Can you keep memories in your stomach? I would say yes.
It often happens to me to notice that in order to remember a day or an occasion, the first question I ask myself is "what were we eating?". Once I get a recollection of the food, the rest of the memory comes, with smells and flavours and textures and the sweet exhaustion of a delicious meal. This works, of course, the other way as well: a certain smell or a certain dish can bring back thoughts and people. You'll have a taste of this in Laura's and Ola's book, Izba's cookbook :) A cookbook is to me a sort of a diary. Though I rarely use one - I like learning recipes from hands that show me - I appreciate the effort in writing down a process that often comes like second nature to the point when you don't think or measure, just cook. It's surprising how much information can be hidden in a bite - lol.
Izba's kitchen is a special place - you could just make yourself a cup of coffee with the tiniest moka or you can feed fifty people a three-course meal. Many hands have dwelled within the white tiles and the steel surfaces, many brains have been hypnotized by the buzzing fridges.
You would expect me to give you some of Izba's stats, for example how many kilos of butter we went through this past year (we're over 20, don't worry) or how many jars of nutmeg were spilled into recipes (this is a secret). Instead, I'd like to share a bit of what our guests made me realize Izba, and the kitchen, can be:
Latest of our food guests are the bees. For a while now, we have been sharing bee food in Izba's kitchen: honey. It's very impressive to see how much they can make in such a short time, how many jars can be filled from just a few frames. And they make it over and over, almost without stinging you when you steal it - how very generous of them :)
Remember that butter makes you happy,
Cate
Some sweet things happening:
• Tomorrow, Saturday, July 22nd: RADIO ROBIDA day, from 7 to 23 → check the program here and join us on robidacollective.com
• Next week, on July 29th, Robida will participate to a conversation on cultural projects taking place in small, inland areas of Italy, with many beautiful people in Portico di Romagna, as part of Habitare festival organised by friends of Habitat → check the program here
Some sweet things to explore:
• Read the article "Inhabiting the Margins with Robida collective" written by Ben Derlan and published on Mold magazine. Beautifully written!
• Listen to the podcast "Topolò, Europa" by Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso which explains why we are where we are!
