RomaNostalgia

So, it has been almost two months since my Food Studies trip to Rome (since then I have also travelled to Chicago to indulge in Giordano's deep dish pizza and to the Cake Boss in Hoboken for beautiful tiramisu...but more on that in later posts!). There has been just too much to process and take in, and quite frankly, too depressing to write about because I miss everything so much. At this point, RomaNostalgia is an understatement. It hurts. I've tried to enjoy gelato since returning to the States, and it is just not the same. Artichokes just aren't the same color in America (or wherever they're imported from) as they are in Italy. To try and order a caffe corretto (or coffee with sambuca) at any American coffee shop would be completely futile. Enough gloating, though. I learned so much about myself, American and Italian culture during this trip that my perception of consumption from art to anchovies has completely changed.

My first exposure to specifically Roman culture was through the lens of Federico Fellini's film Roma (1972). As an English and cultural studies major, I am drawn to how language becomes a focal point to create discourse and history in terms of specificity and place. Particularly during this trip I was drawn towards the devout and rather frantic respect for preserving Italian cultures and traditions. The language used to describe wine and coffee production is a relevant focus in terms of food studies. While I did previously understand Italian culture in terms of deep reverence for food and art, exposure to Fellini turned that notion on its head. I specifically love the scene towards the beginning of the film that directly focuses on food. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8664833614753586960#

Particularly in this clip there is a contrast between the juxtaposition of the appetizing presentation of food with a voiceover that completely deconstructs any notion of good taste. While there is deep reverence for appearance of food with emphasis on the pasta dishes, the voiceover forces a perception of disgust. I simultaneously viewed Italian consumption in terms of the contradiction between respect for tradition and pushing personal preference. My focus shifted away from the pasta dish to the complimentary beverage on the film clip: wine. Wine has become in American culture a signifier of cultivated taste, yet there are laws in Italy that dictate the legitimacy of wine origin and production. During a wine tasting I first noticed that the Sommelier repeatedly used the phrase “You must respect…” in terms of the vintage of the wine and the sequence of drinking the wines in terms of age. While winemaking has been going on for centuries, the regulations and laws as well as sommelier presence started in the 1960s. The tradition of the sommelier is from France which complicates even further the notion of wine as a distinctly unique cultural signifier. While tasting a Prosecco, 2 white and 2 red wines the sommelier listed the wine company, wine name, grape variety, fermentation technique and length of time as well as the region. He repeatedly engaged with us by saying “You need to respect…”

The sommelier described different means of examination for every wine.
Sensory: Includes looking at the wine and analyzing the color in terms of vintage.
Olfactory: Includes smelling the wine, swirling the glass, then smelling again.
Taste: Finally, tasting the wine can also be thought of in terms of multiple sensations including
Sweetness
Acidity
Saltiness
Bitterness

Essentially, respect permeates the mindset of consumption for wine, from the most expensive to the cheapest “vino tabula” or common table wine. Although this form of tasting can get tedious (and distracting when trying to scribble down all the details!) there is a different type of tasting that occurs when activities such as thinking and analyzing and not only chewing and swallowing are involved. We were offered various cheeses with honey as well as foccacia bread with olives all of which altered the taste of the wines, enhancing and changing the perception of flavor.

The contradiction explained previously in Fellini’s Roma in terms of food presentation versus a critical and disgusted voiceover is apparent in Italian food consumption. We similarly see this tension between upholding traditions and challenging the institution of wine tasting. Particularly, while rules such as drinking the wine in sequential order from earlier vintage to later vintage and drinking specific wines out of specific glasses, the consumer is given the choice. The sommelier can offer suggestions, but ultimately one can pair whatever food with whatever wine they want. In turn, the sommelier can show a consumer the traditional pairings and ways, yet the sommelier must also respect the consumer’s palate, even untraditional methods.

This notion of rispetto, or respect, transposed to the Italian breakfast tutorial we had with the gracious bar waiter Sergio. Before Sergio noted that it is most appropriate to use a hot cup for hot coffee, I never realized that was part of coffee production and consumption. The rhetoric of respect surrounded this description. Furthermore, Sergio specifically said that the “Tea temperature has to be respected…” Specifically, an appropriate temperature is 23 degrees Celsius or 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This was a significant similarity that directly connected to the sommelier’s explanation of wine consumption and production.

Analyzing both coffee and wine and comparing how they function in American and Italian culture amplified my understanding of consumption. There are drastic differences between each, such as coffee is not enjoyed on the go in Italy prominently like in America. There appears to be more of a respect in terms of all consumption that permeates Italian culture from coffee and wine to food preparation and ritual as well as art and other cultural signifiers. My personal experience in America compared with my time spent in Rome and Cilento reveals a lifestyle more focused on locality and quality which is also comparatively cheaper. The Italian culture is indeed characterized and preserved through this notion of respect. While Fellini’s films such as Roma and Amarcord challenge Italian culture as previously perceived, a sense of deep respect is still engrained in specifically Italian food culture. While standards remain, consumers still maintain agency in terms of preference. The traditions embody an alternative form of history that offers a new insight into culture and lifestyles. In contrast to American consumption which is constantly mobile, this rhetoric of respect encourages more time for both thought and enjoyment- an important lesson I have particularly absorbed from Italian culture.