was…

The sauce was a mixture of salty, sweet, and just a bit tangy, as if there was lemon juice mixed in at the last minute. The mozzarella was pure bliss, light on the tongue and full of fresh flavor and the bite of basil brought it all in balance. The crust was not at all soggy but soft and fluffy, and I might even prefer this crust to the crunchy one! As the extra tomato juice dripped off, I did not hesitate to pull at the crust and mop up the deliciousness.

Sitting there, entranced by every bite I took, I found myself at perfect peace with my meal, slowly savoring every bite and never rushing or stuffing anything into my mouth no matter how delicious it was. The scenery of the sea, the chatter of Italian wafting in the breeze, and the faint scent of coffee made me realize the beauty of slow food. 

The realization that good food can and should be enjoyed slowly and reverently, the appreciation of a good meal, beautiful scenery, and company, and more importantly that food is a simple and complex pleasure, one that  should be appreciated without restraint and one that shouldn’t have negative connotations.

Eat half of that large pizza if you feel like it! Who cares? Most importantly, how do you feel eating something glorious in an equally glorious country?

When was your first time realizing what slow food meant to you?

Let’s share some stories!