November 17, 2010

Food stamps for Europe 2005


In 2005 Europa club suggested for stamps the theme of gastronomy. The Republic of San Marino presented two stamps designed by Franco Filanci and Paolo Candelari, one of these rappresents a basket of cooked bread in a different forms with the oven.


Edition date: 25 Aprile 2005
Edition run: 210.000
Price: 0,62 euro

Cook it Raw: a culinary project


playbill of Cook it Raw festival
Cook it Raw is an international culinary project which seeks to reinforce the links between cultures and countries through food, exploring a new concept of cuisine that is in tune with nature and encourages experimentation with energy-saving techniques. This workshop takes place every year in a different country, and hosts most of the well-known chefs from all over the word, as Scabin, Bottura, Barbot, Inaki, Adrià, Bosi, Chang, Nilson, Redzepi... 

苗族(Miao People)



The Miao are a linguistically and culturally related group of people recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China as one of the 55 official minority groupsThe Miao is divided to two parts, one called Raw Miao, living primarily in southeast and northeast of Guizhou Province, northwest of Hunan Province, whose culture hasn’t been affected by Han Chinese’s. This region wasn’t included in Chinese territory until Ming Dynasty. The Ming government resorted to force several times in order to control it. The government even built great wall in South China to limit Miao people’s living area, isolating them from Han Chinese and the other part of Miao people. Until Qing Dynasty, these people began to contact with outside world, did business and exchanged culture.

"Raw meat eaters"


Esquimo people is the general name which defines indigenous people from different cultures, coming from the north of America and Asia. Literally the term “Esquimese” comes from the native language and it means “raw meat eaters”. But Esquimo people judge this definition as injurious and full of preconception. To obviate to this misunderstanding, Esquimo people ask to change the name of the population in “Inuit” wich means simply “men”.

prosciutto crudo San Daniele


To commemorate 500 years of italian Prosciutto di San Daniele here is a particular stamp with a curious illustration by Anna Maria Maresca.
Edition date: 26 june 2009

Edition run: 3.500.000 copies

Price: € 15,00

Deipnosofisti, dotti a banchetto

Scene dal Simposio dalla Tomba del Tuffatore
This book is a collection of conversation made during the banquet offered by the rich roman Larense(II sec AD).
Dominant themes are linked at the food in all possible form: for example on what was the best recipe for cook soup or perfect mix for wine and water.


"... he plays on homonymy of optòs, cooked and visible, and claimed to joke that the raw fish as you can see is optòs"
Laso da Ermione

the Seneca's feast

In this extract of De tranquillitate animi written by Seneca, it's possible to see how he preferred a very simple lifestyle, based on unlaboured and raw food, than very elabourated nourishment. We can see that also the choice of the forniture and furnishing reflects this simple lifestyle.

“Mi piace il cibo che non debbano elaborare e sorvegliare stuoli di servi, non ordinato molti giorni prima né servito dalle mani di molti, ma facile a reperirsi e semplice, un cibo che non ha nulla di ricercato o di prezioso, che non verrà a mancare da nessuna parte si vada, non oneroso per il patrimonio né per il corpo, tale da non uscire poi per la stessa via dalla quale è entrato. Mi piacciono il servo alla buona e lo schiavetto rustico, l'argenteria massiccia ereditata dal padre contadino che non reca nomi di artigiani, e una tavola che non si fa notare per la varietà delle venature e che non è famosa in città per il frequente susseguirsi di padroni eleganti, ma che sia improntata alla praticità, tale da non trattenere su di sé gli occhi di nessun commensale per il piacere né accenderli di invidia”.


