Italy is hosting a six-month-long dinner party–and they’re inviting the entire world (go big or go home, right?).
Expo Milano 2015 is the latest World’s Fair ongoing from May 1 to October 31st in Milan, Italy. The Expo organizers hope to spark a global conversation about food security, biodiversity, and sustainability with the global population projection of over 9 billion by 2050 in mind. Thus comes the theme, “feeding the planet, energy for life.”
The expo itself is a representation of various cultures of food and environmental technology from 145 countries over a 12-million-square-foot area. Some are exhibiting their staple crops (corn, cocoa, coffee), others showing vertical farms, and Brazil? Transplanted a tropical rainforest. Many of the pavilions–which will be dismantled at the end of the Expo–were designed by world-famous architects.
A more low-key pavilion, though, belongs to Slow Food Italy. Founded in the mid-1980s, Slow Food has played a major role in the growing worldwide appreciation of artisanal food products and local production. They’ve also been a strong opponent of big agro-industries whose low prices push small farmers out of the market. They hope to spread a message about food production and the world’s culture of waste.
Next to USA Main Pavilion is Food Truck Nation, where some iconic American grub, including the classic double hamburger, is being served up. Mitchell Davis, chief creative officer of the American pavilion, said, “Whether it’s food trucks on the street, whether it’s artisans baking bread, making wine, making cheese, or chefs at the finest level, the idea was to represent America as diversity.”
Steph is a native New Yorker with a love of culture, creativity, and communications. She’s a foodie, nutrition junkie, yogi, wine-lover, bookworm, world traveler, style-addict, and people person. She also runs her event planning company, Orchard + Broome.
