“In many ways, our love of radicchio comes from our increasing disconnect from our own cultural traditions. Radicchio represents a return to a way of life before big box stores, before convenience became the paragon, before homogenization started eroding the regional and cultural differences that make life interesting.”
-Jason Salvo (The Roots of the Radicchio Revolution in “the Veneto of North America”)
When I recently re-read this article, I knew exactly what my ILC would entail. Whenever I’ve felt uncertain about my calling in life, I follow a method of discovery. This method really comes down to two things, breath and food. Looking at this pattern, I hadn’t realized just how deeply food and my mental state are interwoven.
To me, food is far more than just fuel for this being-
IT IS THIS BEING.
For this project, I wanted to place myself within the context of the food systems that sustain me, particularly at this moment in time. I am an Italian-American traveling to Jamaica, an interesting intersection of identities, layered with both cultural and physical disconnect. Yet, I have found a way to bridge these elements by creating something tangible: a chocolate bar, and in the process, learning more about what I do not yet know.
A radicchio honey chocolate bar.
The radicchio speaks to my Italian heritage, the honey to my American nationality, and the Jamaican chocolate introduces another layer of complexity to this being. But none of these elements would be possible without soil, the fundamental connection between all life forces on this planet.
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