De Tranquillitate animi, Seneca

Philosophy in Chinese Cooking Culture



Chinese cooking culture reflected in all aspects. Ancient Chinese philosophers often made analogies between their ideas and cooking styles
For example:
1. 老子在《道德經》中提到:"治大國,若烹小鮮"。
Laozi said in “Tao Te Ching” that "ruling a large country is like cooking small fishes."
2. 孔子曾提到:"食不厭精,燴不厭細"以比喻身正和嚴格要求自己。
Confucius said “eat no rice but is of the finest quality, no meat but is finely minced” to express that people should be strict with themselves.
3. 班固在《漢書》中寫道:"王者以民為本,而民以食為天",將飲食看成是治理國家首要的問題。
Ban Gu wrote in "Book of the Later Han" that "emperors regard people as the foundation of their empire, and people regard food as their prime want". He thought eating was the most important thing to rule a country.
4. "君子遠庖廚",來源于《禮記》。意為心胸廣大的人應該仁慈,不應進入廚房宰殺動物以備食用。
 “Gentleman should be far away from kitchen.” (from “Book of Rites”) means that people who have a broad mind should be merciful. They shouldn’t go into the kitchen to kill animals for eating.
5. 藥王孫思邈說過:"救急之道在于藥,安身之本在于食。"
Sun Simiao (King of traditional Chinese medicine) said "eating is the foundation of the health".
6. 《本草綱目》作者李時珍也有"藥補不如食補"的說法。
The author of “Bencao Gangmu” Li Shizhen thought that "food cures better than medicine".

Stichting Raw, a project of rural architecture

one of the projects by Raw foundation
Stichting raw is a project made by Raw foundation. This house is built from salvaged and reused materials. It's composed by an open plan with a compact core, containing all usual domestic services and a sleeping platform.
Beyond the study of materials, there is a control on energy efficiencies and qualities increased, so that it fits the rural society reference.

The history of brick: the fundamental unit of western architecture

raw bricks
The invention of bricks changed the destiny of men. In the evolution of architecture, we can find raw bricks already about 6000 yars a.D. They have been used in the construction of babylonian tower (till 16 meters high).
These raw bricks were made with raw clay mixed with straw, shaped in special moulds and dehydrated with sun and air, but they were very brittle and low resistant.
The idea to cook bricks in tilery comes from the roman empire. Cooked bricks were extremely long-lasting and weather resistant. This invention made possible the creation of particular western medieval architecture as arches, bears, roofings and pavements, and the construction of amphitheaters, aqueducts and thermal baths.

November 14, 2010

How to tell if an egg is raw or boiled.

You can easily tell if an egg is raw or hard boiled without breaking the shell, as long as you know a little science. This experiment uses physics to show how if you spin an egg you can tell if it's insides are viscous or solid.



November 12, 2010

Raw concrete in Le Corbusier's work

unité d'habitation (Marseille, France) and couvent la Tourette (Eveux-sur-l'Abresle, France)
Raw concrete is a way to use concrete in architecture: the surface is not covered by a layer of plaster or other materials, to put in evidence the structure of building.
This type of architecture developed in France with the current of the Brutalism, whit the figure of the architect Le Corbusier, who used raw concrete for many of his works.
We can find some examples of his architectures in the pictures above.

November 11, 2010

《锄禾(chú hé)》




锄禾日当午,
Farmers weeding at noon
汗滴禾下土,
Sweat down the field soon
谁知盘中餐,
Who knows food on a tray
粒粒皆辛苦。
Thanks to their toiling day

November 10, 2010

苏东坡和“东坡肉”(SU Dongpo & Dongpo's Pork)



苏东坡 (SU Dongpo, January 8, 1037 – August 24, 1101), was a writer, poet, artist, calligrapher, pharmacologist, and statesman of the Song Dynasty, and one of the major poets of the Song era. Besides his renowned poetry, his other extant writings are of great value in the understanding of 11th century Chinese travel literature as well as details of the 11th century Chinese iron industry.


东坡肉 (Dongpo's Pork)
Legend has it that while SU Dongpo was banished to Huangzhou, in a life of poverty, he made an improvement of the traditional process. He first braised the pork, added Chinese fermented wine and made red-braised pork, then slowly stewed it on a low heat. This dish was first launched in Huangzhou, then spread to Hangzhou, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, flourished, and then became one of Huangzhou's most famous dishes.

《七步诗(qī bù shī)》—— 曹植


煮豆燃豆萁,豆在釜中泣。
Cooking beans on a fire kindled with bean stalks. The beans weep in the pot.
本是同根生,相煎何太急!
Originally born from the selfsame roots. Why so eager to torture each other!


【翻译】煮豆子时把豆茎当作燃料,豆子在锅中哭泣。我们本来是同胞兄弟,为什么你那么急迫地加害于我呢?


