Massimo’s spirit and philosophy of food can help us all get through COVID-19 times a little more satisfied.
Take a look:
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Acclaimed Italian chef Massimo Bottura is cooking up a storm in his private kitchen for the entire world to see via Instagram.
Not only is he the creative force and energy master behind Osteria Francescana, he is also the leader of the non-profit Food for the Soul, which empowers communities to support sustainable food practices and advocates for ethical and healthy food systems through building culture.
In addition, he was featured on the insanely popular Netflix food series Chefs Table as the headliner of Season 1 Episode 1. If you haven’t seen this show, please please add it to your quarantine binge list:
Why am I glorifying a World’s Best chef at a time when some people are struggling to put a single, humble meal on their table?
Massimo’s fandom and success is because there is something deeply profound from his sharing of adventure and happiness through food with the world.
In a time where America is spending many more hours in their home kitchens than usual, the collective national spirit is being cultivated over sentiments shared in our kitchens and at our dining tables.
Trends are emerging from the stresses of these times:
Comfort food consumption is at an all time high, for better or worse for our waist lines, and we are indulging more than ever in nostalgia and experimentation.
Home made bread is everywhere to stamp out the gluten-free geeks and sourdough starter communities popping up all over.
A new social media app, Tik Tok, sparked a trend for a 3-ingredient DIY Korean artisan coffee recipe:
We can’t fill special food moments at the coffee shop or bakery because of quarantine. Therefore, we are broadening our horizons in our own kitchens.
Personally, I haven’t cooked homemade mac and cheese since I was a kid. Normally throwing that much cheese and butter into a pan and coating some carb-y noodles with the decadent sauce would go against my general health guidelines.
Yet, there’s nothing more comforting than returning to happy childhood times through mac right now.
Similarly, “Quarantine Kitchen” is reintroducing us to the joy of cooking great food from the comforts of our home without the frills of the Michelin chef’s usual high end accoutrements.
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The pure joy that radiates from these videos while the Bottura family hangs out inspires the same joy in us while we cope with the stresses of the current situation.
Additionally, a favorite part of many of Massimo’s videos is the first 10-15 seconds, when he reminds us of the most simple, yet imperative, event before every meal:
Wash your hands!
This fitting, but also seemingly out of place, order reminds us that things that we normally should do, we are now actually doing. It shouldn’t take a pandemic or celebrity to get us to practice good hygiene or appreciate our meals, but the best time to start is now.
Overall, I think “Kitchen Quarantine” inspires us to take pleasures in our mealtimes even in the hardest of times.
True happiness can be found in good bread, new coffee, and togetherness.
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More Italian food inspiration is to come with Pellegrino Artusi’s “Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well” (La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene)
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