ON BEING / ECO GASTRONOME

Sharing the power of food

This sentence is the sum of everything that meant being a master's student of Creativity, Ecology and Education at the Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche (UNISG).
Food is power and privilege, and that is meant to be shared.

I am an entangled holon inspired by the complexity of a system.

ON BEING / A GASTRONOME

What is food? Why should one spend a year of their life to unpack and explore their personal relation with the complex system of food? Why does everyone eat? What is the meaning of having a fresh ________________ (insert your favorite fruit or vegetable here) at the center of your table, even before being cooked? Where does it come from? Who grew it? Among how many other vegetables did it share soil and roots? Where did the seed come from? Who saved this seed? Does this seed represent something for the community that keeps it?
How many rains did it feel? How many times was it artificially watered? How long did it take to grow? What was the temperature of the day when it bloomed for the first time? How many bees came to nourish their bodies from the nectar and spread the pollen to allow it to become a fruit? What are you doing with this fruit? Are you cooking it? Or would you rather have it raw? With whom are you sharing it? How much did you pay for it? Or did you grow it yourself? It is a revolutionary act to grow your own food, it is revolutionary because it brings you back to your center of appreciation, and only from there you can share the power and privilege of food.

With the urge to unpack a year+ of creativity, resilience and presence, my appreciation for food became more structured and open, more question-driven rather than answer-seeking. I arrived in Pollenzo with a clear goal: this year would be invested in gaining tools to change how honey is perceived in Mexico (you can read more about my honey journey here). Spoiler alert, it happened, but in a broader sense than I initially expected.

From long days of lectures and more references that one can digest, to embodied knowledge and digital learning –and all the possible shades in between– this year at UNISG opened space and time in my life. 

Pollenzo

No, I didn't learn how to cook at UNISG.
But I did enjoy every bite and every sip, moreover the magic of conviviality.

Lockdown Talks: Aperitempo

I had the honour to 
co-host incredibly interesting
talks during the first lockdown,
when our classes were paused
and we relied on the core
concept of community.

Study Trips

With tight schedules and always-full stomachs, we discovered Sicilia, Liguria, Toscana (& Emilia-Romagna, virtually)

Thoughts & reflections about food at UNISG

Mobirise

HUMAN SCIENCES & ECOLOGY

Bees: Ecosystem
Services

Mobirise

DIPLOMACY, POLITICS & ACTIVISM

Colmena: Pollinating Sustainable Beekeeping Communities

Mobirise

PHILOSOPHY, EDUCATION & PERCEPTION

Perception & Education: An Attempt to Explore Shared Realities

Mobirise

SCIENCE, NUTRITION & PSYCHOLOGY

The Science of Mead: A Journey Through Honey, Water, Yeasts and Time

Mobirise

ART & DESIGN

Polen: Honey, Culture
& Community

Mobirise

COMMONING

Commoning
and Development

Mobirise

TASTING

A Jar Full of Honey

Mobirise

MAKING

Making, Synergies & Empowerment

A glimpse of a disruptive year in Italy



© Arlette Gómez Ortiz 2021 
Artwork: Bruno Valasse 2020. Home photos: UNISG Communications Office / Eduardo Wanholtz
All photographs @arlettego, unless otherwise stated