What is special about your area or community? Do you have unique cooking or agricultural tradition that you want to uphold? Is there a burning political issue that is particularly relevant? Do you know of certain traditional foods being left behind by modern life? What do you want for your future? What is the message you want to send to the world?
Terra Madre Day – Slow Food’s worldwide celebration of local food held each December 10 – is the perfect moment to make your community’s voice heard, putting something that is important to you in the spotlight or sending whatever message you wish. All around the world on the same day, whoever and wherever we are, we celebrate in a myriad of different ways – from community picnics to food festivals, film evenings, rallies, farmers’ markets, or even a simple dinner with friends. With more than a thousand events, we send a strong collective message about the alternative future we want, but we also demonstrate a thousand individual messages through the diversity of our events.
With just under a month to go until Terra Madre day the events have started to roll in… In Mali, a local chef will teach young women to prepare sinassar, a rice flour flatbread made on special occasions, putting this near-lost tradition in the limelight. At the Farra refugee camp in Palestine, Terra Madre Day will send a message of hope. Along with preparing traditional dishes, workshops and folk dancing, participants will talk about their memories before immigration. “This day will be a beacon of new hope that they will return home,” said the organizers. Meanwhile the “Wonders of Ulam” event in the forests of Malaysia will celebrate Ulam, local forest herbs that are mostly used raw in local cooking. In Bolivia a 0km lunch will prove to 60 people that good, clean fair and food can be found at their doorstep. While in Norway, the SlowFood Røros Convivium will dust off the recipe books and make ginger beer together from an old local recipe. And five Slow Food Edmonton volunteer chefs in Canada will hold cooking classes with a local women’s shelter, showing that everyone has the right to good food.
Many events are also bringing home the energy (and food!) from the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, Slow Food’s international event held late last month. From South Africa to Vietman and Belarus, events have been organized by visitors and delegates at the event to share their experiences in Turin.
Actions speak louder than words! Join the celebration on December 10 to shout your unique message to the world. Find an event near you or create one of your own, as simple or complex, big or small as you wish. Get inspiration from past editions and download graphics on the Terra Madre Day website. And don’t forget to register your event – you will join the world map and be published alongside all the other initiatives happening at the same moment in this globe-wide day of celebration.