I see another difficulty in combining learning how to cook italian and feeding the Edgeryders and that is the vegetarian / vegan challenge. Italian dishes mostly contain a bit of meat and / or fish and normally cheese. That would make such food inedible for a number of people. My suggestion would be: Let us prepare vegan dinners so everybody can join in. Eating vegan does no harm to carnivores but having no other solution but either eating animal products or staying away from the community might put a lot of stress on the vegans among us (which I’m none of ).
This has been a highly contested territory in the unMonastery. I suggest we take a middle ground, going vegetarian for the cooked food. Unless of course we get a dedicated vegan kitchen crew? pinging @elf Pavlik
@katalin, if you need some information to be readily available to Edgeryders central, it is probably a good idea to keep it on this platform. @Noemi and the rest of us are already stretched very thin, and the one saving grace is that every information important to us is stored in one place. A specialized discussion among a select group of people can of course be held anywhere (it’s up to the people discussing), but I recommend you keep any discussion that (1) needs to be open (no a priori list of participants, “the more the merrier” kind of thing) and/or (2) you want to be in the field of vision of Noemi, Natalia etc. on this platform. It is unrealistic to ask people to stay on top of too many things. The unMonastery prototype has taught us a thing or two about informational entropy.
I hear you, @Alberto. Will just ask people to sign up by commenting.
meanwhile @Kei had a great idea - we can invite our Materani friends for our dinners, asking to bring a meal to share, and everyone who brings a dish gets a ticket. What do you think, @Noemi, @Alberto, @Natalia? It kind of makes the whole “Matera people don’t get a ticket” problem go away. Can we send a ticket together with an invitation to come to dinner?
Great idea indeed. In fact, I also like the idea to have a daily board of tasks (take out the garbage, to the dishes etc…) in paper or on a physical whiteboard. Then we can put in a FAQ “What happens if I just show up, having done no preparatory work?” “No problem! The Master of the House will have a list of small daily tasks. Ask him, and he will set you up so that you can get a ticket.”
If you have more volunteers than things to do, push LOTE4 in to luxury treatment: have them clean stuff, or bring coffee to folks doing sessions, etc.
I love the idea! Perhaps we could do one at piccianello market, glean food that will be thrown out and making a meal together. As we have a good group of supporters already in Piccianello and so might be able to swing it without too much difficulty-- plus there are a lot of empty spaces there as we know.
Ok, as we talked with Ramona, we can first of all talk to the farmers who sell their products there and ask them to give us the things they would throw away / want to donate after the market is closing everyday - this way we get extra ingredients. As you already know the people there, once you arrive (@Katalin), we can go and arrange it. or I can do it with Ramona in October.
They also use their own currency, created in Napoli - it would be great to involve this idea, preferably by trading the tickets for shecks, and then trading them for food. What do you think?
I will also go to meet the guys from the centro sociale, they are involved in the 0km food provision, so their contacts would be helpful too. And some ladies to help us out, of course. I’ve been meeting a lot of people lately and they’re incredibly friendly, but I was also told their enthousiasm exhausts pretty fast. Let’s see.
About nomadic dinners, I’d go out of Sassi with that - there is a lot of controversy and reluctance about Sassi among Materans here. I am telling you stories you already know, and I am still learning the context, but this is something worth considering. I saw already some really sad streets not so far from Sassi that would be just perfect for some interventions.
Hi @Natalia_Skoczylas, yes, nomadic dinners were to be outside of the Sassi, the whole idea was to enhance the visibility of Matera as a whole.
I actually don’t know any food producers. I arrive on the 21st, - if @Ramonab and you can order things before, just go ahead. We will need a menu I guess.
Please ask Marc first to talk to Saverio about the wiseness of paying with checs for our food, and accepting donations. It is very important that we are not viewed as foreigners making Matera poorer still. If we have a food budget of €2500, it should be used to actually pay for our food. Attending LOTE4 and getting free lunch is not equal, and economic problems are very real in the region. It may be a good idea, but it needs to be checked. (I see that you may view the “ticket for a dinner contribution” as the same, but people usually arrive for dinner with a dish to contribute, and do in fact get a dinner as well in exchange.)
Sorry, i do not mean to be negative. I see you are doing an amazing amount of work. It is just that navigating the different interests and sensibilities in town is not easy, as we learned also the hard way. Marc may be a more useful contact for that than Ramona.
Katalin, I am just checking the ground here - and as sheck is an example of stewardship, I just saw it really interesting to use it. But you’re right, I used to live in south of italy for some time already and I know how important it is to understand the very local issues. Especially considering their very pragmatic attitude, a ticket worth 1000usd will still not equal the saint, praised value of food here. Donations and shecks were already mentioned by Ramona, actually - I will wait for her, there is plenty of time to do it before your arrival anyway. Definitelly, once we know how much money we have, it is always better to pay them for delivering it. No doubt. Thank you for your criticism, three days in Matera didn’t make me wise enough to judge all the aspects properly.
(checs - I am sure there are things it is you who has a better sense about, especially since you speak Italian. We had 6 months to learn and still step on toes…)
I am coming to Matera next week, to meet the jury and represent the unMonastery. It will be a very short visit but maybe we can hang out on the evening of the 7th, after the jury left, have a drink and chat about food and get to know each other? And come up with a plan about nomadic dinners. (Lunch seems to be on its way to be sorted, thank you!!) I know we will stay in the same building but it will be very busy probably for both of us - I will arrive on the evening of the 6th, spend the first half of 7th setting up, second half [waiting] and the presentation, and leave on the 8th. Better allocate a time :).
(comment reposted from here as this thread is a better fit)
On last Thursday’s collective planning session I was encouraged by Alberto and Noemi to post my comments on the Edgeryder drinking culture as it reflects upon our effectiveness as Stewards.
