Eating is Voting

Eating is voting.

Every time you choose what to eat, where to buy it, and where to sit down at a table, you’re casting a small vote.

Most of the time, it doesn’t feel like one. It feels trivial. Automatic. Something you do between meetings and errands.

But votes are rarely dramatic when you cast them.
They only become visible later.

During our Bologna food tours, I usually start with a provocation.

I tell people that in Italy, coffee is terrible almost everywhere.

They look at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Impossible! Italian coffee is the best!”

Then we stop laughing and start talking.

We talk about historic cafés.
About the economic boom.
About how large companies entered the bar market.
About how today we complain if the price of an espresso goes up by ten cents.

Ten cents.

Italy has one of the cheapest coffees in Europe, yet we expect something perfect in the cup.

If coffee costs that little, the question is: where is the shortcut?

And do I vote for that?

None of these votes change the world on their own.

But neither does a single ballot.

The problem is not making the “wrong” choice sometimes. We all do. Constantly.

The problem is forgetting that we are choosing at all.

Because eating is one of the few areas of life where we still get to vote every single day. Quietly. Privately. Without permission.

That’s a privilege. And like all privileges, it comes with responsibility — not guilt.

Just awareness.

You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need to shop at farmers’ markets all the time. You don’t need to turn every meal into a statement.

You just need to remember that your fork has weight.

And that every now and then, it’s worth asking yourself:

What am I voting for today?

• Rimini: what to see, eat, and feel in Italy’s seaside icon
  I spent a rainy weekend in Rimini. I came back with a cold, but also with the urge to finally tell this city beyond the usual beach clichés.

• Parma: 11 must-try dishes and where to eat them
  A long-form guide to Parma’s food culture, focused on understanding why certain dishes exist and where they still make sense today.

• Bologna itinerary – What to actually enjoy in 1, 2 or 3+ days

  A practical guide for anyone short on time in Bologna, built around what’s really worth doing — and what you can skip.

• This month, I was interviewed by Business Insider about Comacchio. It was great to talk about a small, often overlooked town I visit often — especially during eel season.

If you’re down to the wire, here’s an alternative to the usual socks (always useful, to be fair).
Our Taste Bologna gift cards can be used for a food tour or a cooking class, they don’t expire — and they don’t end up in a drawer.

GET A GIFT CARD

Before closing, a small thank you.

If you’ve been to Bologna or any of the other cities with us for a food tour or a cooking class, thank you for choosing to spend your time that way.

If you haven’t yet, that’s perfectly fine too. We’ll be here when the moment is right.

Thank you for reading all the way to the end. It means more than you might think.

Be always happy,
Andrea