This past weekend, I attended a famous festival in Bra, Italy called The Slow Cheese Festival. Let me start by saying that if I were traveling outside of school, I would have never even gave this small town a second glance let alone attend what happens to be its biggest annual event. However, Now that I have learned more about the slow food movement and its roots, I have a very strong opinion on the subject. The Slow Cheese event is just one of many events that the Slow Food organization puts on around Europe. To sum up their goal from what I have learned, the aim of Slow Food is to defend the idea that food should be Good; in terms of quality of health and taste. Clean; for the environment and not harmful to human health. And Fair; good pay for those involved in its creation and not over priced for consumers. Now, I want to talk about my cheesy experience in Bra.

Upon arriving to Bra, AKA the headquarters of Slow Cheese and home of the Slow Food founded
University of Gastronomic Sciences, I was surprisingly pleased with how charming this town was. Because it is comparatively smaller than Florence, where I have spent most of my time in Italy, I didn’t have much expectations for the turn-out of this event. But wow, was I wrong. The streets were alive with food and drink enthusiasts, elevating my experience pleasantly. The whole weekend was acquainted with a lovely chill in the air that provided an easy going and comfortable mood in everyone who attended. All of the shops seemed to have been waiting for this flow of visitors to arrive as their doors sat open and welcoming despite the cooler temperatures. I spent time in a few of these local shops, but the real treasure was found under the groupings of white tents that were spread throughout the town. It could be compared to a food lovers Disney World due to the sections labeled things such as “Piazza Del Gelato”and “Natural Charcuterie”. And best of all, the area that held all of the cheese and honey stands with ample amounts of samples to fill you as much as a whole meal would.

The best part about the food, is that I knew all of it is locally sourced and ethical for me to consume. There are rules of this event that do not allow “fast food”, or food that has negative effects on the environment, going against the idea of eating seasonally and sustainably.