Here they are…
The Edge we Ryde explores survival strategy. Its primary concern has always been social cohesion.
The resources invested by ER to gather our brains imply a social contract that we are to provide access to our brains at their perkiest:
Three Case Histories:
Strasbourg '12 – Numerous Edgeryders find the historic towpath and local beer store, police come. Significant percentage (30%?) of our number march in two hours late next morning missing the well-chosen ritual welcome for downsizing rhetoric.session hosted by our local organisers. Embarassing.
Brussels '12-- Edgeryders purportedly launch a drinking contest between among others Iceland and Russia: results inconclusive. No established correlation between this occurrence and an ill-flavoured argument with venue host. Significant percentage (writer guilty as charged, although more a transit issue with tram #5) of participants exhibit diminished levels of creative listening the next day. Shame, shame.
Matera ’13 – Lively use of the town’s short distance wine industry and charming piazza life beckon. Key cultural event slides off program largely unnoticed; late night disturbance at favorite hostel; incongruously irate yoga master. Marked 3rd day sag with appreciable amounts of inelegant discussion practice. OMG
Is the alcohol fueled abandon of Northern Europe the Edge we choose to Ryde? Many of us have already researched this path sufficiently to supply refined reports of its viability. Are there indeed better ways of managing our brainpower? In the spirit of enlightened stewardship several proposals are pursuable…
Flying the banner of total temperance?Culturally insensitive, not desirable
Limit each café session to one unit?Useful, requires self discipline
ER exercise ‘only drink with meals’ policy? Useful, requires self discipline
Late October is prime olive picking time. The unMon has contact with local biodynamic oil producer. It may be possible to arrange a woofing exchange where a small team
of the dedicated put in several days of hard work. ( His payrate in € is unimpressive; in oil much more attractive.) The oil inhibits alcohol absorption.
ER adopt time zones - no drink after 2400.Desirable, requires self discipline
Wait and see if participants have matured since last year. Easy to implement
We circulate this page on the ER platform and let things ryde?A pathetic compromise that can easily dominate ER airwavesfor several vital weeks and leave the proposal generator badly ostracised. -- Requires no self-discipline.
@Bembo_Davies, I honestly don’t find myself in any of those situations yet I attended all Lotes… Majorities and large percentages of ERs to have been indeed, and I still wouldn’t frame it as a “drinking culture”. We’re grownups, as long as no violence or disruption of the “commons” and public areas is concerned I say we won’t be able to frame this other than a friendly advice, very carefully crafted. I’m wary of it however…
Olive picking to inhibit alcohol consumption? Wow, if we’re down at looking for such strategies… hilarious and LOL.
Making the evening program centred around food and
intense experiences. Ideally phycially active. I hear you and do share your concern. How can we make the evening one full of art and cool experiences instead of just boozing. Any ideas Bembo?
I also agree with Katalin about paying our way properly. I do not at all like anything that can be percieved as free-riding or not contributing to the local economy with our presence. Some ideas to explore:
A. LOTE Food Walk: Can we pull off with the help of local restaurants and the comitato one evening where people (Materani and visitors) go on a kind of food safari for 30 Euro? We invite a small number of local restaurants to be included on a map where visitors who show them event badges + Tickets can sample a small piece of their speciality and do some small task (ask one another a question (in english and Italian). Then tickets could be sold from any of the participating restaurants so we are not handling money. The map could be included in the little booklet that participants receive on location (I am preparing this) and they get the ticket on giving us the money.
B. Communal meals at the unMonastery: Is it realistic to invite local food producers to showcase their food and show us how to cook it as sessions during LOTE? And Make sure we buy the produce from them for the meals at a fair price? One thing we can offer is to do high quality video footage of the session and help promote it on social media after the event.
I think Rocco, Emanuele’s dad who took us on a tour of Basilicata, is the right person to help with this. He runs an association that helps local farmers to develop their businesses, knows mind bogglingly alot about everthing to do with agriculture and food and he’s really lovely. He;s also very interested in getting involved in LOTE and helping locals connect with the event and Edgeryders community @Natalia_Skoczylas Andrea Paoletti knows him and can put you in touch if you like?
Programming the event schedule around food :)
I am taking general responsibility for putting together the program and ensuring we will make room and give participants insructions so they know what to expect. People are super happy to help, they just need very clear information. I realise this is difficult to do alone, maybe we can write a blogpost and ask people for help with the planning through the comments. This blogpost should be bilingual because food is something we can definitely get people excited about, no @NicoBis?
I propose two bogposts…
1. What should we eat? Help with Menu planning & budgeting for LOTE4!
We need to figure out a good menu that keeps prices reasonable for event participants, sources food from local farmers, and is fun and easy to cook collaboratively. What do you suggest?
Menu planning, budgeting, collecting monetary contributions for meals from participants at registration, doing the shopping, preparing the vegetables, boiling/cooking/baking time
help translate this post to Italian!
2. Agriculture and Food are very important in Basilicata, at the unMonastery too. How do we make sure the program reflects this?
Propose who to involve and how
Take responsibility for reaching out to them and inviting them to contribute. Maybe help them propose a session?
We’re getting down to concrete aspects of making this into a real party Here’s the wiki with numbers, days and budget we have, as well as everything we talked about here and in the community call. @Katalin, if you want we can use it as a way for people to register, and repurpose the Trello board into key areas to sign up for, as you wish.
I would like to thank @ramonab, @Anna_Peregrina and @Natalia_Skoczylas primarily, for the enduring commitment to kitchen management, and everyone else who helped out during the conference.
Thanks for this great idea and impeccable execution, and yet again proving that communities don’t need a lot of resources if these resources are shared. We ended up saving money from the budget, again!
).