Once in a Lifetime Food Fest

Published in Huffington Post

Still Time to Visit EXPO 2015 in Milan

2015-10-05-1444012319-7808788-top.jpg

Food, one thing everyone in the world has in common, is a logical focus for the universal festival that is EXPO 2015 “Feeding the Planet; Energy for Life.” And what better setting than Italy, these days popularly known as Eataly — one of the gourmet capitals of the planet.

Since the beginning of May, inventive international pavilions representing 140 countries plus corporations and civil organizations have been celebrating foods with a focus on plans for providing enough nutrition in the future. There is one more month not to miss the combination carnival + trade show + world’s fair + festival before this year’s biennial world EXPO closes down on October 31.

Set up just outside Milan, on a design duplicating a Roman street plan, two main roads Decumanus and Cardo cross at the center, creating the 43,000 square foot Piazza Italia. Stretching almost the length of a mile, Decumanus “main street” is lined with national pavilions ringed by auxiliary exhibits. Each pavilion is a creative structure which houses displays of native food and crafts. Many include kitchens so visitors can sample the ethnic delicacies at indoor and outdoor cafes.

Booths advertise EXPO all over Italy and in Milan signs, posters, and arrows all make it simple to park, catch a train, or find the #1 Red Line metro stop which terminates in a long corridor leading to a plaza of trees and booths at the grand west entrance.

2015-10-05-1444009920-8653331-EXPOboothinFlorence.jpg
EXPO booth in Florence

2015-10-05-1444018944-2371640-Emergingontotheplazaoftrees1.jpg
Emerging onto the entrance plaza

2015-10-05-1444010014-4583841-AwningsstretchovertheDecumanusCopy.jpg
Awnings stretch over the Decumanus

2015-10-05-1444010059-7594967-CrowdsthrongtheDecumanus.jpg
Crowds throng the Decumanus corridor

2015-10-05-1444018977-8870246-DisplaysoffoodalongtheDecumanus1.jpg
Displays of food along the Decumanus

ARCHITECTURE
The visitor’s first attention is captured by the national pavilions, a dazzling and delightful array of fanciful creations housing each country’s EXPO outpost. The thatched roof on the Belgian pavilion is juxtaposed with Vietnam’s futuristic curves. A giant wire beehive crowns the United Kingdom’s booth near Belarus’ towering “Wheel of Life.” Nepal built a typical temple.

2015-10-05-1444019020-8904541-Azerbaijanpavilion1.jpg
Azerbaijan pavilion

2015-10-05-1444019061-4866567-UnitedKingdombeehivepavilion.jpg
United Kingdom’s beehive

2015-10-05-1444017428-8275064-PavilionsofVietnamandRomania.jpg
Pavilions of Vietnam and Romania

2015-10-05-1444010400-5683648-Nepalpavilion.jpg
Nepal pavilion

2015-10-05-1444010434-3078217-Lithuaniapavilion.jpg
Lithuania pavilion

2015-10-05-1444010470-4604408-Germanypavilion.jpg
Germany pavilion

2015-10-05-1444017467-3159793-Belgiumpavilion1.jpg
Belgium pavilion

2015-10-05-1444017495-8545286-Irelandpavilion1.jpg
Ireland pavilion

DISPLAY
Within the pavilions, exhibits highlight favorite essential foods of each country. A rice cart illustrates the staple of Cambodia. Elaborate gardens in the French and Iran pavilions show the source of herbs and vegetables. A suspended pyramid of pots and pans honors France’s devotion to “cordon bleu.” In Oman’s pavilion, videos of local farmers illustrate the production of dates and precious rosewater. Each booth includes a display of local crafts for sale.

2015-10-05-1444020057-6926633-Cambodiahighlightsriceproduction1.jpg
Cambodia highlights its rice production

2015-10-05-1444010628-4832717-GardensandprojectionsinIran.jpg
Gardens and projections in Iran

2015-10-05-1444010663-6152073-EthniccraftsatMyamar.jpg
Ethnic crafts at Myanmar

2015-10-05-1444010754-9016537-PotsandpansintheFrenchpavilion.jpg
Pots and pans in the French pavilion

2015-10-05-1444017565-6590577-RussiaExhibit1.jpg
Russia display

2015-10-05-1444010707-1158554-Lithuaniadisplay.jpg
Lithuania Display

PRODUCTS
Visitors can sample Cuba’s rum, sniff the fragrance of Malaysian spices, learn how multiple varieties of dates are grown and revered in Oman. Shoppers can choose food samples and colorful handicrafts.

