Spannocchia

After having about 2 weeks of downtime to finish writing papers that were due back in September, and getting over a little bout of illness (I made myself chicken soup), I begin the 2nd phase of my internship on November 1. I will travel to a farm in Tuscany (yes, as painfully clicheish as it is) where I will be a volunteer for 2 weeks doing various farm tasks, hopefully getting to participate in the slaughter and making of cured meats. The farm is called Spannocchia, and is run by an American foundation. There is an agriturismo/bed and breakfast as well. Hopefully, I will learn a lot about organic farm management and get to spend some good quality time outdoors getting my hands dirty. I also hope to pick up some great techniques from the house restaurant, where I will be eating all of my meals. I will be sure to update when I return!

Armenia

My first stage of the 2 month internship period was spent in Armenia, the small country wedged between Georgia, Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan. It is now a republic, but was occupied by the Russians until the mid 1990s. The purpose of the trip was to develop a gastronomic tourism itenerary for this relatively unknown country (and at the behest of a friend of a friend who lives there.) I went with my Colorno roommate Aviva (a 60+ year old Dallasite). Though it was good to be exposed to something new and unfamiliar, I have to say the country was pretty unimpressive. The people don't really have any sense of "society," so they take care of only what is theirs and everything else is someone else's problem, and this worked fine when the Russians were there to take care of things, but now the Armenian government is completely uninterested in fixing most of the problems. And the food was really not all that great either. It had its high points, like kebabs and the occasional borrowing from Turkey and Iran, but I'm afraid the Russians left their presence on the food too! Here are some pics...

Aviva and I checking out the unfamiliar spices in the huge market in Yerevan, the capital city. And of course, buying as well.

Here I am with a lady who wanted me to marry her son on the spot! She took me into her backyard orchard and loaded me down with quinces and apples and asked to take a picture with me. During our visit, she stayed very close, and took every opportunity to give me things, including a jar of the best plumb jam I have ever tasted. In general, the people were very hospitable and generous.


Here is a typical example of an Armenian church. I think there are more churches per square foot than any other country in the world. One of Armenia's claims to fame is that they were the first country to officially adopt Christianity in 301 AD. Their church architecture remains fairly congruous throughout the country, with many fine stone engravings.

One of many bread making examples we were apart of. Their most common bread is Lavash, a very thin bread cooked on the walls inside a buried pit oven. In most cases, as in this pic, three generations of women are involved. Each household usually cooks their bread every other week.

La Vendemmia

Between the last week of class and the beginning of my internship, I had a week free. Over here, September and October mean one thing...Grape Harvest! So, I finally used my WWOOF (http://www.wwoof.org/) membership and found a cantina that needed some help. I traveled back to Piemonte to a small town called Canale, half way between Asti and Alba, a prime wine region, with a colleague-friend. We stayed with the agronomist of the vineyards for about 5 days and we worked HARD- we received room and board as pay. Some days we put in 8 hours in the vineyards and it still got pretty hot in the afternoons. I can't remember the last time I felt as dirty as I did at the end of a harvest day, with the dirt, vegetation, sticky grape juice, and sweat covering every inch of me. I also can't remember the last time I slept as well! Nor the last time I have been so sore! But I met some great people and I feel like I have a new appreciation for the wine making process and the price of a bottle!

Step 1- Collect empty crates and space them among the rows where you anticipate needing them.

Step 2-Pick grapes, shearing away the dried and over/under ripe seactions from the bunches.

Step 3-Place grapes in crates. Once full, haul to the end of the row where they can easily be collected.