Word from the Chair: January
The etymological origins of the word January derive from Januarius, which comes from Latin and denotes the month of Janus, the Roman god of gates, doors and new beginnings. Indeed, our first month of the new year is a time of new beginnings; Making a fresh start with good resolutions to change our life style, taking up new hobbies or eating healthier food.
The new year started with the announcement that Noma, the Copenhagen restaurant, seen as the best in the world will close. It received the highest gastronomic accolade of three Michelin stars in five separate years. A dining experience there sets you back at least 500 euros. The culinary philosophy for which Noma has been famous is its local and seasonal sourcing, giving rise to the popularity of Nordic cuisine. It has drawn the world’s rich and famous, who would fly in by private jet to eat at Noma, whose name derives from “Nordic – Mad”, and would leave again after the experience. However, the restaurant is “unsustainable”.
Trend watchers are now predicting that not just sustainable culinary experiences are what the new year has in store for us but regenerative eating is the new aim. A neologism has been coined: the ‘regenivore’. Consumers should strive for eating habits that contribute not just to saving the planet but to regenerate it. This could be achieved by favouring producers who actively seek to engage in carbon reducing agriculture, put animal welfare up front and treat equitably those growing and producing food.
In sharp contrast to the obscene opulence of seeking international gastronomic highs, we are confronted with a world in which more and more people are threatened in their food security. The blocking of wheat exports from Ukrainian harbours is just one indication, the famine of biblical proportions in Yemen last year is another. Also, close to home, people are confronted with stark choices of putting on the heating or preparing food.
The International Studies program has decided to do something. Starting out with the idea to introduce a mini-library in our building in Schouwburgstraat, we recognised the need for something larger. In our main hall, we are about to install a Little Free Pantry – borrowing the motto from the global mini-pantry movement ‘Take What You Need, Give What You Can’. We hope to stock it with non-perishable food stuffs, period products, and winter garments. But there will also be room for books. We would like to invite you to take from the pantry, based on need. If you have things to spare, we invite you to leave them for others. In this way, we can be kind to each other and kind to the planet.
By ways of encouragement for all of our new beginnings, I would like to share a recipe that has been circulating the internet under its own hashtag as #TheStew. It meets the criteria of good for your health, vegan, and easy to cook as a one pan dish and, importantly, it can be shared with friends.
Wishing you, also on behalf of the team, a happy and healthy 2023,
Isabelle Duyvesteyn
Program Chair
#TheStew
https://www.insider.com/viral-stew-recipe-instagram-alison-roman-2019-1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaN3qsqXt38
The Little Free Pantry Movement
https://www.littlefreepantry.org/