Every day the omnivore experiences his food dilemma: what do I put in my mouth? Science answers us that man, precisely as an omnivore, would like a bit of everything: fats, sugars, proteins, satisfied taste buds and zero poisons. But culture, as we know, always has a hand in it so it can happen that someone considers the pig impure, others the cow and still others feel a real repulsion for insects, which are instead an excellent source of noble proteins. Just as it happens that glutamate, not exactly the top of the healthy food, is classified among the basic flavors, together with sweet and bitter, so much is it attractive for our taste.
In short, food is a source of life, but also of information, a risk, but also an opportunity for art and knowledge. An industry that works on our unconscious: why do packets of crispy French fries creak? Because food speaks to our mouths, but also to our ears. The theme is truly "ecumenical" and Science in the Square, the historic Bolognese event promoted by the Marino Golinelli Foundation has made it the central topic of the 2014 event, staged in a myriad of places in the city and province until 13 April.
It is a total "food immersion", with over 100 events including exhibitions, shows, meetings and interactive workshops, where we talk about nutrition and the fight against waste; exploration of taste and food as an opportunity for cultural exchange; conscious consumption and sustainability. The theme of the ninth edition takes up the baton of the great exhibition "THROAT, art and science of taste" closed on March 12 and organized again by the Golinelli Foundation in Milan, in partnership with the Triennale, a good appetizer for Expo 2015.
One of the most playful moments of the Bologna stage is certainly the “Golosi” exhibition, in which art, science and cuisine come together in the Salone d'Ercole in Palazzo d'Accursio.
Between a video of Marina Abramovic devouring a raw onion, weeping profusely and demonstrating how nutrition is an experience of the five senses or one of Andy Warhol dining on hamburgers and ketchup, because pop food is nourishment for a pop icon, you can taste seaweed or dehydrated shrimp and understand yourself. The itinerary offers the opportunity to learn passively, thanks to scientific and informative films projected on the walls, but also to experience the exhibition actively, by accessing a small laboratory and becoming guinea pigs for flavours. In this corner the eyes give way to the tongue and thanks to a series of tastings, each one at the end. can draw their own personal map of taste. There isn't one for everyone, as was once believed, everyone has his own and now can know what it's like.
A few meters from the Palazzo Comunale, near the Statue of Neptune, a laboratory has been set up, also in collaboration with Datalogic, to measure how healthy and environmentally friendly our diet is. It's as easy as shopping at the supermarket: just take a scanner, pass it over barcodes representing different foods and in the end you get a receipt with the degree of food safety, for yourself and for the environment.
Finally, anyone wishing to know everything about insects and their flavors can go to Piazza Re Enzo where another laboratory tells the great contribution that these little animals give and can give to the fight against hunger (just think that a steak has 20% of proteins, a cricket 60%…) and how easy it is to raise them. In the same context you can taste, for example, biscuits with toasted larvae, compatible with both chocolate and vanilla. But you have to bring your own tea.
In short, a true all-round experience, full of surprises, intelligence and suggestions.
