In this age of Wal-Mart, strip malls and Big Macs, there’s real value in knowing the story behind the products you buy and who makes them. How was the product idea born? How it was it made? Authenticity is more important than ever, especially when it comes to our food
A couple of years ago I was in Kitzbuhel, Austria for a corporate training seminar. Three weeks in the Austrian alps! How could anyone possibly concentrate on corporate finance and accounting classes? My work buddies and I hiked the lush landscape, wandered on cobbled roads and ate more variations of cheese preparations than we thought existed (the nightlife wasn’t too shabby either).
One afternoon some colleagues and I took a field trip to Salzburg (of “Sound of Music” fame), and stumbled upon a local farmer’s market in the town square. There were several farmers, all selling their own special variations on one product: pumpkin seed oil. You can only find this variant of this oil in this region of Austria, nowhere else is it such a specialty.
The best part of this experience was listening to the farmers (through a translator) tell us how their family has produced this oil in small batches for generations. Each farmer’s bottle had a different flavor, a different story. Instead of touristy knick-knacks that usually find their way into my suitcase, I packed a bottle of Salzburg’s finest to take home.
Back to my daily routine in the States. When I put a dash of pumpkinseed oil on my salad, the first bite always takes my mind to that sunny day, the Salzburg square, those farmers.
This is the taste of authentic.
Filed under: Food philosophy
