A totally veg day at Identità Expo

Identità Expo will be the main stage for a great vegetarian day, scheduled next Tuesday, 15th September, at Expo, and promoted by The Vegetarian Chance. Vegetarianism is the stone-guest at Expo: it is everywhere, but people don’t speak about it. Mascot Foody is vegetal, and the same goes for almost all the clusters, many spaces in the pavilions are dedicated to vegetables. Starting from this, The Vegetarian Chance decided to present a day that would be explicitly dedicated to this theme. There will be two “epicentres” in the programme. The first will be at Identità Expo S.Pellegrino.

Here, on Tuesday at 3.30 pm, there will be a discussion with prominent chefs (Davide Oldani, Mark Moriarty, Pietro Leemann), a conference on environmentalism and vegetarian cuisine with professor Carlo Modonesi of Università di Parma and two four-handed dinner events on Monday and Tuesday, with Leemann and Moriarty, winner of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 trophy (as usual, with two shifts, at 7.30 and 9 pm, for 75€ including wines). The programme will be introduced by Paolo Marchi, founder of Identità Golose, and Clement Vachon, International Relations manager at Sanpellegrino.

The second stage will be that of the Slow Food Theatre, where interactive exhibition Discover biodiversity and the agro-ecological vegetable garden successfully explain the importance of a healthy diet in harmony with environment and health. Here The Vegetarian Chance organised a round table starting at 1.30 pm on Tuesday and titled Alimentazione vegetariana e spiritualità. L’importanza della scelta del cibo per una dimensione olistica della vita [Vegetarian diet and spirituality. The importance of food choices for a holistic life]. The spiritual dimension of the vegetarian choices has different religious implications depending on each culture. During this meeting it will therefore be possible to have a view of the value each religion gives to food choices.

The speakers include: Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food, Luca Bressan (Auxiliary bishop of the dioceses of Milan), Paljin Tulku Rinpoche (lama from the Mandala centre for Tibetan studies), Marco Ferrini, president of Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta, Gabriele Eschenazi, founder of The Vegetarian Chance (he will speak about vegetarianism in the Jewish world), Piero Sardo, president of Fondazione per la Biodiversità di Slow Food, Simone Molteni, scientific director of Life Gate. Pietro Leemann, president of The Vegetarian Chance, will be presenting.

This is how Pietro Leemann explains the event: «A strong message is coming from Expo, essential for future generations and for the wellbeing of the planet with its inhabitants: humans, animals or vegetals, whatever they may be. In this message, the theory of a radical change in favour of nature and biodiversity preservation is enclosed, as well as a solution to the problem of global hunger. A theme that is present in the exhibition areas of many countries. All this energy, well spent, has converged in Carta di Milano which offers solutions to solve the problems that are gnawing us. Pollution, to begin with, the non equal distribution of resources, the inconsiderate consumption of food and energy that are rapidly finishing, the numerous degenerative illnesses that are due to life style choices that are not adequate».