Updated 2007-10-12 03:19
YUM, and then some
Somerville Project thinks globally, feasts locally
PROFILE. The term “project” can be a daunting one, whether you are a manager overseeing a construction site or a student attempting to make a homemade volcano erupt on cue, The Somerville Arts Council is sort of doing both this weekend, with “Project YUM.”
Taking over Union Square, YUM is a project of the “think globally, eat locally” variety.
Organizer Melissa Hale says the main goal is to illustrate the diversity of the area and draw attention to local businesses. Hale says food became the theme after the Council began hosting food tours in 2007 of the various ethnic markets in Union Square.
“We wanted to build on that interest and bring the global (ethnic) and local (organic, home grown) communities together in one gigantic food extravaganza,” she says.
Chefs from local eateries including EVOO, The Independent and Gargoyles on the Square face off in an “Iron Chef”-like competition featuring parsnips and squash donated by local farms.
Hale says an oversized, interactive culinary map will be set up for people “to affix memories and notes to regarding their own favorite foodie moments/experiences across the globe.” Kids can take this opportunity to learn how to mix various curries and spices, to get a face full of veggies (literally!) through face painting, to carve pumpkins, and to create musical instruments with dried beans. Uncommon vegetables from the Caribbean, Asia and elsewhere compose the “What Is It?” tables.
Hale, ArtsUnion, and the event itself encourage you to eat locally, whether that means chomping into a Taza Chocolate bar made in Somerville or cooking with ingredients bought from local farms and markets of which there are plenty (Indian, Guatemalan, Italian, Brazilian, etc.). Ultimately, Hale says, this will make “eating more pleasurable, as well as connect you to the earth and community in a deeper way.”
If you are not quite sure if eating locally will benefit you, leave the convincing to the experts.
Veggies like bitter melon are shown to have strong medicinal properties. The National Bitter Melon Council will be on hand to let you test that theory through a tasting, as well as allow you to expunge some bitter memories through a questionnaire. Acupuncturists and naturopaths explore healing through food and other natural products.
If all else fails, the opportunity to sample an eclectic mix of cuisine including churros and pineapple turnovers while listening to live entertainment should entice you. After all, spending a fall day relishing the outdoors might be just what the doctor ordered.
While it marks the end of ArtsUnion’s summer event series, Project YUM’s
Project YUM
Saturday, 3 p.m.
Union Square
Somerville
www.artsunion.org
