Chicken run

The eggs might not show it but each eggs has a different history

This weeks’ blog shows very well that I am a bilancia: always difficult to make decisions because every decision has it’s pro’s and its con’s. Forgive me for being so personal this time.

The battery cages were already a topic of a post last year. But I think it needs more attention and therefore allowed myself to continue on the topic.

Despite the new European rules - which were activated already in January 2012 - there are still are lot of farmers which keep their egg laying chickens in cages which are way too small. Action is needed to make sure that these cages are history by tomorrow.

I am sorry to tell but it seems to be again the obvious countries that are ignoring the rules made in Brussels. As an egg eater in Italy coming from the Netherlands I can clearly see a difference between the two countries. Not only in the shelves with the eggs, but also in the biscuits, the mayonnaise, etc. While in Holland I did see signs saying ‘free range eggs used’ everywhere and it is easy to find two or three brands of type 1 or 0 eggs* in Italy I have to visit two or more supermarkets here to come to the same point.

In May 2012 this Dutch tv program already did some research on the situation of the chickens in Europe. And – although we couldn’t see it always with our own eyes – the fact that we didn’t see it said enough: there are too many places in which the chickens still live in spaces which are smaller than allowed by the regulations. And we consumers apparently don’t really care. We buy them without paying attention.

I must be honest enough to tell you that I do hardly check egg containing products in the supermarkets on the origin of the egg. I do not do this for two reasons. The first one is because I am usually too lazy and/or too much in a hurry. The second reason is because it is not always easy to know whether a produce contains eggs and if it contains eggs, how can we find whether they are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ ones?

I am happy to find the products which put my attention to the fact that they have used free range eggs. 

But then there is another problem. These products are not made in Italy but come from my home country. And that means that they have travelled a lot before I could eat them and –while I am happy for the chicken - I think that is not good is terms of impact on the environment.

I would love to keep my own chicken if I had a garden and neighbors which would understand my considerations to have some hens chatting all day. And then I would also love to find the time and the knowledge to make all the egg containing products myself. But this is not very realistic to happen any day soon. So this is not a solution. The only thing I can hope for is that the chickens farmers find a way to implicate the rules soon and the egg processing industries stops using the ‘illegal’ eggs now. The I keep on working on the realization of my dreams too.

* The eggs are numbered from 3 to 0 explaining the conditions under which the laying hens lived. See more on my facebook page

Heavy stuff

Brutto ma buono / Ugly but delicious

It is winter so it should be cold outside. Unfortunately the weather doesn’t always bother the season confusing nature and mankind. Because in winter we eat heavy stuff which we might need to sustain the weather.

People in countries with a cold climate, those with a big difference between summer and winter temperature or those living in the mountains are used to eat different dishes in winter and summer. Summer serves light plates with fruits or vegetables containing a lot of water and easy to digest. Think of salads, zucchini, red fruits, etc.

With the change of the season we also change recipes. Autumn is perfect for fungi and pumpkin, maybe together with some wild shot in the woods. And then comes winter. The period in which we eat potatoes, a lot of fat and hard vegetables which take time to go down your stomach.

This tradition is closely linked to the seasons. When it is warm outside it is easy to grow fragile food which mainly consists out of water. Meanwhile in winter the veggies are tougher, because they need to survive the cold winter nights. Therefore water is a less important part or its continents. Often they also have a more bitter flavor.

Nature has done a good job creating this different kind of foods. But also mankind enjoys it. Its body likes to go with the seasons. In hot summers we need more water which is thus supplied by the food we eat. In winter we want to protect ourselves from the cold and – besides turning up the heat and wear thick clothes – we thus want and have to eat food rich in energies.

I gave it a try last week and ate a good plate of pizzocheri a typical dish from the high mountains in a valley north of Bergamo. It was a good dish and a wintery dish. Not very delicate to see, but the more delicate in its flavor. If you can speak about delicacy if you see the ingredients of this real mountain-people- recipe.

Off course as a citizen with all the comforts of modern life we don’t need dishes like pizzocheri very often. It has become a specialty which we like to enjoy once in a while. While for many others this dish has become something they had to eat since it was that or nothing else. But it is a tradition which belongs to winter as eggs belong to Easter. I suggest we keep dishes like this alive in the city and in the mountains. If necessary just take a good walk and you will burn them easily.