2015-10-05-1444017686-1723670-Handicraftsforshoppers.jpg
Handicrafts for shoppers

2015-10-05-1444011278-19803-CowspromoteDutchcheeses.jpg
Cows promote Dutch cheeses

2015-10-05-1444011316-2012419-Bangladeshibuffet.jpg
Bangladesh buffet

2015-10-05-1444011369-3018276-PeppersfromNepal.jpg
Peppers from Nepal

2015-10-05-1444011408-3585139-GrainsdisplayedintheUSpavilion.jpg
Grains from the US

2015-10-05-1444017752-3415101-Omandates1.jpg
Oman dates

2015-10-05-1444018039-2097560-RussiaBread1.jpg
Russia bread

2015-10-05-1444017778-2992052-Chocolatetemptation1.jpg
Chocolate temptation

ACTIVITY
Demonstrations help guests understand local food customs. Coffee is served in an Ethiopian ceremony. In the Hungarian pavilion, a musician performs on an elaborate sculpted grand piano. A parade of people in Renaissance costumes paraded through Italy’s extensive pavilion, and in daily programs chefs demonstrate cooking techniques and recipe ideas.

2015-10-05-1444019867-8766585-ACelticharpintheIrishpavilion1.jpg
A Celtic harp in the Irish pavilion

2015-10-05-1444054121-3505135-AropenetleadstotheBrazilrainforestdisplay.jpg
Walking the rope net to Brazil’s rain forest pavilion

2015-10-05-1444020144-8662914-Ethiopiancoffeeceremony1.jpg
Ethiopian coffee ceremony

2015-10-05-1444054210-9489624-SamplingMalayspices1.jpg
Sampling Malay spices<

UNITED STATES
Three quarters of the way down the Decumanus, the United States pavilion features an American flag and a green wall where local American crops thrive on an outdoor wall. Upstairs hot dogs and hamburgers are served on a terrace which offers views out over the EXPO. Popular downstairs is a tower of license plates where guests pick out favorite and familiar states.

2015-10-05-1444020245-284239-EnteringtheUSpavilion.jpg
Entrance to the US pavilion

2015-10-05-1444011546-4459142-AConeyIslandboardwalkleadsintotheUSpavilion.jpg
A Coney Island boardwalk leads into the US pavilion

2015-10-05-1444011588-2414753-RooftopviewfromtheUSpavilion.jpg
Rooftop view from the US pavilion

2015-10-05-1444011620-8645518-LicenseplatedisplayintheUSpavilion.jpg
License plates display in the US pavilion

AUXILIARY
Nine special thematic clusters are devoted to coffee, rice, cocoa and chocolate, fruits, spices, cereals and tubers. Around the outskirts, pavilions are devoted to concept themes tracing human history, feast and famine, foods of the future. Giant cans of soda, pieces of meat and other models illustrate foods that make great demands on the food chain. Extra pavilions are sponsored by corporations, charities, and foundations. TechnoGym provides scattered booths of exercise machines for working off the excess calories.

2015-10-05-1444019940-6385671-Arobotsortsapplesinthesupermarketofthefuture1.jpg
A robot sorts apples in the supermarket of the future

2015-10-05-1444017906-1044676-Supermarketoverhead1.jpg
Supermarket overhead

2015-10-05-1444017865-8565479-Slowfoodmodels1.jpg
Slow food models

2015-10-05-1444011674-8220413-TechnoGymboothforworkingoffexcesscalories.jpg
Technogym booth for working off excess calories.

FOOD
Inevitably, eating is an important activity. Patient queues wait for cones of Belgian French fries, cups of gelato, and table service indoors and out.

2015-10-05-1444020008-7372535-Eataly1.jpg
Eataly

2015-10-05-1444011737-2401942-Belgianfries.jpg
Belgian fries

2015-10-05-1444011782-1581818-Irishfishandchips.jpg
Irish fish and chips

2015-10-05-1444011813-7556952-DiningintheSpanishpavilion.jpg
Dining in the Spanish pavilion

2015-10-05-1444017989-938134-Polishfare.jpg
Polish fare

2015-10-05-1444011897-4704789-DiningatMcDonalds.jpg
Dining at McDonald’s

EXPO 2015 is open seven days a week welcoming visitors until it is dismantled on October 31 — there’s still an opportunity to feast your eyes — and literally to feast — at this extraordinary “world’s fair.”

And it’s not too late to start counting the days until EXPO 2017 opens in Astana, Kazakhstan which will focus on “Future Energy.”

2015-10-05-1444011932-3331523-Decidingwhichpaviliontovisitnext.jpg
Deciding which pavilion to visit next

2015-10-05-1444011962-7578999-EXPOatnight.jpg
EXPO at night

This entry was posted in Huffington Post, Italy, Travel. Bookmark the permalink.