曹植 (CAO Zhi, 192 – 232) was a Chinese poet during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period. His poetry style, greatly revered during the Jin Dynasty and Southern and Northern Dynasties, came to be known as the jian'an style.
Cao Zhi was also the son of the powerful warlord Cao Cao. Together with his elder brother Cao Pi, they were the strongest contestants for their father's position. Cao Pi eventually succeeded Cao Cao in 220 and within a year declared himself the first emperor of the Kingdom of Wei. Like many powerful families, tension among brothers was high. In his later life, Cao Zhi was not allowed to meddle in politics, despite his many petitions to seek office.

Tabletop Grill by EVA SOLO of Denmark

an image of the Tabletop Grill

This ultra-portable grill is a real work of art. Constructed of porcelain and stainless steel with a wooden base, the EVA SOLO Table Grill ($172) will let you bring a little of your modern taste anywhere you want to cook a couple burgers or steaks. It has a handle for easy toting, and can be cleaned in a dish washer.


November 4, 2010

The meaning of boiled potatoes in van Gogh's mind

The potato eaters,
Vincent van Gogh, 1885,

Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
From a letter written in 1885 by Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo:


"My dear Theo,
...you see, I really have wanted to make it so that people get the idea that these folk, who are eating their potatoes by the light of their little lamp, have tilled the earth themselves with these hands they are putting in the dish, and so it speaks of manual labour and — that they have thus honestly earned their food. I wanted it to give the idea of a wholly different way of life from ours — civilized people. So I certainly don’t want everyone just to admire it or approve of it without knowing why...
Vincent"

Rawness in Nitsch's work

the skinned and mutilated lamb and a playbill of a Nitsch's exhibition
Hermann Nitsch's work, considered both ritualistic and existential, first drew attention in the 1960s when he exhibited a skinned and mutilated lamb. The lamb was crucified against a white fabric-covered wall, with the entrails removed and displayed below a white table, splashed with blood and hot water. Nitsch's subsequent work has incorporated many similar elements, often combining slaughtered animals, red fruits, music, dancing, and active participants, with semi-religious icons such as staged crucifixions, satirizing and questioning the moral ethics. 
Currently his work is often discussed in the context of our culture's fixation with violence seen on the news, movie screens, and in popular video games.

November 3, 2010

Definitions of raw

1. uncooked, as articles of food : a raw carrot.
2. not having undergone processes of preparing, dressing, finishing, refining, or manufacture: raw  cotton.
3. unnaturally or painfully exposed, as flesh, by removal of the skin or natural integument. 
4. crude in quality or character; not tempered or refined by art or taste : 
raw humor.
5. brutally or grossly frank: a raw portrayal of human passions.
6. brutally harsh or unfair: a raw deal; receiving raw treatment from his friends.
7. disagreeably damp and chilly, as the weather or air: a raw, foggy day at the beach.
8. not diluted, as alcoholic spirits: raw whiskey.
9. unprocessed or unevaluated: raw data.

Raw food in Arcimboldo's paintings


Vegetables in a Bowl or The Gardener
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1591
Museo Civico (Cremona, Italy)
Giuseppe Arcimboldo was an imaginative italian painter best known for creating portrait heads made entirely of objects such as fruit, vegetables, flowers, fish, animals and books. In 1562 he became the court portraitist to Maximilian II at the Habsburg court in Wien, and later, to his son Rudolf II, both of whom seem to have much liked Arcimboldo's extraordinary portraits. He was also the court decorator, costume designer, and general art expert.

November 2, 2010

Illustration #3


Illustration #2


Illustration #1


Definitions of cooked

1. to prepare (food) by the use of heat, as by boiling, baking, or roasting.  
    (in Italy)
2. to subject (anything) to the application of heat.
3. all sorts of strange things or bad things
4. refers to person drunk or very fall in love(in Italy).
5. in sport's jargon is an atlets exhausted, destroyed by fatigue.

So Raw festival in Miami

So Raw festival's playbill

For all you skeptics and nonbelievers of Miami’s art and music scene, get ready to be slapped in the face with the rawest talent around. Melted Sunglasses, Jacuzzi Boys and This Heart Electric are only a few of the featured bands. Only the added perk of free alcohol can outbid So Raw Festival’s offbeat and undeniable unconstrained edge bands, or at least make them seem even more rawesome. 
How would you like it cooked?

Sarah Gjerø







Food is not just to be cooked, plated, and served, but to be loved, tasted, and shared.
Sarah Gjerø

Il cibo non va solo cucinato, impiattato e servito, bensì amato, assaporato e condiviso.
Sarah Gjerø